Monday, March 24th, 2008...9:08 pm
Gun goes Click Cliché
So I go to DT this morning to have a little look at the chart and see what’s up and I flick through the top 10 beats. Something strikes me: the titles of your beats are all kinda fucked up. Here’s todays top 10:
“CRANK IT FULL”
“AK 47″
“Addicted to Powder”
“Get Cake*MF*”
“GANGSTZ ONLY”
“1st Gun Shot”
“ON MY GRIND instrumental”
“Catch Your Issue”
“where ya gun atttttttttttt”
Otherwise read as, guns, guns, drugs, money, crime, guns, hussling, ?, guns. WTF, Dudes, y’all left the crips and and joined the clichés? Feels like I just stepped into the head of a 12 year old boy.
I click to the recent beats and not one of the names mentioned guns/drugs/murder etc etc, so I figure it’s the emcees putting these beats frontpage. Are a lot of you really inspired by this shit? Is it a big enough part of your life (real or imagined) to make it what you rhyme about? Notice that I’m not really asking whether this stuff is part of your real life or imagined life/ DT identity, because I figure music is just entertainment and people can adopt the character they want, which might be totally made-up (ie. like that guy Hannibal Jester) or an exaggeration of themselves. I know a lot of y’all also rap about being real but then we got some serious dealers/ serial killers/ pimps in this joint.
I haven’t really got a point - I just wondered what you all thought about why a lot of DT is guns and rap clichés. And also, if I’m right about these kinda make-up/ exaggerated characters (am I?), why do people choose to be cop-killing playground gang leaders and not some cool-ass cartoon character?
PS. How many of you have rhymed ganstas annd wankstas… seriously dudes… what’s wrong with hamsters?
PPS. I’ve just started thinking about kkrunch3. I figured I could try out some sort of public beat for people to spit a couple of lines and perhaps make a skit out of it. I’m not sure. Perhaps… http://www.dopetracks.com/beat/36045
32 Comments
March 25th, 2008 at 5:18 am
I FEEL YOU ON THIS KK..THESE YOUNG GUNZ HEARING VIOLENCE ON TV&THESE NEW GENERATION THUG RAPPERS GLORYFYING DRUGS,MONEY,&GUNS THINK THAT THATS WUZ UP…COORPORATE AMERIKKA HAS HEAVILY VIOLATED HIP-HOP.IT WENT FROM AN URBAN CULTURE TO A CULTURE OF IDIOTS.LIKE MOS DEF SAID…HIP-HOP WENT FROM SELLING CRACK 2 SMOKING IT…LOL-ANYWAYZ–TRUTHTELLAZ NATION/PROJECT:90′S&DYNAMIC DUO ARE BRINGING OUR CULTURE BACK 2 WUT WE BELIEVE IS THE STANDARD…FUN&KNOWLEDGE-TRUTH&THIRST QUENCHER-INFLUENCES ARE A MAJOR PART OF THE UPBRINGING OF A CULTURE,IF NO LIMIT RECORDS,CRIPS&BLOODS,AND THESE NEW AGE THUGS WOULDNT OF SPREAD THEIR VISION OF WUT THE “STRUGGLE”OR “GRIND”IS..THINGS WOULD BE DIFFERENT…..MY OPINION-FAMILYTIEZ!!!’NUFF SAID
March 25th, 2008 at 10:24 am
the only 45s i needs i waxy
March 25th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
totally agree with the insanity of the obsession with guns and crime. it’s too prevalent on DT. thank you KK for this
March 25th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
yo,,,kk,,you broke it down,,,
i feel guilty and i havent even commited a crime!,,but i tell you wut tough,,ima put
“hamster” in my rhymes more often lol,,i got chu,,gurl,,
nah but on a serious note,,,
our kids cannot continue to grow w/ the violence that surrounds them!
and thats 4/sho!
peace and thanks 4 always keeping it realistic.
1
March 25th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
All that gun talk is definitely played out and not very creative or inspiring. Nice post.
March 25th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Put hamsters in your guns… not guns in your hamsters!!!!http://www.dopetracks.com/profile/harlequinn_diamond
March 25th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
your preachin to the choir here…
shit’s the glamor of drama.
life’s boring if it ain’t dangerous. guns bring danger (and the chauvinism rush of being bad enough to harness it)and crime brings the drama. This has been going on since the dawn of man and even before that. It’s animal nature to puff up bigger than the next beast in order to scare him away from trying to take his food(money, security) or mate. Instinct runs deep and humans haven’t quite mastered the art of “will over instinct” / “accountablitiy over blame”.
