Perspective

mauludSADIQ
Jul 23, 2017 · 2 min read

Peace David,

I thought long and hard about your comment and I came to this conclusion — we’re seeing things from two different ends of the spectrum.

That spectrum exists because of the generational differences that we have. When I was 19, so-called conscious rap was popular but popular only in the sense that many of my peers were listening to it and it had an affect on our lives.

I went to Clark Atlanta University and at the time Atlanta had yet to find it’s musical identity. The majority of the music that they played in their clubs and in general was either from Miami or imitated music from Miami. There were clubs like NXS and Screamin’ Wheels that teens from Atlanta went to. And guess what? We went to those parties too. As a result, I learned to appreciate Bass music, this despite the fact that I hated the misogyny of the lyrics.

Over time (and while I was in college, no less) I watched the Rap Industry grow beyond the “urban” market to becoming mainstream, mostly because of what was done out west. Unlike Bass music, however, I did not appreciate that music. I spent my formative years in Denver, Colorado and the rise of the music called Gangster Rap coincided with the rise of actual gangs and violence that Denver had never seen before (Ice Cube’s “Summer Vacation” is a perfect illustration of that phenomenon). The music fueled the behavior so I was never a fan of early NWA, Quik, Snoop, MC Eiht, etc.

Unlike Bass music, where I needed to see the environment to understand it, I understood full well the environment of “Ain’t No Fun,” I grew up seeing “Nothin’ But a G Thing” video scenarios. To my friends who grew up on the east coast or in the south, to them, West Coast music was just entertainment and good music. For me it was a sad reality.

Me talking about acts like Young Thug is me appreciating what he does from the distance of age. I can like Travis Scott because I’m not in an environment where the majority of the people around me are popping pills and drinking lean. I’m not from that era.

You may call it a “bit of a cop-out” but it’s actually the opposite. It’s taken me years to come to grips with what the music that I love and the culture I was a part of has become. Me learning to appreciate modern music, Post Rap or otherwise, is me learning to appreciate and not be dismissive of your generation. All that’s lacking is a more diverse, commercial presence. But Joey Bada$$ isn’t pushed the same way Migos is. That’s not on us. That’s on the Record Industry. If anyone is “copping-out,” it is them.

So I leave you with this challenge — study the affect that the commercialism of Rap has had on music and our people and I promise you, you won’t ever leave a comment on a post like this again. You’ll be too outraged. It’s all perspective. Peace.

    mauludSADIQ

    b-boy, old dude, Hip-Hop Investigating, music lovin’ Muslim

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