The Swagger Era and the Brett Michaels-ification of Hip-Hop

Back when the SCR was active (no worries it will be a part of the new Brooklyn Bodega) I wrote a post about how Hip-Hop was in its Hair Metal stage. Well now I have a better term for it. We are in our Swagger stage.

Feel free to jack this for wikipedia, just give me credit:

Swagger Hop – an era in Hip-Hop in the early 2000’s that heavily emphasized style over substance. Swagger artists tend to be extremely fashion conscious. More so than previous eras (see Conscious, Gangsta, Crunk, etc). Swagger Rappers are known to employ stylists as key members of their staff. In an interview Kanye West famously stated that he would rather shop for clothes than shop for records. Almost if not more important than the music is the choice of sneakers, jewelry, accessories, etc. While Swagger rappers do place an inordinate value on cars and other big ticket items their opulence is focused more on their physical person.

Swagger rappers are not to be confused with Shiny Suit rappers popularized by Sean Combs and others in the mid to late 90’s. The term is taken from the suit worn by Ma$e (originally known as ultra hardcore rapper Murda Mase of Children Of The Corn) in his video for “Feels So Good” (album: Harlem World, Bad Bay).

The Shiny Suit era focused on over the top extravagance that included cars, houses, boats as well as jewelry. There was not the same focus on fashion in a traditional sense.
Swagger rappers are more keenly aware of the business side of the music than previous generations. The best of their lot are skilled marketers and entrepreneurs. They also are significantly more tech savvy and rely heavily on Myspace and other social networks to communicate with their fanbase.

Because of their focus on branding and marketing and their business sense Swagger rappers cross media with significant ease. Movies, publishing, and fashion are integrated seamlessly within their brand.

Examples of Swagger Hop artists – Lil Wayne, Kanye West, The Cool Kids, T.I., Souljah Boy, Jay-Z

See other Hip-Hop eras: Shiny Suit, Disco Rappers, Dirty South, Conscious, Glitch, Backpack, Golden Era, Indie Renaissance, Political, Proto

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I write this entry tongue in cheek with no intent to slight any of these artists. It is my belief that with each iteration of our culture we grow in power, influence and earning potential. Rather than condemn it we must study it and learn. Whatever your personal feelings about these artists or their content their marketing and entrepreneurial spirit is unprecedented. Their ability to bypass the traditional system (major distribution, MTV, Broadcast radio, print media) gives them enormous power.

In my study I have equated this era with hair metal. Further analysis shows that the response to Hair Metal was Grunge. Remember people the pendulum swings to and fro.
And when Nirvana and the grunge movement broke through they destroyed hair metal and raise the earnings bar even higher.

The ‘Swagger Like Mine’ (TI, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z) song where we see Kanye moving fully into the Swagger era and leaving behind his conscious, post Native Tongue, bourgeois roots is proof that the swagger era is approaching its tipping point. The addition of Jay Z (and his particular verse) only cements my feelings.

The Grunge type push back is coming. Hip-Hop’s Kurt Cobain is among us. He/she is about to sign to our version of Sub Pop (Stones Throw, Def Jux). He will be picked up by a major in 2-3 years. Their signing will officially put an end to this era and launch a new one.

You heard it here first.

Indo and Oregano

I can’t think of another rapper that I don’t like that I talk about more than Lil’ Wayne. I guess in some bizarre way that means I actually do like him. And I suppose I do. If for nothing else I like him for the discussions that his mere presence sparks. And this weekend was another instance where the dreaded rapper with the lean cup and more tats than even I can take got my blood pressure up. It lead me to this revelation.

I understand his appeal completely; similar to how I now understand the appeal of MIA. My problem is that their appeal has little to do with their fundamental abilities. By fundamental abilities I mean lyrics, creativity, and that amorphous ‘niceness.’ The qualities I was taught to respect as a youth in The Bronx. Qualities exhibited by Rakim, KRS, Kool G Rap, Ice Cube, Big Daddy Kane, Common, Chuck D and the usual cast of lauded characters. However, the game is different today. Now these basic skills are simply not as important. What one needs to succeed is the ‘package.’ The total package in a Lex Luger sort of way. And it makes sense. Hip-Hop as a business has grown exponentially since the late 80’s to now. The simple days where a genre breaking lyricist like Rakim could thrive despite his lack of media savvy is over. Now you need swagger. A story. It is more about packaging your comprehensive human brand. And that is why this is the time of Lil Wayne, Jay, 50, and MIA.

