Editor’s note: The

views expressed inside this editorial aren’t necessarily the views of

AllHipHop.com or its employees. What would Waka Flocka Flame be doing if he wasn’t

rapping?  A couple of weeks ago,

the southern bred MC and Gucci Mane cohort acknowledged that he wasn’t lyrical

nor was he into lyrics and all hell broke loose.  It was as if the young man had desecrated religion or even

worse. 

He’s not into lyrics, and obviously his motivation in the

rap game isn’t to go down in history as anyone’s top five, dead or alive.  It appears that his motivation is the

same as so many of today’s artists, and that’s to get paid. 

Over the years, we’ve seen rap evolve.  Therefore, with the evolution of rap,

I’m sure many would concur, that the participant’s motivation changed as

well.  Initially, MC’s just wanted

to move the crowd and that’s what they did, upon the inception of the art

form.  During the eighties,

arguably we witnessed the most diversification and transitional stages in

rappers, which could probably be credited for laying the benchmark for rappers,

for many years to follow.  We had

the likes of Darryl and Joe whose “swag” was impeccable to none, the knowledge

administered by the eighteenth letter, the consciousness of Public Enemy number

one and the f### the police mentality ushered in easily by n###### with

attitudes, just to name a few.  All

different groups and styles existed with one motivation, to tell a story,

educate, inform and through it all, we were entertained. 

Then came the nineties when it was imperative to be lyrical;

and the complexities of rappers rhymes made their stories even more brazing and

sinister than what they really were. 

Their words were deep, and the way they were spoken, made people rewind

and listen again.  Did you hear

what he just said?  Many of us

remember making that statement at some point in time in regards to hip hop

music, two decades prior to our present. 

I’m certain that many of you also recall hearing rappers in interviews

say that they wrote music with the intent of making the listening audience say,

as we pressed rewind, “Did you hear what he just said”?  A statement as such only existed

because their motivation was different. 

Many of the early ninety artists were still challenging the presence or

the ghost of those who had paved the way for them to even exist.  During that time, Nas was the sire and

blueprint, epitomizing the standard of the art; for Christ sake we all remember

who he was compared to, the eighteenth letter, the God MC.  How did he write his rhymes?  Probably with a dictionary and

thesaurus close by, and after reading countless material on subject matter such

as politics, religion, economics, history, theatre and the arts, authored by individuals

like Niccolo Machiavelli, William Shakespeare, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad,

Prophet Noble Drew Ali, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Malcolm X, George Jackson,

Huey Newton, and Bobby Seal, just to name ten of thousands.  Artists of the nineties understood the

story telling component and how to move the crowd, but seemed to thrive on

being part of the argument of “who’s the best rapper?”

Much transpired in the previous decades in hip hop before we

started concerning ourselves with gold and platinum plaques or the amount of

money artists earned for selling their art or brand.  Though Puffy and them had everybody “throwing their Rollies

in the sky” or wishing they could, honestly, it was them boys from the bottom

of the map that changed the motivation in the game in one swoop. 

Though he’ll never be mentioned on any lyricist top five lists,

Percy Miller, masterminded the game and blatantly and unabashedly announced the

“new” reason and motivation that rappers should be in the game.  That No Limit soldier got filthy rich,

quickly, without spitting any complex lyrics; but contrarily for spitting

simplistic lyrics over hard knocking beats and more importantly by understanding

the business that he was partaking in. 

True, Puffy, Jay and some others got money to, but I don’t believe that

monetary reasons were their initial motives.  Initially, classic material seemed to be the driving force,

then they started making a lot of money and the dollar became the motivation.

The difference between many of the artists from the nineties

era who still exist and put out music, in comparison to those who followed

them, I’m certain, is the fact that they remember another reason for wanting to

emcee other than to get rich. 

Since the new millennium, there have been some acts that

have been able to enter the game with lyrical ability and capitalize on the

business aspect as well.  However,

many new acts also realized that rap is a means to an end, a good one; I might

add, if you’re somewhat successful with your hustle like a Waka Flocka Flame or

Gucci Mane.  Consider this, Waka Flocka

hasn’t dropped an album independently or on a major and he gets over $15,000.00

a night to perform, already.  Last

year, Gucci Mane dropped his first major release album and prior to that was

already commanding over $30,000 a night to perform.  No, they’re not selling out arenas, but they’re performing

at clubs around the country, consistently, on a regular basis and they are

booked throughout the week. 

What would Waka Flocka be doing if he wasn’t rapping?  Hell, I could ask the same question for

many other emcees that may not be deemed the most lyrical and oftentimes rap

about the same content.  With that

being said, you could probably ask the same of the quote unquote lyrical

rappers as well.  Now, who am I to

say exactly what they would be doing if they weren’t rapping, but would it be

completely false of me to assume that they would not be legitimately making the

kind of money that they currently earn?

