The time has been called to return back to the courts of public opinion. Many New York loyalists have had public and private debates over rap music in New York. This is a deep rooted conversation that seems to continuously be sparked from time to time. Truthfully it has never been fully addressed to this magnitude with an in-depth look into the nature of this whole ordeal with an open minded perspective and some kind of resolution. Hip Hop is on the brink of reaching its 50 Year milestone next summer. Hip Hop is still relatively young with only a few generations of kids that have actually grown with the culture from their adolescent years to adulthood. There is a lot to be had with this conversation as it pertains to the sound of New York. I’m unsure if we can sonically define what that sound is, or how we actually classify sound within the genre of rap music. Is the New York sound considered as traditional rap, Boom Bap, or something else? In this new era of rap, can drill even be considered as part of New York rap or just a classification of drill music itself? Secondly, is New York drill a regional contribution to the drill scene that is trending around the world from places like the UK and Chicago? Those are huge questions within themselves, and a conversation that deserves its own exploration. For now, let’s dive into the topic that has drawn this article's headline. The underlying conversation of our geographical conflict. It’s only right that we address this aspect of New York rap music right now. We really need to get this conversation out of the way, so we can grow and build towards the next 50 years of Hip Hop in this Empire State. If this wasn’t the Mecca of the culture maybe we wouldn’t have this conversation. I don’t know, but New York needs this revelation. Many may agree or disagree; either way it is worth noting. This is our cultural legacy, our history and our future. If we don’t control it– I guess we will have to settle with whoever will. I don’t think we really want others controlling and dictating our culture. We can all agree with Dame Dash on the effects that culture vultures can have if we don't properly claim anything in the landscape of this music business. We will never go as far as pointing fingers, or proclaiming anyone to be one. We want to be clear about that, and be clear about our intentions when we write these stories over here. We are the gatekeepers—- the New York public; the people! And, that’s a global connotation that expands well beyond the Bronx and all of New York; respectfully. There’s gatekeepers in other regions and municipalities, too. As the birthplace of Hip Hop, New York is a special place with an obligation and purpose to be fulfilled as long as the culture of Hip Hop shall live. We should never be at the bottom of the Hip Hop barrel. Artists from other cities and nations should be enthusiastic about experiencing the authenticity of New York upon visiting, as well as what they are privy to hearing in the spectrums of music over the internet, the radio or in any public place where music is being played. New York artists are more than capable of reaching platinum success. There’s a plethora of artists out right now that display that potential without even getting their fair share of notoriety or radio spins. Those artists range in many age brackets from young to old. And, with those artists their consumer’s age brackets range just about the same in either direction from young to old. To further elaborate on that point, many of us saw the Verzuz battle last year between The Lox and Dipset at Madison Square Garden. The venue was sold out and the anticipation was through the roof for many people of all ages. They didn’t have to do much to sell those tickets. In the end, the night was highly memorable to a vast majority of people that consume Hip Hop music in America. Jadakiss made headlines across the country, and displayed a level of craftsmanship that many people haven’t experienced before. He displayed poise and power; giving inspiration to other rappers from other regions to want to have that level of crowd control and delivery. Performing live with nothing more than a T.V track became a conversation for many younger artists to consider, and something for them to work towards. The veteran Lox controlled the stage that night utilizing many of the unwritten by-laws determined early on by the founding fathers of this rap music. It’s the little things that often set the bar and help to continuously push the culture forward. Diving deeper into this whole colossal conversation, we have to talk about orginity. One of the biggest components that used to exist in hip Hop; often defining what it actually meant to be a Master of Ceremony. In today's world many try to duplicate hits and duplicate formulas that don't always work out for everybody. The discographies of many artists that came from this cloth are great pieces of work that still have yet to be duplicated. Many of those legacies are secured and solidified. If we are looking at today’s radio— the similarities are all too close. It's often hard to identify the talent, and we may even find it easier to identify the producers of those songs we hear. The rhyme styles, patterns and cadence of these artists aren't too far fetched from each other. Majority of it all sounds so much the same that the topics and the storylines can't differentiate much of anything either. Bringing up another topic and another factor; ageism. Let’s be real here for a minute, please! There's no aspect of ageism to consider when it comes to rap music. That’s something many of us need to get over and forget about. It’s a foolish argument and a meaningless debate.. There’s standards to the game ,and rules that must apply but that’s about it with that aspect of things. Artists should however display growth at some point, or another in this game and in their careers. They should stick to what they do best and continuously master their style of music. Master their message! They shouldn’t be forced to conform to any new norms, or be subject to change based on comparisons. They should be encouraged to do more of what they do best, and make their marks. That's the only true formula I think we all should attest too. Artists may choose a few bad records, but that’s all a part of the experience. Sometimes you have to fail in order to win again. No rapper’s catalog is ever perfect or flawless. Well, as far as we know today! So, back onto our boulevard conversation and journalistic bully— the current situation that led us to this day in the courts of public opinions. Recently, there has been a viral riff between Conway The Machine and Hot 97’s longtime DJ Funk Master Flex. A few other names have been mentioned from both sides of this personal dialogue via social media. A few others have chimed in with responses and opinions by similar means. We won’t get all into name dropping and character shaming like much of which has been displayed. It hasn't been a pretty sight watching them go back and forth. One thing that I can say is that it was raw and uncut. Touching on this lightly with integrity and respect for all parties, here’s our conclusion. We understand all sides of this argument. Artists want fair play on the radio in their hometown markets. They get their flowers, but it’s nothing like what you expect to feel in your own promised land. The radio and their radio programmers main focus is their ratings. They really don’t care too much about anything other than the number of listeners and their advertising dollars. As for Flex, he just wants to remain relevant by all cost. He plays what’s agreed upon at the station, and he plays what he thinks his new audience members want to hear. Outside of that, he honestly hasn’t had much of a valid point; making it more of a personal thing for anyone that doesn’t agree with him on the matter. There’s a lot of new listeners in New York, and many previous listeners that are waiting to hear some of the same kind of music that made him famous. It’s like abandoning the artists that put you on and helped raise your positioning in the radio world. The sad truth is many other New York artists feel the same way, and just choose not to be vocal about their concerns and/or discretions. This refusal to play New York artists on the radio has nothing to do with a divisionary thing between NYC and Upstate New York, either. That’s as fictuational as the East Coast v. West Coast War. It’s simply a supply and demand issue. Maybe, the radio system of New York doesn’t understand the demands of the listening public. It needs balance, and some people really want justice.
