I was having a conversation with a friend about Hip Hop, specifically about Lyricism. He was explaining to me how Saigon was one of the best to ever bless the mic. I agreed with him but stated that Saigon, and in turn any lyricist that ever decides to include any complex wordplay (metaphors, multisyllabic rhymes, etc) owes it to Rakim, the greatest to ever touch a microphone. This is where the problem began.
He told me that this is wrong, and that in turn Rakim did not influence Saigon. In fact Rakim did not bring anything new to the table that was not already there (citing Nas' "No Idea's Original") and that in turn Rakim is irrelevant. This is wrong people.
While it is true that the ideas themselves (metaphors, multisyllabic rhymes, etc) are not anything new whatsoever, the fact that Rakim brought them to the artform of Hip Hop WAS new when he came onto the scene. He essentially created the form of Hip Hop that is THE MOST RESPECTED.
Back to this idea that Rakim is irrelevant. He said this because he stated that "the past is irrelevant". How is this so? The past has created the present reality we live in and combines with it to influence the future as we speak. We must respect and learn from the past or we're doomed to repeat the mistakes made in the past. It's simple, there's nothing complex to it. Everything around us, from buildings, houses, music, television, etc has been created by dead people or to be more correct people in the past. The damn language we use is influenced by the past & our history. You are entitled to like or dislike anything, that is your prerogative as a human being, but to label the past as irrelevant is as backwards as the word itself. Especially when the art form YOU love was created by the man you are calling irrelevant.
He created political songs to express the views of many people, he took his craft from his basement and made a name for himself, he created new ways to lyrically brag about yourself, HE IS HIP HOP. And yes, because he brought these different things to the forefront at a time when NO ONE was doing it, he is the greatest. No one has done it better than him, like him yes (see NaS) but greater than him? Nah.
Next time you wanna say "No Idea's Original" finish what NaS said and understand it. "No Idea's Original, there's nothing new under the sun, IT'S NEVER WHAT YOU DO BUT HOW IT'S DONE." Real talk. It's never what you do, but how it's done. Rakim created the blueprint and did it so good no one has created one that's better yet. That alone proves the past is completely relevant today. Ya dig?
1 hunnit
-The Black Sunn
4 days ago
4 comments:
[from Facebook! lol]:
this blog is the Truthhh.
i had a similar convo. with somebody the other day about Rakim's impact. the other person knew nothing about Rakim and had no desire to, despite what i shared about his significance in hip hop's past and present and of course, they replied with the claim that 'the past is not that important.' ... ppl are so0o caught up making sure they stay on top of all the crazy BS thats being feed to them these days... they are tricked into thinking that wat they see and wats given to them is all that there is. they get hooked and hypnotized into being hooked on a diet of Fallacy and think there is nothing else to eat but wats given to them...
Niggas know Rakim has influenced a lot of people but he was doin his thing in the past, He's not relevant because he not makin music now, PERIOD. Micheal Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever but he's not relevant to the game now cuz he not playin NOW, its great to show respect to the past but thats the only thing u can do with the past. the past is important but THE PRESENT and THE FUTURE are more important. Every one makes their own mark, Rakim may have influenced a lot of rappers but he not writing everyones rhymes or puttin in the hard work that makes other rappers succesful. Thats y he is irrelevant. Martin Luther King did a lot for Afican Americans as a race he has his own holiday to remember him by. But Barack Obama is tryin to make a change NOW Martin Luther King aint writin Obama 's speaches even if he was influenced by him. The past is important but it aint relevant, if the past was relevant niggas would never get over the shit that happened in the past. This shit is like sayin that if you have a cousin who is a thug and he influenced you to be a thug and one day you decide to kill sumbody than he's the reason you killed the person, but he's not, U pulled the trigger not him, the blame would be yours alone, your cousin wouldnt be doin the jail sentence wit you. You dont owe shit to Rakim even if he has influenced you, cuz he's not the one spendin countless hours writing your rhymes. And dont get it twisted i respect Rakim
I'm never gonna agree, lets agree to disagree
Your logic is flawed, badly man...
Irrational thoughts have no meaning behind them...which is why you can't explain WHY they are "irrelevant". You just say they are because they are in the past, which as I have logically proven means nothing because the past is still relevant today.
Fix ya logic.
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