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. Well, 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.
The “Rich Gang Tha Tour Part 1” Mixtape
Andre: Tha Carter VI is coming out next week in a huff whether anyone likes it or not. And camps are divided on whether or not another emcee can even take over someone else’s series, especially one as luminous as Wayne’s Tha Carter. Generally, it would be absurd to think that Thugger could pull out something as amazing as say a Carter II or Carter III, but the kid’s been on a roll, and, most importantly, he’s proven that with the right supporting cast he can elevate a track to levels of near insane catchiness. His Rich Gang Tha Tour Part 1 contributions were tantamount to that thing rising to greatness, and although we may never understand what he’s saying on that track, he’s proven you don’t even have to understand a word that he’s saying to make something pop. I’m not sure, but I’d bet there’s not a great many artists in the game that can say something like that.
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Ural: The drama between Lil Wayne, Baby and Young Thug is really starting to look like a bad episode of Empire. Since being released from prison late 2010, there’s been a subtle fall from grace for Weezy F. Baby. Five years later, the same person who repeatedly called himself “the best rapper alive” is damn near irrelevant. Two of the biggest artists in music he helped groom, Drake and Nicki Minaj, have outshined him. Then Thugger is clearly a part of the first wave of Southern Hip Hop directly influenced by Wayne. There wasn’t a better example than Rich Gang Tha Tour Part 1 along with the roll-out of loosies over the past year. Hell, lets be honest here folks, “Lifestyle” was arguably the best song of 2014 and part of that track’s appeal was deciphering Young Thug’s hood weirdo hook.
The Notoriety Of “Tha Carter” Franchise
Andre: You can’t say the guy doesn’t understand branding. Lil Wayne has already done all the work of making Tha Carter a viable series already. He doesn’t have to lift a finger in that regard. In fact, Wayne is so big a star (one who famously said the only people in his lane were Kanye West and Beyonce´) that piggybacking off of him is the work of genius. That’s not even including the absolutely free publicity the series has gotten with the pending $51 Million dollar lawsuit, and the tweets, and the Instagrams by Baby all but declaring he’ll be backing Young Thug and not Lil Wayne for the foreseeable future.
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Ural: The first three entries in Tha Carter series showed notable developments in Wayne’s evolution from minor curiosity who created “Bling Bling” to flat out superstar in contemporary American pop. It’s almost seen as his official creative calling card that specifically means a quality album just as his Dedication series were once seen as standard setting mixtapes. Tha Carter was his last album on Cash Money featuring mainly production from Mannie Fresh, Tha Carter II proved that Wayne could spit as good or better than New York’s finest and Tha Carter III became his mainstream breakout moment. Even Tha Carter VI proved that the brand came with sales regardless of if the actual body of work was way below critical expectations. The attachment to Wayne and the series is evident. Where Young Thug plays a role outside of actual name has yet to be seen.
Metroboomin
Andre: Quite frankly, he doesn’t even need to have another producer on that album because the chemistry between himself and Metro is beyond ludicrous. A silly stroll through Metro’s Soundcloud page will have you come upon the hard-as-fuck “Free Gucci.” Also, is “MetroThuggin” not the best co-opted confluence of names you’ve almost ever heard? Here’s to hoping that’s something that continues in between entrants in the Tha Carter series.
Ural: The relationship between Metroboomin and Young Thug feels a lot like T.I.’s relationship with DJ Toomp or Gucci’s partnership with Zaytoven. Both really are starting to bring out the best in each other. This could be something that Thugger actually holds over Wayne considering Weezy hasn’t really worked with one core producer on a project since Tha Carter.
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Access To The Entire South
Andre: It’s no secret that the American South, especially the tri-city belt of Atlanta-New Orleans-Houston, damn near dominates Hip Hop and Thugger has access to every crooner, every producer, every mini mogul, and every cultural trope from that region at his disposal. I’m pretty sure even Rich Homie Quan could be persuaded to work with young eccentric again given the right circumstances. It’s the equivalent of playing your favorite first person shooter with unlimited ammo. Baby surely had him on almost an unlimited budget, all the while wrangling his former star in legal Apocrypha. All this leads to almost unlimited access to both talent and ideas. And, without the burden of a #1 hit under his belt he’s free to try all those options at will.
Ural: This is where Birdman, Southern unification and strong local tastes come into play. For the right amount of money, getting features from artists or producers are fairly easy. As a matter of fact, if one removes Birdman out of the way, his deal with Lyon Cohen and Kevin Liles backed 300 Entertainment probably gives him a nice toolset to play with himself. Sure, Wayne has access to the upper echelons of Hip Hop but Young Thug has his share of things to choose from considering the number of hits he’s put out recently.
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Everyone Loves To Hate Or Love Him
Andre: People may just purchase the record because he’s an oddity of sorts. Much in the same way Riff Raff or Lil B captured the American rap imagination; Young Thug has done so but with actual bars to kind-of match. His mixtape last year Black Portland with Bloody Jay grabbed Jon Caramanica’s top spot for Album Of The Year, and while DX gave the same mixtape a 3 out of 5, backing by the venerable music aficionado at the New York Times sort of proves he’s on to something. So whether people come out to listen to his music because they loathe him or they come out and listen to his music because they love him, they’re still listening. And that’s all that matters in world where the album can be streamed all the way to the highest heavens as millions of people flock to hear what a full length project from the man known as Thugger has to offer. But we already know: Top notch production, insanely catchy cadences, multiple flows, yelps and grows and chirps and barks. He even may find a way into your cold lyric-driven hearts.
Ural: From condemning artists who actively speak on social issues and the whole homoerotic aesthetic to having one of the biggest hits of last year, Young Thug has to be the most polarizing figure in Hip Hop. Period. And that milkshake will continue to bring all his detractors to the yard whether the album is good or not.
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Bonus: It’s Out Before “Tha Carter V”
Andre: Lil Wayne must be like:
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.
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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.