Arguments made by purists like myself fall on deaf ears:

Arguments like compare these lyrics,

Okay start straight shots and then pop bottles
Pour it on the models, shut up bitch swallow
If you cant swallow, shut up bitch gargle
Straight up out the water wit my Mark Jacob's goggles
I’m fresher than a muf**ka, yup I’m a muf**ka
No I wouldn't take ya girl but I sure'd take her tongue from her
Could you tell I love woman, like no other woman
Oh I’m sorry sweetheart, I thought you were my other woman
Lil Wayne‘Pop Bottles’

With these

I done burned some of the most fattest MC's like chromium percolinate
It's not even tangible for them to understand or hold the weight
It takes soul to make a crowd animated
Prince stated, ‘can’t wait 'til we get off that label’
Man I waited twelve months for the perfect opportunity
To thump (thump) bump (bump) something love for my community
I'm moving on all you punk Bambino bastards
Your style's depleted like muscles without amino acids
I blast kids with mass times matter
Forever clinging to endeavors defined, clever words
thus waiting never, frustrating verbs to rip
My rap ratings eradicate
For me to take rhythms and mate 'em with rhymes in mating season
Creating shit never before made it
I'm making hybrids
Pharoahe Monch, ‘Questions’ from The Equinox

This my friends, is as KRS says, ‘The difference between Indo and Oregano.’ Not only a great lyric from the greatest of all time but a truly appropriate metaphor or analogy. Both Monche and Wayne could be mistaken for one another by an uneducated consumer. (Not physically of course but in so much as they are both MC’s.) Similar to Indo and Oregano. Each serves a very distinct purpose. Depending on your needs picking the wrong one will ruin your experience. (Although I have never sprinkled weed on my pizza.). Replacing oregano for Indo is the same as replacing Wayne for Monch. The former is easier to produce, harvest, and distribute. You can move the former in significantly larger quantities to the public than the latter.

No matter what witty comparisons one comes up with the truth remains. The two products should not be confused. They each have value whether your needs are clandestine or wholesome. But comparing the two on virtually any level will lead to an intellectual dead end.

My personal recommendation is when you want to get high I suggest you roll up an ‘L’ of that Monch. That oregano will make you sick.

So to all of you who believe Lil Wayne is the greatest of all time and grow weary of this old fart’s stories about the glory days, I understand. I won’t stop, but I understand. But let’s make a deal. Let’s stop comparing Indo to oregano.

We on a run like Logan

So here is another chapter in my attempt to understand the cosmic anomaly known as Lil Wayne aka Weezy F Baby (I like that name much better).
Your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper’s daddy came out and said Weezy was gonna be bigger than not only Hot Hov, but also Frank White, and Tupac. Even you 30 something supporters (you know who you are) must agree they need to pump the brakes now. I am convinced they don’t even believe this sh*t. It’s whatever is in those Styrofoam cups, but it makes us loser bloggers write about him even when we think he is trash. Effective marketing, I must admit.

Here are my latest thoughts on your boy:

-The claim of greatest rapper alive will never stick with me. However, after listening to ‘Duffle Bag Boy’ and ‘Brooklyn 2.0’ I think Weezy does a better job as the 2007 Ja Rule. Off key rapper singing catchy hooks. That ‘Brooklyn 2.0’ joint off of ‘American Gangster’ is hot. Besides the Beasties sample, Weezy on the hook was a great choice. And his verse is tolerable. As a side note, I love how Hov can look past all beef to make a hot song. This, the ‘Get Money’ remix. Is a Dip Set collabo soon come?

