Ain't No Half-Steppin'

You can tell a lot about a person based on the music they listen to. For a long time, I judged a man by what he had in heavy rotation. It may not have been right to judge- and I still somewhat do it to this day, but I think it gives you insight into one's character content. In my teens, way before Hip-Hop genres were given titles like New School, Gangsta, Conscious, Horrorcore, Crunk, or New Jack Swing I was the quintessential backpacker. It was all about Black Moon and the rest of the Boot Camp Clik for me. And Wu Tang Clan wasn't nothin' to f*ck wit. And as far as Underground emcees went- the more subterranean, the better.

By my mid-twenties, just when the Golden Era was coming to a close I was hitting the club scene something serious and there was a man who 'invented the remix'. Back then, his name was Puffy and every dude wanted to be him. A guy would approach me, telling me it was all about the Benjamins as if this little hook and line was supposed to impress me. I don't blame Diddy for the downfall of real Hip-Hop (anymore). At the end of the day, cash just did NOT rule everything around me. It sort of sickened me- the shiny suits, the flashy cars, the excess on a whole. What looked like swagger to them, looked a lot like a clown to me. I was too busy collecting my praise from Mos Def and Talib Kweli for being a Brown Skin Lady. If you didn't have something productive to say besides how long your dividends were- I swiftly picked up my drink and moved down the bar in search of refreshing convo, or even more refreshing silence.

These days, I'm a lot less judgmental. I understand that Hip-Hop is a culture with many facets. You can get your paper and still be down to earth. It doesn't bother me. I can remember when Jay-Z and Nas had their infamous face-off, I felt like anyone that was rooting for Joe Camel was a shallow parasite with delusions of grandeur and no respect for skills. How naive I was. Nas actually spoke of the same things as Jay, but he did it with more eloquence. Plain and simple. There is no more East Coast/West Coast rivalry, either. Honestly, the Midwest and Dirty South somehow put the game in a choke hold while everyone was busy bouncing to a catchy synthesized beat. I'm still scratching my head over that one.

A friend of mine once sat at my computer, looked over my music folder and said, "Yo, you are stuck in 1988-1993 Hip-Hopwise." I chuckled at the truth of this observation. Because the radio has nothing for me anymore. I listen to the timeless classics because they are still relevant today. I feel sorry for the younger generations who have nothing of a legacy except Now Watch me YOUUU! I know it may sound bitter, but this Hip-Hop thing is in my heart- so I reserve the right to say when something is certified trash, no matter how many units are shipped. Aside from the occasional head-nod to a L'il Weezy tune, I really find consumption of that garbage unforgivable- and a guy is likely to rack up demerits in the respect department from me if he supports the nonsensical bullsh*t. He can keep it moving in his tireless pursuit of the "classy" video ho. (I guess I'm more judgmental than I originally thought.) Oh well. No apologies.

I'm not new to this- I'm true to this.