Real recognize real.
There is indeed enough music on DT exploring the surfaces of existence. It’s just like any other medium; the bullshit floats and the weight goes deeper. The biting irony of it all, in DT’s case, is that this is UNDERGROUND! you cat’s aren’t getting paid by anyone to say this shit.
Nice blog KK. Poignant as ever.
PEACE
-IFTHEN
March 26th, 2008 at 2:52 am
Increase Tha Peace…Stop Tha Violence…Whateva Happen 2 Love,Peace,& Happiness…Katz Need 2 Wake Up & Realize That There Life & Death In Tha Tongue…So Becarefully Whutcha Put Out There Because Sumone Will Test U…Salute! Wutz Up KON? I c u fam…
March 26th, 2008 at 11:41 am
da general makes a point–watch wut u say.specially those of you who are looked up 2.influence is a major part of life and actions taken in it.like alwayz INPHYNIT314,makes a very poignant point-humans are very possesive and beastial,anything sets them off.long story short-we as emcees(specially those of us that are older)need to spread knowledge&visions of growth,not anything that can stunt it.I TELL IT HOW IT IS,THEN I TELL IT HOW IT COULD BE………DA_GOD
March 26th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
This is the realest answer you’re going to get about the shoot’em up cliche hands down. Motherfuckas are scared to be themselves and even more scared of exposing their true character to others. Everybody wanna be and feel accepted at one point or another so what they do? Fall in with the crowd. It’s funny, cause to me it’s like alot of people mistake kindness for weakness, and nobody wants to be looked upon as weak so they practice the opposite. But I KNOW it’s takes way more strength for a person to be kind and try to do the right thing than it does for them to give in to doin the wrong thing. I can respect anyone that has the will to learn from his or her mistakes, grow, and become wiser to teach others the RIGHT way to do things. It’s those other motherfuckas I cant stand to be around. The ones that have the opprotunity to make good lives for themselves but choose the streets for no sensable reason. Just cause it’s looked upon as being “cool”. From the way a mothafucka talk, to the way he dresses, and interacts with people. Being “street”;”hood”; gangsta and all that bullshit is not a choice. You cant jus wake up one day and decide to be “gansta” cause the real fo’real niggas will see straight through that throwback, fitted cap, and terrible use of street slang, and feel disrespected. Real recognize real, and aint no real killer gone tell you he gon kill you, not a smart one atleast.
March 26th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
well said Meek…
March 26th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
agreed, well said meek, and inphy, and y’all… hang on.. we’re ll saying the same thing (kinda) so how come we cant do anything to change it? i guess maybe we cant. kids will be kids uh huh
March 27th, 2008 at 12:47 am
i always though that hiphop was about the truth. so if you got a make believe persona as a rapper then it aint (in my eyes) real hiphop. A kid who studies at school all day comes home helps his mum clean up n shit then sits n write sum lyrics about his day (may not be the most interestin rap) but it would be realer than a kid doin all that then comin on here n rappin about how he shots crack n owns an ak. u get me ? in my eyes hip hop always told me the truth n i think to lie about your personality or who you are to try look good totally misses the point of hip hop
March 27th, 2008 at 8:34 am
like i’ve been saying all along…INFLUENCE.be you,not who you think ppl are gonna feel.as far as wut tung was saying…TRUTHTELLAZ NATION IS HERE..LISTEN TO INSPIRATION&MOTIVATION OOZIN’ FROM HEARTS ON TO TRAXX.listen dont get me wrong;i know there are real “gangstaz”out there that speak about wut they see,or do on daily basis.if you live the”hood”life and know its filled with negativity&no chance for prosperity,,,,CHANGE.don’t settle cuz u think that you will be considered a punk…a punk is he whose afraid to stand up 4 wut he/she believes in….-TRUTHELLA—KON_DA_GOD…’NUFF SAID
March 27th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
murder muder kill kill FUCK IT!!!