-Speaking of that ‘Duffle Bag Boy’ song. Let me get this straight Weezy has been rhyming since he was what? 14? At one point did he become familiar with this crack hustle that is so erroneously lauded? You realize that with Baby as his daddy Wayne is the equivalent of a Hip-Hop trust fund baby. Just like Romeo. He has spent most of his young life far from poverty and certainly far from the corner or duffle bags. It’s fiction folks. Just want to make sure you all remember that.

If any of these dudes are still hustling they are 1) stupid and locked up (Spigg Nice, Steady B) , 2) will be the victim of a Federal probe (Irv Gotti), or 3) desperately trying to beat the charge by claiming they are not that stupid (T.I.)

-he’s still wack, lol

-this is not related but I saw Sway interviewing Cassidy who is going after my fellow old fart, the S Dot. He made a statement that ‘Hov was like 40!’ My question is does that mean you have to stop rhyming at a certain age. Is Hip-Hop like Logan’s Run? (Google it. Wiki it. IMDB it). I am now closer to 40 than not. You, Cassidy and Weez, are closer to 30. Just as it is unwise to think 16 year olds will bang Slick Rick or the JB’s, it equally foolish to think I want to hear about duffle bags and Patron all day. Just as I need to stop forcing you young’uns to tighten up on the classics stop expecting me to recognize these teenagers at the GOAT.

You do you and live out your suburban fantasies of romantic drug dealing and AK 47’s.
I will sit on my ass after the kids are sleep and listen to ’30 is the new 20’, ‘The Moment I feared’, and Common vs. Lily Allen.

And I will see you at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival.

RICO , smico - boo!

i'm locked up they won't let me out

We have all heard how DJ Drama was busted on RICO charges for his mixtape hustle. Even made the Times.

The Times approached the story from an interesting angle.
Who really came after Drama? The labels?
That seems unlikely as Drama's mixtapes are good for record sales and publicity. Hell, people get paid to lobby the dude. Interestingly they referenced my favorite rapper Lil Weezy as being a beneficiary of the 'Gangsta Grillz' series:

It also seems clear that mixtapes can actually bolster an artist’s sales. The most recent Lil Wayne solo album, “Tha Carter II” (Cash Money/Universal), sold more than a million copies, though none of its singles climbed any higher than No. 32 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. That’s an impressive feat, and it’s hard to imagine how he would have done it without help from a friendly pirate.

It seems it was the RIAA the supposed label advocacy group that sent the Feds down to the "A. " This obvious conflict reinforces two points I have made time and again:

1. The record business is a mess.

Right up there with health care and the airline industry the music industryis one of the most inefficient infrastructures in the US of A. The business model that I was taught is crumbling. And this drama (pun sort of intended) is a prime example of how the business is moving towards cannibalism. Business and Legal affairs versus the Promo dept.

A&R's want to bail the brother out while the suits believe the end of mixtapes will boost sales. One hand has no idea what the other is doing. And all the while the power suits at the RIAA are on a completely different agenda.

2. The days of selling recorded music is over

Let's be honest mixtapes are the definition of copyright infringement and bootlegging. Plain and simple. Drama and his crew were blatantly breaking the law and advertising their crime. In the case of T.I. (Drama's partner) they made stacks of cash off of Atlantic's intellectual property. We all know this. But the reality is that giving the music to Drama is good for sales.

Having Wayne freestyle over a Just Blaze beat gave fans a larger sampling of Wayne's talent. That larger sampling in turn strengthened Wayne's brand. Universal was then lucky enough to turn that into record sales but even if it didn't Wayne could make a million dollars touring and licensing his music.

Trying to squeeze every dollar out of recorded music is not going to work. Putting Drama and other mixtape DJ's in jail will have net negative effect. Without Drama fans will not turn to Best Buy in droves. They will not log onto iTunes in tremendous numbers. They will either leave the marketplace or turn to the seemingly infinite number of blogs like hiphopgame or Bust The Facts and download it for free.

It is time to embrace a new business model or die. Although it will provide immediate relief locking up DJ's is a waste of time and energy.