HipHop/Rap Rant
Lil Kim vs. Nicki Minaj
(lol I must be losing my mind)
This seems to be a hot topic around the world (5 ghettos in the U.S. and worldstarhiphop). HipHop/Rap (yes, they are the same thing) has been lacking in the "Beef" department for several years now, mainly because everyday, its turning more and more into a business and rappers are being accepted more and more by the consumers as posers, "I dont care what he did, he make good music". So you got a group of guys and a couple of girls where more than 90% of them don't have ANY street cred, yet all they talk about in their music is street ish. I dont know when it happened, but suddenly, everyone wanted to be cool with everyone, no one wants to talk about anyone, "man im just trying to get money, we all trying to get money", ok, I understand that, I'm not going to pretend like money isnt a big part of why people get into the music industry, but, it cant be the sole reason. What happened to, just wanting to get your story out there? What happened to the humble feelings of, being happy if you sell just ONE record, as long as you touched somebody, its a job well done? You got dude's "selling their soul" just for a hit, its a trend now, its business, HipHop/Rap doesn't deserve to be ALL business. There's no more teaching, rappers/emcees/artists dont know the power in their voices anymore. Having that mic in your hand, and an endless audience is a blessing man, but its not being treated that way, you'd think with as much crap as we have going on in this world, and in this country, and how shady the music industry is, these rappers would take the time out to say something other than the usual. Maybe its a fear of rejection? Maybe these rappers are so hung up on getting money and selling records, they fear if they say something meaningful, people will stop listening. I won't ever believe that, it HAS to start somewhere, either us, as the consumers, all stand up and refuse to buy (aka download) the music that's being made over and over and over, or, the music makers need to realize what they are doing means a lot to millions of people and they shouldn't be afraid to speak on other topics. We hunger for knowledge and revolution, we cant wait for someone to stand up and start marching to the white house so we can get behind them, some of us need it, we need someone to stand up for us. I used to be the type of person to say, "hiphop is dead" etc., HipHop will never die, it just has no balance whatsoever, "It's not about old school, new school, east coast, west coast, dirty south"--Nas. Oh how true that quote is, my problem with HipHop isnt, I want to hear more Nas, Common, and Mos Def on the radio cause thats REAL hiphop, no, my problem is the balance, why cant Nas Common and Mos Def co-exist on the radio with Gucci Mane, Wocka Flocka, and Jeezy? Why does it have to be so one sided? You know why...and I'll tell you why...BUSINESS! Time's have changed dramatically.
Mixtapes
I remember when mixtapes were for up and coming artists and local artists, does anyone else remember that? Seems like it was so long ago. This is another major problem with HipHop, you have the BIGGEST names in HipHop making mixtapes as if no one knows who they are!!, it frustrates me, cause it makes it THAT much harder for artists to get recognition now. How will anyone know who Young Jehri Curl is if he has to battle on a mixtape bracket with Lil Wayne, Fabolous, Jeezy and Drake? It's just a business loop hole, rappers don't make as much as they appear to make, and the industry is designed to keep the artist in debt, which is how this mixtape boom came about. Why put out an album that I'm not gonna see much money from, when I can send some unreleased or newly recorded verses to my Dj, let him get some features, put together a mixtape, and keep most of the money. I've actually seen people say, "I like mixtape-Lil' Wayne, not album Wayne". It's a shame, but, these major labels are taking notes, I'm sure you've went to the music section at a store and have seen mix cd's on the shelves....thats "them" lol
Fin for now
I can rant about HipHop all day dude, and that's not even an exaggeration, but, I'm going to put it on hold for now, and get into this Beef (eroni)!
Nicki Minaj vs. Lil Kim
(DING DING!)
Over the past 2 years Nicki Minaj has blown up, basically anyone on Lil wayne's record label (Young Money) has blown up, her first album has gone CERTIFIED platinum. Well, I'm not sure when this started, but unfortunately, it did start. You have like 4 groups of people, Group 1: loves Nicki Minaj and everything she does, Group 2: hates Nicki Minaj and everything she does, Group 3: hates Nicki Minaj and is persistent in telling Group 1 that Nicki Minaj is a fake Lil Kim, Group 4: doesnt care.
When Nicki Minaj first started getting hot, I honestly couldnt figure out why. There were male and females acting as if she was just this super dope emcee on the mic, I've listened to her, on more than one occasion, and I STILL cant figure why Group 1ers are so head over heels for her. Perhaps there is nothing to figure out, its just her time to shine, and I can respect that, I dont have to like her nor do I have to understand why other people like her. Anywho. Group 3ers will go to the ends of the earth telling Group 1ers and Group 4ers why Nicki Minaj is trash in everything she does (mainly that whole barbie thing) is just a carbon copy of Lil Kim. Is there some truth to it? Of course there is, but it's not enough for there to be Beef over it.
