Trapsters
Read the piece about MC NYOIL on SOHH. Interesting cat. What I liked reading the most were the comments. About 95% in support. There is still hope yet.
Got me thinking about the trapsters and crack music.
We need to be clear here. These guys can't be telling the truth. Just as my man Greg called the Knicks 'studio gangsters' for their testosterone fueled outburst Sat night these guys must be 'studio trapsters.'
Clearly with as much dirt on their name as they claim there is a file open on them. At the federal or local level. And if that is the case why on earth would you chronicle your actual crimes? Or put your government name and face on billboards, videos, and web banners. Maybe if you just a worker, one of the low level kids I saw on Fulton this morning. But if you had real power I would imagine you would want to keep your mouth shut as would your superiors.
So we're most likely dealing in fiction not non fiction as marketing plans would have us believe.
NYOIL also had me thinking about the supporters of this music.
The people on the business side have already leveraged their morals and demonstrated the ability to separate work from life, so I get that. But I wonder where everyone else's head is. Have they experienced the end result of the trapster? Or is the crack game some exotic fantasy where drug dealers are the new quixotic villains.
I can't help but imagine that the hipster supporters of Clipse and Jeezy have rarely seen what crack did and is doing to their newly adopted Urban community.
I've seen it and there is nothing redeeming about it. I've seen my girlfriend’s mom turn tricks on Hunts Point to feed the crack monster. I've seen how it sucked the life out of that young girl.
I wonder if these writers have ever seen the local knucklehead gunned down in the park 100 feet from their mother's apartment.
Ever been playing basketball and had 2 more boneheads sprint by you while being chased by a gun wielding competitor.
Ever seen your idol while growing up transform from Motorcycle Boy (SE Hinton reference, holla!) to a dead junkie in between vacations from boarding school.
Ain’t nothing romantic about it.
So let's be clear on who and what you are supporting.
We are all grown and can support to whoever we want. People are also free to express themselves. That is the beauty of this.
I'm not without blame. I am one of those businessmen who has danced with the devil far too many times. And I like the Clipse (more for Pharell and their style than content). But I also know that is all fiction like Battlestar Galactica.
We see where NYOIL stands. Where do you stand?
Got me thinking about the trapsters and crack music.
We need to be clear here. These guys can't be telling the truth. Just as my man Greg called the Knicks 'studio gangsters' for their testosterone fueled outburst Sat night these guys must be 'studio trapsters.'
Clearly with as much dirt on their name as they claim there is a file open on them. At the federal or local level. And if that is the case why on earth would you chronicle your actual crimes? Or put your government name and face on billboards, videos, and web banners. Maybe if you just a worker, one of the low level kids I saw on Fulton this morning. But if you had real power I would imagine you would want to keep your mouth shut as would your superiors.
So we're most likely dealing in fiction not non fiction as marketing plans would have us believe.
NYOIL also had me thinking about the supporters of this music.
The people on the business side have already leveraged their morals and demonstrated the ability to separate work from life, so I get that. But I wonder where everyone else's head is. Have they experienced the end result of the trapster? Or is the crack game some exotic fantasy where drug dealers are the new quixotic villains.
I can't help but imagine that the hipster supporters of Clipse and Jeezy have rarely seen what crack did and is doing to their newly adopted Urban community.
I've seen it and there is nothing redeeming about it. I've seen my girlfriend’s mom turn tricks on Hunts Point to feed the crack monster. I've seen how it sucked the life out of that young girl.
I wonder if these writers have ever seen the local knucklehead gunned down in the park 100 feet from their mother's apartment.
Ever been playing basketball and had 2 more boneheads sprint by you while being chased by a gun wielding competitor.
Ever seen your idol while growing up transform from Motorcycle Boy (SE Hinton reference, holla!) to a dead junkie in between vacations from boarding school.
Ain’t nothing romantic about it.
So let's be clear on who and what you are supporting.
We are all grown and can support to whoever we want. People are also free to express themselves. That is the beauty of this.
I'm not without blame. I am one of those businessmen who has danced with the devil far too many times. And I like the Clipse (more for Pharell and their style than content). But I also know that is all fiction like Battlestar Galactica.
We see where NYOIL stands. Where do you stand?
Labels: hip hop
posted by Wes at 11:23 AM
2 Comments:
I hope when UR knocking all these studio dope boys and trapstars that UR including Jay in that cos he's probably the most suspect dude of all, with blogger faves the Clipse a close second (both having been corner boys or mid-level operators in the dope game at best from what I've been told).
Also, based on what I've heard from my peoples in the A, Jeezy was the real deal though and pushing the high-end Italian whips WAY before the deal with Def Jam to prove it.
I agree with your overall point though that hip hop as a community has to stop implicitly condoning this stuff or at least begin to call BS on the fiction or hyperbole some of these cats are pushing and start asking artists for full accountability in their art by telling the full story of a hustler's life in their
music.
Unfortunately Wes, that also means not glossing over the "sins" of the acts you find "acceptable" by justifying their particular brand of posion with comments like I like the beats or their rhyme style. After all, why couldn't a Juelz, Jeezy, Rick Ross or Wayne fan say the same??
December 19, 2006 3:06 PM
Not sure how I glossed over their sins
These guys can certainly be writing great fiction taken as the truth with good beats under it. I am not giving them a pass.
I put all fake drug dealers in that category. Jay included.
They can all talk that shit but let's be serious and seperate the real from the fake.
December 19, 2006 3:23 PM
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