Happy Black History Month!!! I know I’ve been gone for a minute but I’m back with the jump-off. Well actually, more like witty sarcasm towards these mainstream artists. First post of the year and I’m going to celebrate Black History. So how do I plan on starting off Black History Month? Reminding you of the greats like Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash? Nope. Telling you of the passing of the torch to Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Drake (*rolls eyes*)? Maybe my next post. No, IllixerHive. We will be starting off BHM with the culture vultures and the coons who love them.
We’ve been down this road before. Miley Cyrus. Justin Timberlake. Katy Perry. They all loved and used the Hip-Hop culture until it’s no longer needed. So, what makes Post Malone any different? Because he raps? Silly rabbit, being naïve is for kids. In his piece with Rolling Stone, Even Stevens had this to say:
“If you’re looking for lyrics, if you’re looking to cry, if you’re looking to think about life, don’t listen to Hip-Hop. There’s great Hip-Hop songs where they talk about life and they spit that real shit, but right now, there’s not a lot of people talking about real shit. Whenever I want to cry, whenever I want to sit down and have a nice cry, I’ll listen to some Bob Dylan. Or whenever I’m trying to have a good time and stay in a positive mood, I listen to Hip-Hop. Because it’s fun. I think Hip-Hop is important because it brings people together in a beautiful, happy way.”
If all you listen to is Migos and Lil ChewGumPatHead, then yes, your choice of Hip-Hop won’t help you through anything. But don’t listen to Post Malone on what Hip-Hop is. It is and will always be much more.
If you’re like Post Malone who just discovered Rap music in 2012, then take a seat and let me spit my game and talk my ish. Whether it’s the 1980s, 1990s, 200s, or 2010s, Hip-Hop has always been diverse. There’s the Party rappers, Conscience rappers, Flashy rappers, and the Super lyrical rappers. If Post Bologna knew his Hip-Hop instead of feasting on one of its current trends, then he would know who to listen to if he needed a good cry. A rapper by the name of DMX, was so great at telling a story so vivid, that you would feel the sadness he felt and drop a few tears. Oh, he said current rappers? So, Ab-Soul and Rapsody don’t count? Just because Elvis Duran and Ryan Seacrest don’t play their records doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It’s 2018, you can literally go on any streaming service site and find the right Hip-Hop track for the mood you’re in. Like I tell people who choose to stay dumb, do your Googles. Google is free and is there to help you. There’s no good Hip-Hop because you only listen to what clear channel allows you to hear. Most artists don’t have the pay to play, so yes you will have to do some digging to find their work, Mr. Malone.
And for the coons who still back Post Malone and any other culture vulture, listen up Fentanyl babies. If you’re like the Migos, who worked with Katy Perry, so their name can get bigger and receive bigger checks, fine. Just do us a favor and don’t claim the culture. There’s a way to crossover without looking like a Sambo cartoon. In the words of Diamond to Ebony, ‘make that money, don’t let it make you.’ Because when it’s all said and done, they have moved on to the new prey and you’re sitting there looking uglier than a P. Miller shoe.
I’ve said all this for what? Every generation of Hip-hop will and have experienced their own culture vulture moments. However, it is up to us, the avid listener, to escort these birds off the court before they even reach the paint. There’s no way a white rapper should call himself White Iverson, if he can’t even recite “40 Barz” by Jewelz (Hardcore NBA and Hip-Hop heads know). These cultural vultures will soon learn that when we notice that they’re truly Wallace, it’s nothing for the culture to go Bodie to their chest. (*do your Googles for that*) Happy Black History Month. – Pooh Bailey
**Bonus: For those who don’t understand the title ….