If you look back, you'll see a pattern, whenever a male rapper comes out, and gets really hot, and ends up getting his own label, he'll bring in a lot of talent with him, and they will single handedly run the rap game, I havent seen the rap game run the way Young Money is doing it in a long time, but, really look back. For the most part, there was a female rapper involved in all these rap-game-running stories, Trick Daddy had Trina, DMX had Eve, of course Notorious BIG had Lil Kim, Master P had Mia X, Fat Joe had Remy Ma....you see where I'm going with this? For the most part, there has been a standard set for female rappers in the HipHop world. That standard female rapper usually has a lot of talent, but are dumbed down so much, they become sex sellers and gimmicks. There are plenty of female rappers out here who refuse to be that way, and as you can see, you never see them around.
So this "Beef" started some time ago when I guess Lil Kim figured she'd had enough of Nicki Minaj "taking her style" aka playing that standard female rapper role, and she began dissing Nicki Minaj. Group 1ers are all "lil kim be hating" "lil kim so old, when da last time she had a hit?! lol" "lil kim aint got no money, dats why she be hatin, cuz she aint got no money" etc. etc. Group 2ers and 3ers are all like "yeah kim is back! bout to end nicki's career!" "lil kim da real baddest bish on dese streets and she gone kill nicki minaj" "nicki minaj cant even say nothing back cause she got a big ole stupid head!" etc. etc. Apparently Lil Kim is gonna "revive" herself by dissing herself (Nicki Minaj), I think its stupid. I understand you feeling some type of way because you see someone profiting off a standard you basically set, I'd be pissed too. That's like me turning water into wine, healing the sick and giving sight to the blind, and everyone brushing it under the rug and acting as if Jesus is this new sensation, like, wow, really? The least you could do is pay homage, I cant even get that!, but the bigger picture is this, Lil Kim's time is up. In this new world of Beef, its not about lyrics anymore (see Krs-One vs. Nelly) I haven't listened to any of the diss tracks from either side, as far as I know Lil Kim could've lyrically torn her apart, driving Group 2ers crazy.
All Nicki Minaj has to do is...shut up, ignore her, feed into it only a little bit, go in the studio, make you a hit record, say her (lil kim) name 1 time in a punch line and she'll win that battle 12 out of 10 times, because there's nothing Lil Kim can say thats going to convince a Group 1er that they shouldn't support Nicki Minaj and her music. Keep in mind, there are at least 10 million Group 1ers. The best way for Lil Kim to revive her career would've been to embrace Nicki Minaj, because creating "beef" with her makes you look like a "hater" and a desperate attempt to get back into the game and stay relevant. Embracing her wouldve not only shut Group 2ers and Group 3ers up, but it wouldve converted a lot of them into Group 5ers (lol a new group) a group that would say "Nicki Minaj is nice but Lil Kim is a beast too". Why didnt Lil Kim do it? I dont know, its not what was in her heart, and I respect her for that, she couldve taken the easy more business-driven way out, and just sided with Nicki Minaj, did a couple of songs with her, got her name back out there, gotten another record deal and etc.
HipHop grew from Beef, back to Busy Bee and Kool Mo Dee (google it), it went from being "yo listen to this new dude go at this dude" to "they just hating, trying to get known and get into the game". That bothers me. It plays into the whole business-only state of mind HipHop is in, we're at a point where you cant even genuinely diss another artist without it coming off as you being a hater just trying to get recognition, which again, going back to before the beef, makes it even harder for new guys to break into the industry.
I dont believe there's anything serious about this beef, meaning, I dont think it'll evolve into a situation as to where Nicki Minaj cant go to New York because a Group 2 or 3er will attempt to gun her down at a studio, or Lil Kim cant go certain places in fear of her life, but I do believe if Lil Kim isnt careful she'll run into a disgruntled Group 1er who will do something ignorant like throwing something at her or punching her and running, like I said (typed) earlier, there's about 10million of em', all of them cant be right in the head lol
How do you feel about these heffas going at it? If you're reading this you're probably a Group 4er lol
Peace and mo Old Navy Fleece
Lol. I think it's silly. However, it annoys me that people seem to forget that Lil Kim didn't start the beef. Nicki was talking shit a lonnnng time ago, saying she'd be better than so and so and that such and such had nothing on her, etc etc. It wasn't until Lil Kim responded that Nicki stopped spewing trash and started playing the victim.
ReplyDeleteI think Kim was childish for even bothering to record a diss track in response to that fake ass little girl, but music is, first and foremost, a form of expression, and lil kim was, well.. angry.
I don't think kim meant the track to be a move to get her back in the game. Instead it seemed almost like a reaction she couldn't help having. That's just what most people do when someone disses them, fire back.