Somthing from Nothing: The Art of Rap

My favorite of all the answers to Ice-T's question about why rappers felt rap was not respected as an art form the way jazz is came from Nas. I've never really gotten into his music but I consider him to be one of the most intelligent rappers around and his answer was basically that "they" don't like "you." Rap is a revolution. It's something that I don't think was supposed to happen and as it was said in the very beginning of Ice T's documentary (forgive me for not remembering the name of the rapper) rap really was something that came from nothing. But as we know, there's never really nothing. I guess it just all depends on how you look at it and who is looking at it.

If we continually look to people who don't look to us for honors, rap will never be given it's due respect. As Nas says, "they" want to know why rappers getting away with looking and talking and being how they are and get famous from it. Young white males make up a larger percentage of consumers of rap music than anyone.  Many white adults have never been happy about that. They remain fearful of the raw, powerful, unstoppable force of truth, art and nature that comes from Black males in particular through rap. It still presents to them what they perceive to be such an enormous threat to their system that there is no way they would ever honor rap as an art form. And it most indisputably is.

I really enjoyed the format Ice set up where he asked each of the rappers he interviewed to either kick a free style off their heads or to recite one that has stayed with them over the years. Grand Master Caz was one of my favorites. I liked watching him work, hearing what he had to say and I was in awe of his free style skill. Mouth wide open. He is an OG. For him it's from the heart. I was also amazed by Eminem, Kanye and Mos Def. I wouldn't want to be alone in an elevator with Eminem but he is technically sick. I really appreciate the way his mind works. He's all about deconstructing and reinventing and I really love that.

Kanye is one of the few rappers I know who can be both deeply offensive, clearly pro Black, totally superficial, genuinely concerned, insecure and lyrically dope all at the same time. So much of his drive seems to come from a ferocious need to both prove himself and at the same time prove himself just enough to say FUCK YOU! I DON'T GOTTA PROVE SHIT! I guess that's a Gemini for you.

Mod Def just hypnotizes me. He can come from a hard place, a soft place, a ignorant place, a funny place and a very conscious and informative place. He wears a lot of hats but what I love the most is how seemingly effortless he rhymes. It just seems to pour out of him. Plus I personally just love his style. He's got Brooklyn Boy written all over him. I can feel Brooklyn in his voice, see it is his beautiful face. Brooklyn will always live in my heart and when I hear Mos, I hear that Brooklyn that I love.