Humpjones

Hip Hop 2011: It’s That Bad, Huh

Posted Feb 14, 2011

I may be the only person alive who’s not amazed by this video.

Tyler is fucking dope and I hate you for even thinking I’m hating on him when I’m actually hating on you. Hopefully that’s clear enough, as opening sentences go. I want to see everyone make a living off rap, especially brutally honest and creative young mutants. The beat was obnoxious but completely hypnotic and the video was dope. I don’t know how much anyone really pays attention to the kid as a thinking, real human being, but he makes it pretty clear that he has a lot of contempt for people who are freaking out over this video right now.

Not the fans, not the heads, not the listeners. That’s all any emcee really wants—just some honest neurological bandwidth. If your idea of “commentary” is pointing out that homey didn’t actually eat the roach, this whole article was a wrong turn for you. Hip hop might actually not be about your frame of reference and personal opinions...I know, call me fucking crazy...just this hunch I have.

I’ll never be as honest again as I was when I was 19 years old. When I really started listening to music it was the 1990s and I got into acid because acid is awesome. LSD taught me a lot, and as a direct result I love Duane Allman, I love Pink Floyd, and I love hip hop. Don’t get me wrong: I hate it, too, especially the people who write about hip hop, define hip hop, and debate hip hop.

Oh, you’re into Odd Future now? You get it, right? NO DOUBT, DAUG. It won’t even be 12 months until you’re using your little blog platforms to stick daggers through their underage hearts. Throwing them under the bus, just to be the first on the backlash bandwagon. Bonus cool points! Maybe you’ll even get into some shows or something.

Really, why are we doing this? We are all going to die and that’s what you really need to answer for at 3 am.

We’re in pretty rough shape when a black and white video of a kid rapping can have the critics and commentators losing their shit like Yonkers did. I have to wonder what the fuck you’ve all been paying attention to for the past few years. Rather than floss my tireless dedication to finding rappers even better than me, I’ll just devote the rest of this rant to a simple laundry list for the offended parties to catch up: Marcberg, Boy Meets World, Stoney Jackson, Brooklynati, In the Ruff, Before Taxes, Rádio Do Canibal, Withness My Growth, Pipe Dream & A Promise, 1982, Fight Music, Gas Mask, Tsol, Shapeshifters, My Soul to Keep, Gorgeous Killer in Crimes of Passion, Days Chasing Days,, and A Different Mirror.