March 28th, 2008 at 10:02 am
MAN I COULD TALK ALL DAY ON THIS ONE KK…….U AS RIGHT AS CAN BE FOR THA MOST PART, I DEFINITELY AGREE THAT ALOT OF PEOPLE ON HERE HAVE MADE THEMSELVES INTO CHARACTERS STRAIGHT OUTTA KING OF NEW YORK OR SUMTHIN…..NOW ANY1 THAT HAS LISTENED TO MY FREES AND SUM TRACKS KNO I RAP ABOUT ALL THE THINGS OF WHICH U R MENTIONING…..THING IS, THATS LIKE REALLY HOW I LIVE..I MEAN SOME PEOPLE RAPPIN BOUT HUSTLIN N BEEFIN AND SURVIVIN N HOW TOUGH THEY IS BUT THEY’RE REALLY HOUSE GANGSTERS. BUT THEN AGAIN SOME PEOPLE ACTUALLY DO LIVE THAT LIFE….I SPEND MY DAYS ON THE STREET DUCKIN POLICE, SELLIN DRUGS AND HANDLIN THA BEEF THAT ME N MY TEAM GOT….THATS WAT I RAP ABOUT…..I STAY IN BUFFALO, NY RITE NOW N SHIT IS CRAZY HERE PEOPLE ARE BROKE, HUNGRY, N THEY GON DO ANYTHING THEY GOTTA DO TO SURVIVE..WE THA 2ND PORREST CITY IN THE WHOLE U.S. THE ONLY THING THAT IS REALLY HERE IS DRUGS N GUNS..CHECK BUFFALONEWS.COM 2 DAYS AGO MY LITTLE MAN GOT STABBED IN HIS BACK RITE IN FRONT OF MA HOUSE, THEN FRONT PAGE YESTERDAY MORNIN 36 PEOPLE FROM MA TEAM GOT KNOCKED WIT BRICKS AT 5:30 IN THA MORNIN, TRAFFICKIN, THEY IN THA FEDS N I PROLLY WONT SEE NONE OF THEM AGAIN… I GET ARRESTED ON THE REGULAR AND IM HARRASSED BY THA POLICE ON THE REGULAR. I REGULARLY GET INTO FIGHTS N BULLSHIT ASS SHOOTOUTS AND WE ARE ALWAYS ON WATCH CUZ MURDER BEEF HERE IS REAL, RITE NOW IM TYPIN ON THIS BLOG BUT ITS 100% POSSIBLE THAT WHEN I GO OUTSIDE TO GET MY MONEY IMA GET LAID OUT N YAL WONT NEVER SEE ME POST AGAIN, OR I GOTTA DEFEND MASELF N END UP IN JAIL FA 20 YEARS…. AND IM SO SERIOUS…I CONSIDER MASELF LUCKY TO EVEN BE HERE BECAUSE I SHOULDVE BEEN DEAD A LONG TIME AGO, AND IVE SEEN PPL YOUNGER THAN ME GET GUNNED DOWN RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME… I MEAN I KNO PEOPLE AINT GON BELIEVE ME I DONT CARE CUZ THEY DONT LIVE LIKE I DO, BUT EVRY1 LIVE DIFFERENT N GOT DIFFERENT THINGS TO SAY, I MEAN I CAN RAP ABOUT ANYTHING BUT WHAT FIRST COMES TO MY HEAD IS MY DAILY LIFE…N I GOT A DIFFERENT STORY FOR EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE….SO YEA IM SURE ITS PLENTY OF FAKE ASS WANNABE THUGS HERE BUT I CAN SAY I REALLY LIVE THIS SHIT MAN..AND I AINT NO THUG OR NO AMERICAN GANGSTER AND I DEFINITELY AINT GON SAY IM THA HARDEST NIGGA ALIVE LOL, BUT I DO KNO I LIVE STREETS N THATS WHAT I RAP ABOUT…ONE DAY ILL GET OUT THA HOOD N OUT THA STRUGGLE THEN I WONT HAVE TO RAP ABOUT THE STRUGGLE…BUT LIKE I SAID DT I REALLY DONT DO NUTHIN ON HERE, BUT IN MA CITY I RAP FOR REAL I MEAN STUDIO N SHIT, N DAM NEAR EVRY1 IN BUFFALO KNO ME N KNO THAT IM REAL N WE ALL GO THRU THE SAME STRUGGLE THATS Y WE CAN RELATE TO EACH OTHER..SHIT I GOT MAD STREET RAPS ON MY MYSPACE PAGE N 98% OF MA 200 FRIENDS KNO ME PERSONALLY…ITS EASY TO FRONT ON HERE BASICALLY ALOT OF TALKIN FOR NOTHIN, BUT I JUS WANT YAL TO KNO THT NOT EVRY1 IS A MADE UP DT SUPERHERO, SOME PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIVE WAT THEY TALK ABOUT….N AS MUCH AS YALL MIGHT SAY THAT I SHOULD RAP ABOUT SUMTHIN MORE POSITIVE, AINT NOONE ON DT , SHIT NOONE PERIOD, PAYIN MA BILLS, PUTTIN FOOD ON MA TABLE, HOLDIN ME DOWN WIT MA BEEF, BAILIN ME OUTTA JAIL, NONE OF THAT..SO UNLESS SOME1 WILLING TO HELP CHANGE MY LIFE N MAKE IT MORE POSITIVE SHOULDNT NOONE COMMENT ON WAT I SPEAK ABOUT…IMA KEEP IT 100 I NEVER SAID I LIKE RAPPIN BOUT THE SHIT I DO (CEPT FOR MONEY AND PUSSY LOL) BUT THTS HOW I LIVE, SO IF I RAPPED ABOUT NETHING ELSE…WOULDNT THAT MAKE ME FAKE???? I LOVE ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF RAP/HIPHOP CUZ EVRY1 LIVE DIFFERENT SO EVRY1 RAP BOUT DIFFERENT SHIT…BUT IF U NOT LIVIN WAT U WRITIN STOP FRONTING!!!!!!!!!!!!THIS A GOOD TOPIC KK HOLLA!!!!!
