well…yet another year passes.
for me personally? it was a strange year.
a year of revelations and a year of complications…but definitely a year of decisions.
how was 2013 for Seattle Hip-Hop?
lol…well…that all depends on what you consider Seattle Hip-Hop.
but in my opinion, Seattle Hip-Hop SPUN IT’S COLLECTIVE WHEELS once again.
i still don’t consider this city “ON” until the city has a BLACK Hip-Hop poster-child (i don’t make the rules, i just live by ’em)
…but i digress…
i feel like this year updated & solidified the position of White people using and cashing in on Black culture while Black people just sit back and watch it happen. this year to me solidified the collective weakness of BLACK Hip-Hop…lemme rephrase that…this year solidified the collective weakness of Black PEOPLE in Hip-Hop.
BLACK Hip-Hop doesn’t really have a strong voice right now…i mean c’mon…you have TALIB KWELI opening for MACKLEMORE.
it has become VERY clear to me that the game is more about POLITICS than skills…it’s more about NAME RECOGNITION than potential…it’s more about CLIQUES than GENIUS…and there’s a lot of DOUBLESPEAK going on, too.
all of the things that Hip-Hop stood AGAINST from day one; it has now BECOME.
like, it used to be that being REAL was the ‘cool’ thing to do…now, being real is the ‘out’ thing to do.
i feel like the collective consciousness of people in GENERAL has dipped; from a human perspective.
…like the love for new, bright, and shiny is at it’s peak in society…selfishness has peaked…disloyalty has peaked.
i think the main questions that i have to ask myself in 2014 are:
am i making music for LEADERS or for FOLLOWERS?
why do i feel so artistically separated from Seattle?
and since Seattle is supposed to be “ON” now (according to some people), can i expect the XXL FRESHMEN CLASS of 2014 to feature a SEATTLE rapper?
ANYWAYS
i’m looking forward to 2014 and all of the blessings that it will bring; i am just somewhat concerned about the loses for some odd reason.
HAYWIRE 
“…that all depends on what you consider Seattle Hip-Hop…”
totally agreed.
mack is not representative of seattle hip hop, he is outside it.
outside the local system and straight into the worldwide one…
“…the city has a BLACK Hip-Hop poster-child (i don’t make the rules, i just live by ‘em)…”
this is not even slightly controversial.
however, there is no consensus exactly on who would be the most [representative] of the [seattle sound]
the local media has already anointed nacho as the next big seattle thing.
“…it’s more about CLIQUES than GENIUS…”
totally have to disagree.
genius is not measurable or quantifiable.
mack is so genius it hurts.
he’s having the planet his way, that is the definition of genius.
he recorded a same love version that was slated for the album, but he listened to it more and more with ryan, and they decided to re-do it, and the subsequent version was the one killing it from continent to continent…
“…being REAL was the ‘cool’ thing to do…now, being real is the ‘out’ thing to do…”
don’t forget that in the late 80’s things got so retarded-blinged-out that rakim and rodney o couldn’t even get on airplanes because their gold rope chains were too heavy. that was some serious gold. then in ninety one snoop brought it back to khakis and a white tee. it goes in circles, but yes, lately it is way way out of control…
“…why do i feel so artistically separated from Seattle?…”
just some food for thought…have you listened to yeezus? steel forged industrial production is being fawned over for 2014.
never stop
“mack is not representative of seattle hip hop, he is outside it.
outside the local system and straight into the worldwide one…”
outside of Seattle Hip-Hop and ABOVE it…kinda like Sir-Mix-A-Lot is and basically always was.
i don’t blame him for leaving Seattle Hip-Hop and only coming back to cash in on the Key Arena…i mean, Black rappers have been selling out Hip-Hop for DECADES now…so i’m actually used to the tom foolery now. it’s just a culture-shock when a White person does it.
“have you listened to yeezus?”
ya know…that’s actually a really good point.
i’ve caught glimpses here and there of Yeezus, and i actually know where THAT sound is coming from…the sound (signal / frequency) that ‘Ye is currently tuned in to…as crazy as it may sound.
“never stop”
right.
i’m just kinda buggin’ out because my ‘style’ is only halfway developed…meaning, i got some ill tricks up my sleeve that i been keeping extremely close to the vest.
i feel like: WHY EVEN PLAY THE GAME IF YOU DON’T PLAN ON MAKING SEATTLE HIP-HOP HISTORY?
“the local media has already anointed nacho as the next big seattle thing.”
sure. but is that based more on NUMBERS, more on SKILLS, or more on IMAGE?
AND…
from here on out, does any and every Black artist have MACKLEMORE to THANK when they actually DO get their ‘big break’???
“he’s having the planet his way, (that is the definition of genius.)”
you know, i actually want to agree with you…but White PRIVILEGE just won’t let me.