Once upon a time in a universe far, far away, HipHopDX used to host blogs. Through Meka, Brillyance, Aliya Ewing and others, readers got unfiltered opinions on the most current topics in and beyond Hip Hop. After a few years, a couple redesigns and the collective vision of three different Editors-In-Chief, blogs are back. Sort of. Since our blog section went the way of two-way pagers and physical mixtapes, Twitter, Instagram and Ustream have further accelerated the pace of current events in Hip Hop. Rappers beef with each other 140 characters at a time, entire mixtapes (and their associated artwork) can be released via Instagram, and sometimes these events require a rapid reaction.
As such, we’re reserving this space for a weekly reaction to Hip Hop’s current events. Or whatever else we deem worthy. And the “we” in question is myself, Andre Grant and Ural Garrett. Collectively we serve as HipHopDX’s Features Staff. Aside from tackling stray topics, we may invite artists and other personalities in Hip Hop to join the conversation. Without further delay, here’s this week’s “Stray Shots.”
Why Does Eminem Find Himself On The Outside Of Many Top 5s?
Ural: The phrase “Top 5” in terms of Hip Hop is so relative to personal taste that getting everyone in agreement is simply impossible. There are too many variables that some emphasize over another. Do sales, critical acclaim, reach, skill-set, influence on the culture or even relatability trump each other? Nope, it’s all about what one sees as important. Then there’s personal bias. Age, ethnicity, sex and even socio-economic status all factor into what determines one’s upper tier. In Chris Rock’s case, club appeal is essential; an honest reason for not placing Eminem within his most coveted list. With cultural appropriation being a major discussion point currently, it’s easy to use the race angle when criticizing his argument. Then again, this is the same guy who counts “High Plains Drifter” as the greatest song ever made. With that said, there may be a hint of truth to Rock’s dismissal of Eminem. No matter how iconic Marshal Mathers has been to Hip Hop, the shear lack of club records has always been his achilles heel.
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Considering Em’s background in battle rap, it makes total sense. His lyrical focus has always been about delivering sharp bars that linger. This is how he’s able swing from poignant narratives like “Stan” to savage shit-talking of “Right For Me.” That doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t write a catchy pop-hook from time to time however. Just means that making dance centered raps aren’t his forte. Totally fine as he can probably care less. At this point in his storied career, Slim Shady doesn’t plan on catering to that section of Hip-Hop anytime soon. Like many Hip-Hop greats, he understands his best strengths while negating those less than glaring weaknesses. Most rap fans are hopefully intelligent enough to understand expectations but, in the sad reality of social media and comment sections, clear logic is almost always thrown out the window. For Em and Rock, it’s not a concern for either.
Andre: Eminem is an iconic figure in Hip Hop history. His rhyme schemes are often complex and multi-layered, and he’s never strayed from scathing social commentary, sardonic, often murderous humor and deeply personal and personality driven lyrics about any number of issues. His two alters (Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers) are like watching twin suns rise and set in a binary solar system of Rap. But his place in the often ornery culture he completely dominated in the 2000s continues to be fraught.
On the one side is close friend and superstar in his own right 50, who might consider Em’ the greatest emcee of all time. He says as much here in an interview with Music Choice: “It is what it is. You can get like whoever you think is the best Black artist and stand them face-to-face in a room with Em and he will eat that [guy] alive.” That may or may not be true, but there’s a reason Nas’ line on “Ether” resonated so much when he squalled, “And Eminem murdered you on your own shit!” The first time I heard that line, it was like Nas was screaming at Jay in my High School hallway and Em’ was the kid with the black hoodie on passing by and smirking. He never talked to anyone but nobody ever messed with him, and for good reason.
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You can see why. His grave of felled lyrical opponents is as wide as it is deep, but is that the only thing that counts when it comes to this genre? Rock brought up being able to, ahem, rock a party when he thinks about his top 5, and I have to be honest when I say I’ve only heard “Superman” played in a club context with Em’. As a pure lyricist, he’s an assassin, shifting and changing in a shadowy dark. And as a song maker, his brand of angry, menacing lethality is unrivaled in Hip Hop (maybe only to N.W.A or the advent of trap). He’s definitely sold a metric ton of records and affected every inch of the culture. Being in a top 5 is a highly subjective marker, too, and some people may hesitate to give the guy his credit. Whatever the case, to a wide group of Hip Hop fans, Em’ being in their top 5 is an absolute no brainer. And if Rakim thinks you’re one the greatest, maybe you just have to lean on that.
Funkmaster Flex Actually Got Dipset Back Together, But What Can We Expect?
Andre: After lying up awake at night wondering, hoping, that Dipset would finally, finally, finally get back together, the person to make it happen isn’t Dame Dash but Funkmaster Flex. I guess it’s not really that bizarre. Dame has been on the outs with one or more members of the family for some length of time since the fall of Roc-A-Fella and his beef with Jim Jones has been well reported upon, with their back and forths garnering significant attention. What’s the disconnect? It makes you wonder, because he’s spent most of 2014 talking about culture vulturing — something that became a significant talking point at the end of the year with Iggy Azalea and now Macklemore giving their recent reactions. The deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown heard nary a peep out of the Harlem mogul. So I can’t help but think that all this non-activity has something do with something else entirely.
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Here’s the thing, is it too late? I mean what can we expect out of the first big reunion of 2015. Will the ferocious energy be there, or will we get a sort of Tribe Called Quest situation, where members of the group intermittently fight just before heading on stage to satisfy fans expectations? I’d like nothing more than the supergroup from the 2000s to get their swagger back up there, together. And, as a one off, it’s nothing more if not exciting. But with Cam’ announcing Purple Haze 2 will be his last solo record and the infighting continuing to brew between Dame and Jim, I’m holding my expectations close to the hip. That is, as long as they don’t annihilate a 2015 version of “I Really Mean It.” Then I may have to jump in.
Ural: Through the infinite magic of Funkmaster Flex, supposedly Harlem’s own Dipset will be reuniting for an upcoming mixtape and tour. The ultimate questions are: How concrete is the reunion and does anyone care enough? Those keeping score should count this as one of several attempts at this point. For right now, fans are more likely to take a wait-and-see approach because the last thing they want is January 2016 to begin with another Dipset reunion story. Then there are the internal rifts within the group itself. Can Cam’ron, Juelz Santana, Freekey Zekey and Jim Jones get along long enough to actually come together for a full body of work? Maybe age has finally matured them.
But, this is 2015 and around ten years since the release of Diplomatic Immunity and even less time since its sequel. Harlem Hip-Hop has changed considerably. For one, A$AP Mob could be considered spiritual heirs to their throne and Azealia Banks controlled a major conversation in 2014. Juelz Santana’s output over the past years have been sub-par at best, Freekey Zekey spent too much time in jail to even launch semi-successful a solo career and Jim Jones may forever be known as the one-hit wonder who got a second chance at fame through reality television. De Facto leader Cam’ron has at least had some noticeable projects and most successful career post-Dipset. From selling ebola mask to working with A-Trak, Killa seems to be having a blast regardless of Dipset’s status.
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Andre Grant is an NYC native turned L.A. transplant that has contributed to a few different properties on the web and is now the Features Editor for HipHopDX. He’s also trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot. Follow him on Twitter @drejones.
Ural Garrett is an Los Angeles-based journalist and HipHopDX’s Senior Features Writer. When not covering music, video games, films and the community at large, he’s in the kitchen baking like Anita. Follow him on Twitter @Uralg.