March 28th, 2008 at 11:13 am
yo cease, thanks for your post. people it’s worth reading that (yeah i know its long), i feel what cease is saying. i kinda forget that there must be so many different lives out there, different ages, situations etc (it’s easy to assume that everyone else is like you) and perhaps i’m forgetting that what i think is cool might be cheesy to the next person and visa versa.
.
but you know, i find it hard to work out who is real and who is fronting. like there are some cats who i KNOW leading a hardcore street life and some i figure who are faking it… but who is who? that’s why it’s easier to see you all as cartoon characters i guess…
March 28th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Yea definitely thanks alot KK for takin tha time to read that (i didnt even kno it was THAT long til i jus read it again lol) n commentin on that. U right tho cuz unless u actually kno the person u really cant speak on it…Well i take that back alot of times u can definitely tell..But i guess yea on DT u can be whoever u wanna be..lol people prolly got fake pictures up n all. But yea i dunno if what i rap about is considered gangsta rap, but i kno alot of people have said that its not hip-hop..but like SilvaTung said Hip-hop is the truth its an art its emotion its a life and expressing it is Hip-Hop, so evrybody expresses it in a different way. As far as all the fakers, lol this a WEBSITE..we prolly never gon meet any of em, so i Guess let people have fun tryna be what they wish they could be. Music is all about creativity, and it lets people put them self into any type of world they can imagine…now the ONLY issue with this , and really the whole solution..should be as stated before……THERE ARE REAL PEOPLE AND FAKES, AND WHEN IT COME DOWN TO THA REAL DRAMA, ARE THE FAKES GONNA BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT????….IF NOT…..HEY, OH WELL….SHOULDNT’VE BEEN FRONTIN…LOL…hope this not that long.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:28 am
ok, so i got another question.
,
we know some people are making up these characters… i think its kinda fair enough…. it’s just entertainment, right? like how hannibal jester spits… you know he doesn’t speak like that to his mom. (ok, maybe his mom speaks like that too though LOL). but surely anyone who speaks on tracks in a different way to how they speak to their family/ friends is creating a character… i guess i wanna hear about what it is that makes people find their rap personality. Does it just come to you or do you plan it in advance?
.
i’d love to hear from someone who spits about the hood and stuff but that’s not their life… i know nobody will come forward but i dont think anything is that wrong with it really.
.
anyway, got a new blog up now… ARE EMCEES INSECURE?… see the blog here http://blog.dopetracks.com/2008/03/29/are-emcees-insecure/
March 29th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
yeah, i say no shit, Kristi tells it like it TE-EYE-IS….yeah i know im the nerd up in this herd but i couldnt agree more KK!! Some guys do think outside of the pre programmed gangster paradigmn, but like 98 percent of the cats on DT are all wrapped up in it. Think about it this way, musicians as artists, are much like painters, we make a visual image…and damn why would you paint the same picture over and over and over? when you make music think about what your making, think about what you are saying, be inventive, then again ,WELL WE CANT ALL BE DRINKINSTEINS…..RAWRAHARAWARARAHAHA!!
March 29th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
oh yeah, shoot i forgot, i already sorta layed down how i feel about all of the clocking and glocking, in my mutha’ fucking swingline freestyle (clox beat pistol in my lap, ) hahaha the beat goes “cha-chick”, and pistols dont go “cha-chick”, (and dont even tell me a nine cause thats a semi automatic and not a pistol) BUT STAPLERS DOO!!! yeah im a GENUIS, i swear….
http://www.dopetracks.com/track/66006
March 30th, 2008 at 12:48 am
http://www.dopetracks.com/track/79029 lord bless IS THE ANSWER TO THESE CUTZ U HERE!