All New Yokers should be clear on this fact. New York is New York, regardless of jurisdiction. We have been here multiple times in the past with the emergence of Long Island back in the late 80s. It would come up back around again in the early 90s with the Wu Tang Clan coming out of Staten Island. And. also throughout that same era with multiple artists coming out of Westchester county areas from Pete Rock & CL Smooth to The Lox. If you are putting on for the Empire State the love and respect should be unanimous across the board. Especially if you are talented and highly successful. We have to stop playing this placement game, and stay focused on the bigger issues that plague New York artists in this wonderful state. We have to continue to unify and support each other. We can’t leave it all up to the radio, and these program directors who don’t care about the authenticity of New York and our impact on the current rap music scene. These stations really have been shifting their consumer bases in the direction of just urban radio consumers and not rap listeners. I want to be fair to the radio system, but I don’t believe we can call any of these stations as true rap stations. Or, even Hip Hop Stations anymore! We might have to make a correction in our classification until we are certain otherwise. That's the only way we can clear this up and gain proper perspective. These radio DJs need to be more vocal, and more engaged in this conversation. They have been ducking their way out of this one for far too long. Their playlists need to be diversified a bit more and not limited to just the views of what once was the “Mixtape.” Their playlist and mix sessions also play out in their club mixes. The club scene has faded a while back here in New York, but many of these DJS still do parties, events, brunches, etc. We can’t make any excuses for the state of rap here at home. The marketplace hasn’t really embraced the New York sound since the early 2000s. The DJ selection plays a huge part in that. And, a major part of being a DJ was breaking records and setting the tone. There’s a lot of money to be made and new opportunities to be created. We need to make a major shift in how we handle our business. We can’t let ignorance, negligence or violence get in between that progression. Those are all important things that need to be addressed while moving forward. We have been stagnant long enough. A real collective sit down needs to happen, and it has to be bigger than just a private meeting with NYC Mayor Eric Adams. We don’t want to go backwards, we want to go progressively forward as a state. There’s nothing that stops the flow of money more than foolery and missed opportunities. See, we want to put value back in the game and put value back into the music business. The New York marketplace is one of the biggest markets in the world. We should never forget that, and never devalue anything produced here. Same goes for our level of journalism. This is only the start of something new. We see the value statewide! When it comes to New Yorkers V. The Radio System of New York, we stand with the people 100%, plus every percentage more. The artist truthfully represents the people in this case. These artists are natives of this state whether they still reside here or not. We aren’t afraid to be opinionated when necessary. We are rebels for the cause of Hip Hop. We are serious about the culture and serious about our business, as well as what our readers feel about our work. In solidarity we branded the hashtag #StandingWithNewYork as a reflection of our beliefs. We have nothing but love for all of our radio stations, and many of the wonderful people that work there. No shade against any of them, with all due respect from top to bottom. But, just being real to the facts—-the radio isn’t helping the case of regional dominance or any hyperlocal existence for New York based artists.
There’s a lot of native and local talent that are breaking ground, and we need to see about them. We have to scour the internet ourselves to stay in the loop and stay informed about who’s coming up next. We are here to help reexamine and dominate our region.. We can’t have all of our inspiring artists transforming to other regional norms without paying respects for the land they claim to represent first. If you are questioning the necessity of radio in today’s music world you must not know the depths of the music industry. Numbers sway deals and they sway opportunities, too. Airplay is still worth more than money to most artists that are passionate about their craft and their legacy. Radio opens doors and it also passes out rewards. What artists don’t want their industrial accolades when it is merited. Don’t deny them GRAMMY nods or category nominations, because you put your own values on what it should mean or not mean to them as an artist. Awards have no sound barriers! And, until we elevate into some major academies of our own, we want ours from everywhere else and we demand representation..
It’s only fair to make sure we provide opportunities accordingly. We know the plight of New York artists in present times. We observe the demands of the unspoken public. The good people of New York, both city and state deserve to be proud. We will be back on the top of the mountain again soon before you know it. Our New York Mt. Rushmore is already loaded and deep. New generations are engraving upon some new stones on the other side of the mountain. It all depends on what direction you are facing and what side of history you believe will be written. Benny the Butcher & Conway The Machine are already en route to some levels of generational supremacy. Their catalogs are growing fast, and they aren’t holding anything back. It’s fair to say it's all laid out on the table, and being documented as we speak. In the court of public opinion, I don’t think many can deny this claim of New York’s reemergence. And, that goes beyond just those two artists. Those are just some chosen references in this conversation. Many other artists are making noise, and playing the game at a high level. Well, drop those references another time for another conversation. All we know is that the public is leading the charge right now, and it’s up to the people of New York to claim victory. The possibilities are endless; with or without radio but why not have both.
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