Dej Loaf

In today's Hip Hop scene, there is more of an emphasis placed on swag than on actual substance. "Songs" the rappers can get away with making nowadays, would never have been tolerated even 15 years ago; and the art form was already on the decline then. A genre of music that was built upon lyrics, no longer demands that it be a priority when a record is released. But why is that?

With the invention of the internet and social media, it is extremely easy for anyone to create a buzz. All you have to do is make up a silly dance and then make that dance go viral on Instagram or Twitter. You can even create a stupid 7 second clip on Vine. If you know the secret of internet marketing, then you can get thousands of views for music that is not even good. This is when the major record companies come flocking. I cannot say that I blame talentless artists for doing it like this, though. How else would they get a record deal. They can quickly get signed. The problem though, is that most people that do it this way are relying on swag. This formula will only allow an artist to release one, or maybe two singles at most. After that, the buzz is gone, they have signed away their publishing, and they have to resort to going to jail to try to stay relevant. Another problem; most have no street credibility, so that is not the answer.

Here is a shortlist of talentless rappers that have a shelf life of one more song, if that:

  • Waka Flocka Flame
  • Rae Sremmurd
  • Migos
  • Dej Loaf
  • Iggy Azalea
  • French Montana

I have come to the realization that lyrics are not as prevalent in music today because too many rappers have been given a pass. There are not enough real critics like me willing to tell the truth about these fools. Lying about selling dope should not qualify you to rap. It does not help that radio loves to make money off the music, knowing very well that they are not dealing with real artists. Back in the day, KRS-One rushed on the stage of a commercial mainstream hip hop duo by the name of PM Dawn. He proceeded to push both of them off the stage and kick a freestyle. That may not be as easy to do nowadays because they pay the bodyguards very well these days. Those are the real G's. The dudes that protect these soft rappers; putting their life on the line for a fly by night, wanna be gangsta, who is jazzy at the mouth.

What's the takeaway?

If you want to last more than a year and a half in the rap game, you need to step up your lyrics. You may laugh and say, well these one hit wonders are getting paid. While that might be true, the money won't last. They'll do some stupid shit like go and by a Bentley, or think they are actually hard, and get robbed and shot in a trap. Actual lyricists are still making an income 20 and 25 years after their mainstream buzz has died. Brand Nubian, A Tribe Called Quest, Poor Righteous Teachers, and Special Ed are just a few that come to mind. If I have done my homework and judged correctly, most of my audience is reading this because they thought I was going to condone of not having lyrics. That could not be further from the truth. I hate 99 percent of all hip hop that has come out in the last 15 years. I will never give a pass for any of it. If you are unaware of the rappers that I just mentioned in this same paragraph, then you have some homework to do. Go step up your bars! If you are a wack MC that likes the people I called out on the list, then that is awesome. I own this blog, so I couldn't care less what you think.