March 30th, 2008 at 1:04 am
http://www.dopetracks.com/track/85830anuda 1 thats off the usual flow type!
April 1st, 2008 at 7:00 am
I made “Addicted To Powder” to combat my Cocaine Addiction…There’s No Glory In That…but It’s Whatever…Think What You wanna Think.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:37 am
it’s all bullshit and gangsta rap FUCKED UP hip hop, like properly crushed it underfoot, almost to the point where
if you ain’t all about guns etc you’re an soft idiot, and all the angles that used to make up hip-hop somehow got flattened into one big angle. violence.
Bambaataa would recognise the irony of that all too painfully, but so would anyone else if they took a minute to stop blasting off guns for a second, and like Flavor told you, read a book or something.
10% gunplay in rap keeps it real life for some but 90% kills rap stone dead.
kids today man WTF
April 1st, 2008 at 10:18 am
http://www.dopetracks.com/beat/32933
….maybe it ain’t as bad as all that, looking at today’s beats its not all guns/bitches/coca cola but living through the golden era, then jumping forward to now puts todays bullshit into perspective real quick.
but there’s some good stuff on this site and you can tell who knows whats up and who’s got no brain to speak of, so it comes down to finding the dope tracks and forgetting about all the wack bullshit.
thing is look at the influences if you were born in the 80’s or 90’s and grew up listening to hip hop you would have had to look harder to find the essence. and guns are loud AND clever right? i’m sure people had guns through any era but chose not to glam it up ALL the pissing time, it’s all so…. OBVIOUS. Use some imagination you
dumb shits. thanks a lot. stop fucking it up for all the REAL heads. go and shoot yourselves quietly, no need to make a fucking tune out of it every day. boring now. and dumb. real stupid.
peace kristi this is overdue!!!!!!
April 1st, 2008 at 10:42 am
apolgies, that is a damn good reason. but i was more questioning way that saying it’s shit. in fact, more ‘why do the MCs pick those ones?’ peace!
April 1st, 2008 at 10:48 am
LOL funny duckalert, i hear you man.. great comments… yo i was born in the 70s… i got to hear it at its best yo! people rapping about electric Egyptians and smurfs on electro tracks, da la soul and tribe spreading love (imagine hearing that shyt when its BRAND NEW!)… then came the real scientists but they got stomped out by the military
April 5th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
then came the real scientists but they got stomped out by the military..
love the way you put that kk that is so right. i lived through the electro era too and i can’t lie i miss the old times (a new number streetsounds electro album in the shop window? shit, we couldn’t get out of school quick enough)
but no-one can bring that innocent time back , i just wish it hadn’t gone so far in the wrong direction for some people. but what can you do????
April 10th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
HE SAID IT PERFECT..SOME ITS FANTASY SUM IT MAY BE REAL I DONT KNOW IM NOT LIVING WITH U I CAN ONLY SAY THAT IF I HEAR U TALKING ABOUT GUNS OR SELLING DRUGS AND I DONT NO U.. IT WILL NOT IMPRESS ME AT ALL. EVEN IF I DO NO U PERSONALLY.NOW IF U THROW IN SOME WORDPLAY AHAHA I WILL GIVE U CONGRATS
April 10th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
UHHUH I GIVE A LOT MORE RESPECT TO SOME1 KEEPING IT REAL AND LAYING THEIR TRUE FEELINGS DOWN ON THE TRACK THAN SOME1 PUTTING UP AN IMAGE…BUT BEING AS THIS IS THE NET U NEVER KNO WAT IS REALITY..I JUST NO MINE LIKE ALL OF U KNO URS SO ITS UP TO US TO FIGURE THAT OUT..BUT ON THE OTHER HAND IM NOT A GANGTER IM JUST JASON BUT IVE RAPPED ABOUT GOING TO SHOOT SOME1 B4..N TO ME ITS NOT THE THING THAT IM OUT THERE DOING IT..ITS THIS IS WAT I CAN DO…BUT AT THE SAMETIME ANY1 CAN RUN BY WITH THEIR EYES CLOSED AND SQUEEZE A TRIGGER,SO I DONT TALK ABOUT IT TO MUCH..JUST DONT FUCK WITH ME HAHA
ITS UP TO US AS INDIVIDUALS TO CHANGE IT..WE SHOULD BE TRYING TO PROGRESS AND EXPAND THE HORIZON OF -OUR MUSIC- NOT DWELL ON ONE THING.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
THIS IS TRUE…TALK ABOUT REAL THINGS AKA REAL TALK
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