Most of us come from the same type of environment, faced the

same obstacles and had the same dreams. 

We all wanted to escape the societal ills inflicted upon us.  We were either going to “get rich or

die trying.”  Biggie said that it

would either take us “selling crack rock or having a wicked jump shot.”  Either way, we wanted out.  The early stages of hip hop allowed us

to express those suppressed emotions, we shortly found reward through our

expression, and then our motivation to express changed, but still with the same

underlying resolve.  Most young

boys from our community don’t have a bar mitzvah to indicate that they’re

men.  There is no ceremony, instead,

what’s the first thing you’re reminded as a boy proclaiming to be grown?  The first time your mother hear you

say, “I’m grown” she immediately reminds you that you’re not grown until you

can fend for yourself by paying bills, such as rent, gas and electric, buy your

own clothes and food.  If you watch

one of the most recent videos of Waka Flocka uploaded on different hip hop

sites, you’ll hear him make a comment about his house which he states is

“bigger than your momma’s.” 

I’m not mad at Waka or any of the other artist’s for not

being “lyrical” because I know their motivation to rap isn’t the same as those

individuals who are commonly revered as being great emcees.  Again, today’s rap is a means to an

end.  For many, it’s just a

hustle.  And if there was another legitimate

hustle, which allowed the return to be just as profitable for time invested,

I’m certain that they’d pursue that.

As perplexing as it is, truth be told, I’d guess that I’d

rather see them making an honest living rapping about the trap in simplicity,

than to try to make a living trapping. 

 

 

“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.”– Isaiah 11: 6

There are few things I enjoy more than building with the youth (from the perspective of a late 30-something and the purposes of this article that would be teenagers and those under 25) about rap music – their personal favorites, what they are listening to on the radio, the latest gossip and rumors, aka ‘I heard that Drake…’; and when, where, and how they enjoy it all (technology/websites etc…).

I do it for a few reasons – one, I’m concerned about what influences our young people, two, because it helps to renew me, and three, because this age group, to some, is the ‘holy grail’ of business – the supposedly most valuable market segment of the Hip-Hop generation. Therefore as they go – or as the mass marketers would like to take them – is where the rap industry is headed.

For sure, this is one of those subjects that separates the Ideologues (those who want the culture and industry to become more conscious but are frustrated because their activism is ineffective) from the Entrepreneurs (those who understand that consciousness is protected or destroyed not just by political consciousness but by the science of business).

What separates these two groups, as I define them, is their grasp of culture, demographics, and the laws of marketing, which always limit how fast or slow change comes to an industry, or an entire people.

Let me explain.

A few years ago I served as a strategic consultant to Dave Mays – at that time of The Source magazine. It was a great experience and one you can read about it in more detail in my book, The Entrepreneurial Secret. Dave brought me in to help bolster the political content of the magazine and to advise on some aspects of its business model. In our very first meeting I asked him to identify for me the core market for the magazine. He told me that according to the business surveys and marketing research that had been conducted the prototype of the reader of the magazine was a 17-year old male. That perspective was not exclusive to The Source – it still dominates most of Hip-Hop media to this day. We would build with one another with that marketing fact always looming large in my mind.

From the perspective of radio, I once had a dialogue with a program director in a major market who carefully explained to me the importance of the 18-24 listening audience – a group major advertisers crave more than a meth fiend needs a dentist. He explained to me how careful DJs and show hosts had to be with the subject matter they discussed and the variety of music they played in order to not lose the attention of this crowd. In other words – they can’t get into ‘deep’ subjects and certainly must not deviate from the playlist.

From the perspective of TV, I simply offer the 106 & Park rule. If you ever wanted to find the dividing line in rap music marketing, it is in studying this popular BET show. Unless you are in the music industry and have a professional interest, you can bank on the fact that it is overwhelmingly the youngest members of the Hip-Hop generation who watch this program (which is closely connected to the major radio playlists). In 2007 I accompanied Bomani Armah, whom I was consulting at the time, to the BET studios for his memorable appearance on the show, and what struck me was how young the audience was – 14 and 15 year olds, and all girls. What also stayed with me was how the same young ladies who were fawning over the R&B music were so inquisitive and interested when the subject of Bomani’s controversial ‘Read A Book’ came up and during his interview (you could have heard a pin drop). To me, Bomani’s interview with Rocsi and Terrence J is a blueprint for how to be entertaining and interesting to the youngest and oldest members of the Hip-Hop community.

So, one of the biggest challenges facing the industry and culture is how to reconcile the fact (which many still don’t publicly acknowledge) that while the rap music business model is geared to teenagers, the music’s impact lives on, culturally, in an older generation. As consumers, fans, and artists we have been trained and conditioned to serve a marketing construct – The17-year old – only interested in the entertainment value of song, dance, and celebrity while as producers, parents, and leaders we desire Hip-Hop to become a more mature expression with political impact and social consequence.

