Guess Who Doesn’t Have A Grammy For Rap?
A) Ludacris
B) Kid Cudi
C) Nas
D) Fergie
E) Naughty By Nature
Waiting…
Waiting…
Give up?
Our esteemed Rap god Nas.
Shitty isn’t it?
Even with the youth in total intellectual disarray I’d expect Nas to have 3 or four by now. And I’m being lenient with Hip Hop.
Now I’m not trying to denigrate the aforementioned acts, however I am aghast. I could make a case against everyone on that list except maybe, maybe Naughty by Nature in my opinion as they came so much earlier in the game, but my opinion is that no body of work from this pocket or artists is even comparable.
A lot of creative genius in this group, no question- let me breathe though.
Kid Cudi is not a game changer. Entertaining? Yes. New- for sure. But to conjure up a rationale for him to receive a grammy, well that’s pure magic.
26 or so nominations is a bit ridiculous. Say I’m hating fine. I just don’t see him as Epic when Nas has guest verses that are prolific.
And don’t get me started on Nas verses on Mobb Deep and Wu-tang tracks!
Ludacris was a breath of fresh air and a welcomed voice to many in hip hop. And his savvy to be able to sell 50,000 units dolo out of his trunk and network weekly was awe inspiring. However for him to get a grammy and not Nas is sheer ignorance. If Ludacris is Hip Hop then what is Nas? With introspective and societal critiques that are vastly understated- Nas is clearly the slept on Ceasar to the rabble and their proletariat. And FYI Nas has gone Double platinum with almost no advertising, hype, drama, or publicity- shout to 50cent!
Fergie is a major icon- not in my opinion though. A good vocalist sure. Interesting public figure, maybe. Yet how is she relevant?
Does she add cultural diversity?
Sounds like I’m the racist but we have seen more trivial matters be exploited for gain.
Also whenever we have a “crossover” vast attention is paid.
Eminem is case and point- better yet case closed.
Naughty By Nature is considered classic Hip Hop by many. And they had hits no questions. And at one point they were socially relevant. Were.
Nas’ track rewind.
Dude did it backwards. Amazing. And it was coherent. Forget the drugs and posturing for a minute. That’s cheap hip hop. Nas spit pure fire. The rap spoke for it’s-self. Nas damn near rewound hip hop literally to when rappers where creating. No posing. No primping. Just RAW. Amen.
Definition of Self.
Nas defines himself on every album. He speaks. Even when telling stories that don’t revolve around him he amazes and astounds us. Ether isn’t a definition of self track but a defining moment and as such it was Nas speaking his prowess into existence as only a Boss would (small snub at Rick Ross intended).
Bottom line Nas speaks his mind every album, and damned if that aint Hip hop.
Live at the barbecue.
The kid was 14! And spit something amazing. A classic some 20 years later (my math right?) And it was not even some superior mastered, hyped track. Go look it up and tell me if I’m wrong.
Willingness to follow his heart.
Nas follows his heart. Kanye follows his vanity. He loves his tirades. Nas loves his craft. Nothing better than that. I can’t front, I might end up the new ye if I was to ever blow but that’s a side result. My first love is always my pen. Well nowadays its my blackberry lol.
My mode of creation may have changed but
my love of lyricism is universal. If you know me you know I love weights too- and even amongst my plates I pen madness.
And as an a lyricist I respect that in Nas. His life doesn’t run him. His pen does. Everything revolves at least indirectly around his craft. And you hear it in his rhymes. Heard the last album? He gets at his ex. Not too beef but to say thanks for his beautiful seed. Now that’s Hip Hop.
#GetHeavy
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