(AllHipHop News) For decades, certain segments in Hip Hop have faced criticism for what some see as an excessive focus on materialism and violence. One rock performer has stepped up to try and defend his personal favorite style of rap music and at the same time throw a few shots at other artists as well.
Cole Alexander of the Atlanta-based group Black Lips spoke with A.V. Club to give his opinion about the subject. The conversation was sparked by Lorde’s anti-consumerism themed hit record “Royals” which Alexander views as righteous and confusing.
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“Most of the people that are rapping about Maybachs and diamonds come from really ‘torn-up towns.’ I’m going on assumptions, but I feel like a lot of these guys are from Compton or these f**king ghettos like Memphis, and their parts of town are way more torn up than hers,” said Alexander. “I feel like they come from worse parts and they aspire to get Maybachs and diamonds because they come from ratchet-ass hoods where they have no hope. I think it’s a bit righteous of her.”
The guitarist also expressed his dislike for Young Money’s Drake. Alexander feels that Drake comes off as inauthentic.
“I’m sure he has some struggles in his life like everyone does, but I just don’t like Drake. He seems kind of fake to me,” added Alexander. “Personally, I like more melodramatic, ignorant rap where they’re talking about violence and anger and it’s just evil. I don’t like when it’s too conscious, I don’t like it when it’s too smart.”
Alexander then turned his attention to Macklemore and his song “Thrift Shop.” It was one particular line from the single Alexander took issue with.
“There’s that one line where they’re like, ‘That’s a cold-ass h####’,” Alexander said. “I feel like white people, when someone says something racist against them, they’re not very offended. They’ve never had to deal with racism so it’s almost a kind of white guilt, or a subtle kind of action. My problem isn’t the fact that he says ‘h####,’ though. It’s that he puts ‘h####’ in a black person’s mouth and they actually say it instead of him. He put a racist term into a black person’s mouth and had it thrown back at him to satiate his white guilt. That’s the way I look at it.”
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