By Malice Intended
Perhaps more than any other form of popular culture, Hip-Hop capitalizes on America’s fascination with the Alpha male. More specifically, Rap music capitalizes on the alpha male’s penchant for braggadocio and posturing. This fascination has so permeated the genre on a mainstream level that there seems to be room for little else in the way of images and messages. One begins to wonder if a rapper who doesn’t adhere to the “super n***a” archetype could ever be a mainstream star.
Contrary to popular belief, rap’s obsession with ego goes beyond the boundaries of gangsta music and cocaine rap. It can be found in every subgenre and is indulged by all rap stars to some degree. Kanye West might not be “gangsta” but he is just as full of himself and materialistic as the artists he is supposedly the antithesis to. The same goes for the seemingly harmless Dance/Club anthems and ringtone raps that have held the genre in vice-grip over the past few years. All are dripping with ego and self glorification on one level or another.
To an extent, that is as it should be. At its core, rapping has always been an ego-driven endeavor. No one can argue that. However, an art form should never be limited to its origins. In order to last throughout the ages, an art form must grow and expand. Not just in a regional sense, but in a substantial and spiritual sense as well.
The unspoken truth is that rap music has been in a self imposed state of stunted growth since the late 80’s. Sure there have been strides and innovations, but mostly on a musical front. Production techniques have improved, as has the musicianship and instrumentation. Arrangements have become more complex. Flows have become more melodic, hooks more catchy. The only thing that hasn’t changed are the emotions being portrayed and the messages being delivered. It’s the very definition of style over substance. Rappers today are saying the exact same things that rappers twenty and thirty years ago were saying. It’s a more evolved version of the same old beast.
The blame for this arrested development can be laid at the doorstep of both the artists and the fans. Let’s avoid the convenient excuse of record labels and major corporations. It‘s too easy to blame “Big Brother” in this instance.
Rappers stubbornly adhere to subject matter that conforms to the alpha-male archetype, as they are deathly afraid of presenting themselves in a way that might make them appear weak or, God forbid, vulnerable. The irony in all of this is that a willingness to explore the weak and vulnerable side of the human experience would allow rappers to do the one thing they have always claimed to do: make music that their fans (IE the “common man”) can relate to.
Most of us don’t listen to our favorite rappers to hear things that we can relate to or “feel”. We live vicariously through these characters. They are who we wish we were. They do the things we can only dream about. Even when they reflect a certain aspect of our reality, they do so in vague and mythic terms. How many people can truly relate to the alpha male, particularly the version offered to us in rap songs? Rappers are characters that never take a loss, can have any woman they want, defeat any enemy and have bottomless bank accounts. One could see the recent return to rap’s dance/party roots via as an antidote to the ego mania, but even those songs and the artists who make them exude a “be like me/life of the party” vibe that few average Joes could ever live up to.
The obsession with ego has fueled Rap music for over 30 years, but the car is beginning to stall. In order to continue the journey, an oil change is necessary. In any form of popular music, the artists who truly last are the ones who allow us a glimpse into who they are. Not just their anger and aggression, but their pain and weakness. Truly great artists know how to provide two things at once: The icon that awes us, and the every man that we can relate to and feel for. Rappers seem very adept in providing the former, but unwilling and inept when it comes to the latter. When a rapper can present himself as a regular guy without being written off as boring or lame is the day when our beloved culture will have truly come of age.
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It’s depression masquerading as machismo. What passes for “40 and a blunt” good times in most fo hip-hop is really alcoholism, substance abuse, and chemical dependency. When brothers can talk so cavalierly about killing eachother and then reveal that they have no expectation to see their 21st bday, that is just straight-up depression masquerading as machismo.
Listen to the chorus of Biggie’s “Everyday Struggle” off ‘Ready To Die’. Even he was plagued with guilt, regret, and depression. The album ends with him committing suicide.
-Sana Arshad
i’m glad you said that rap’s roots were always firmly entrenched in self promotion. rap used to be about lyrical battles, which meant you had ti big up yourself while verbally slaying your opponent.
and that was good.
in the late 80’s other forms of rap emerged and did well for a time. it was conscious, it was fun, it was party music, it was dance music.
and it was called SELL OUT music, POP, WEAK, and it fell in popularity along with Hammer.
so rap had its chance, but a combination of ganster rap, keepin’ it real, and corporate big business killed it.
and i WEEP.
Well written
I wrote this piece of frustration with Hip-Hop’s one note and contradictory nature. It’s not an all inclusive form but an exclusionary one.