We don’t want to stop becoming fans of the music, and yet we are forced to, to some degree, because the magazines, websites, and broadcast programming continue their loyalty to a somewhat mythical being – a construct of what we once were in time, but are no more – The 17-Year Old.

Many, in the older generation, have different ways of dealing with the contradiction and dilemma, usually becoming walking contradictions themselves.

Some genuinely train their ear to the latest sound or force themselves to like whatever is new. Others become bitter critics of everything new and celebrate ‘the good ‘ol days.’ Others try to position themselves as activists who claim to represent Hip-Hop and the youth, yet spend most of their time criticizing the music that the youth are being conditioned to like (spending hours arrogantly differentiating between ‘rap’ and ‘Hip-Hop’ while denying that the only reason people listen to them today is because of the popularity of ‘rap’). Others – still in the business – compartmentalize their professional lives – claiming allegiance to a golden conscious era while making money promoting the materialistic filth that the golden era condemned.

The worship of the 17-Year Old God is both a gift and a curse.

Part of what makes Hip-Hop or rap music attractive is that it has found the fountain of youth because of its cultural commitment and marketing focus on the very young. This dynamic makes even the oldest person have to stay on their toes, just to stay relevant. From another field one can see this from the current episode of ‘Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel’ on HBO, which features Tom Izzo, head basketball coach at Michigan State University. Very involved with the college students on campus who support his team, the 55-year old Izzo has dressed up as Dracula and King Leonidas, been lowered down from the ceiling of the indoor arena where the team plays and ridden into the arena on a motorcycle and a host to wild applause and acceptance from students in their teens and early 20s.

When asked ‘When are you going to grow up? Why do you do these things?’ Izzo answered, “God, I hope never. I hope never.”

He then added, “I think when you are in a profession where you get older but your clientele stays the same (age)…it’s a way to stay connected.”

The curse?

On the other hand, the pre-occupation with the youth, at its extreme, actually breeds immaturity into the culture.

There is constant pressure because of the insights and seldom seen influence that the marketing scientists have on record labels, radio stations, and media outlets to make music that only appeals to your instinct to dance; to make videos that titillate the sexual desire; and ‘dumb down’ information and news when time demands serious analysis, investigative reporting, and presentations that aren’t politically correct.

So, how will this change?

Please just do me this favor, stick to our little plan

And f— the money, just keep my little man (by your side)

And show him his hope

He gonna think he know how its goin’

But show him the ropes

And if you bring him to the Gucci store, show him the loafs

Hood ni—s, I’m just showing you growth, but I’m still right (by your side)

–Jadakiss, ‘By Your Side’

In only one of three ways – either the mind of the 17 Year Old is respected and appreciated by the current establishment of artists, advertisers, labels and outlets for what she or he truly are – maturing males and females who are capable of more than just being fascinated by material goods, sex, violence and gossip. Or, a new more independent-minded establishment appears that shows one can make money by doing so, and by not forgetting about a world of former 17 Year Olds who have lost their connection to an industry and art form because it did not mature with them.

The third possibility is much more painful – economic decline, social upheaval, even revolution, that creates circumstances and living conditions that make the industry’s current business model (geared around consumer goods, sex, violence, and gossip) totally irrelevant, forcing the 17 Year Olds to deny the commercial religion that has been built up around them. In this personality cult driven world, there may be nothing more powerful than a person denying they are worthy of worship.

You can see this to a small degree already as rap music, talk shows and programming has had very little insight to offer on the serious events we’ve been living through this past decade and young people turn to the Internet and one another via a still as yet to be dominated by advertising social media for insight.

Until we learn to speak the language of an entire generation (not just its youngest members) and promote the best of the culture in the past, present and future tense (without leaving the youngest members behind), the industry that has formed around them will be a source of death as much as it has been a source of life.

I can love and learn from 17 Year Olds, and even follow them, but I can’t worship them.

And I don’t think they want us to…

Cedric Muhammad is a business consultant, political strategist, and monetary economist. He is also a former GM of Wu-Tang Management and a Member of the African Union’s First Congress of African Economists. He is author of the book, ‘The Entrepreneurial Secret’ (http://theEsecret.com/). He can be contacted via e-mail at: cedric(at)cmcap.com

Last week Tavis Smiley held a summit/ round table called ‘We Count’.. He had a number of people speaking including Minister Farrakhan. I think this is a series of videos well worth watching.. Minister Farrakhan lays down a lot of things for us to keep in mind as we engage President Obama. He speaks to the issue of whether or not we  as Black people should be criticizing him in public..and if so how..This is in 3 parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L91pAl3XYC8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUuY4VtBDaA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdx76kiU2wg

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