Slavename

The way our collective attention spans work these days, the rappers who remain the most relevant in public perception are either on EVERY new single out (Wayne, Kanye), getting in trouble with the law (Wayne, Kanye, T.I.), or just by being outtapocket with petty beefs (Rick Ross, 50 Cent). Now, none of these things necessesarily bother me very much at all, I just write this to make an observation about how quickly both rappers and songs become outdated and irrelevant in our collective consciousness. It’s crazy interesting to me particularly when I begin to take this same concept and apply it to real hard pressing issues affecting our communities both local and global.

The same way we dismiss rappers who haven’t leaked a new song every couple weeks is the same way so many of us in the U.S. relate to the current socio-economic and political issues we face as a people. For example, the tragedy of prolonged violence in the Middle-East is overshadowed by controversial torture procedures enforced during the Bush administration. Of course torture should be looked at closely, it’s inhumane, unspeakably fucked up and shouldn’t happen, but the amount of time the media chooses to focus on it while not telling us much of anything new about it is simply a waste of time. There’s ALL KINDS of death and fucked up shit going on right now in the Bay Area and it seems like the shit that our communities go through are just forgotten and pushed aside for the new subject du jour (of the day). The role of mass media as a central tool for propaganda and distraction can NEVER be underemphasized.

Interestingly enough, this video of Lupe Fiasco performing his song, “The Coolest,” off of his album The Cool, brought all of this to mind. Specifically because back when this album first came out Lupe was my favorite rapper by FAR and in my head nobody could top his talent at songwriting, wordplay, etc etc. But if someone had asked me who my favorite rapper in the game was yesterday he wouldn’t even have crossed my mind initially. Knowing me, I probly woulda said Young Dro or someone. But then I went back and looked at this video and was just floored again at this fool. He’s just ridiculous. I mean how long ago was 2007 really? But I’m SURE if i put together a mix to throw on at a party and it had something from Lupe’s 2007 album on it muhfuckas would definitely be giving me the stink face. It makes me check myself and my own susceptibility to being swept up into the waves of the “current” and losing touch on things that I loved (or things that affected me) but I just hadn’t thought of in a while.

(Sometimes I ramble, sorry).

Anywho, here goes the video that sparked this tangent:

Peace.

G-Mitch

PS – Shout out to DSB for checkin me and makin me do a new blog. Your turn now bruh bruh!