1 post tagged “fergie”
Criticizing the subject matter of many rap songs is nothing new. Everyone from Bill O'reily to Oprah have taken their pot shots at the violence, homophobia, and sexism contained in my rap songs. To some extent they have a point. Rap as an art form requires more lyrical content than your average ballad and because of this people's biases are more likely to be expressed. The pop rap of today's world is often criticized for reinforcing these -isms and rightly so.
Modern mainstream rap is very closely tied to the gangsta ap of the early 90s. It was gangsta rap that catapulted hip hop into the lime light and onto the radios of America. Much like rock and roll decades before, parents condemned it for promoting sexuality and violence while kids loved it for those very same reasons. At the time these rappers were telling their story. They were providing the suburbs with a glimpse into their world and there was an authenticity to their pride in that world, even if it did glorify Gats, Gold, and Hos. As much as it was glorifying these things it was also exposing the rotten underbelly of American society. Case and Point, "Brenda's got a Baby."
It wasn't until record companies began to take notice of gangsta rap that it began its transition from a type of musical journalism to the hollow shell it has become today. The Tupacs and Biggies of the world were replaced by the Puff Daddys and 50 Cents. It was the record companies that stripped mainstream rap of its relevance. They found a formula that worked. All they wanted, and still want to this day, is a funky beat and hard rapper who could spit the right buzz words. Gats, Hos, Shizzle, Bling, Crunk. It doesn't matter what your saying, just as long as it sounds right.
Fast forward a decade and this formula is firmly entrench. We live in a world where the most popular rappers are 50 Cent and T.I. Hell, we live in a world where Three Six Mafia won a god damn Oscar. Which brings us to the video I posted above. Fergie, one of the most popular female artists associated with rap today released "My Hump" in 2005. The song hit #3 on the pop charts. While there was no doubt that Fergie was celebrating her admittedly ample breasts, it was easy to miss the exact lyric content of the song amid Lil John's beat and the rest of the Black Eyed Peas rapping.
That is, it was until this week when Alanis Morissette of all people releases a cover of "My Hump". Sang is a slow, haunting style it seems to capture everything that is wrong with mainstream rap. The objectification of women, the glorification of materialism. It exposes how truly god awful Fergie's lyrics are. Truly, it is a depressingly funny reminder of what passes for hip hop these days.
Here is to the underground. Our last, best hope.
Modern mainstream rap is very closely tied to the gangsta ap of the early 90s. It was gangsta rap that catapulted hip hop into the lime light and onto the radios of America. Much like rock and roll decades before, parents condemned it for promoting sexuality and violence while kids loved it for those very same reasons. At the time these rappers were telling their story. They were providing the suburbs with a glimpse into their world and there was an authenticity to their pride in that world, even if it did glorify Gats, Gold, and Hos. As much as it was glorifying these things it was also exposing the rotten underbelly of American society. Case and Point, "Brenda's got a Baby."
It wasn't until record companies began to take notice of gangsta rap that it began its transition from a type of musical journalism to the hollow shell it has become today. The Tupacs and Biggies of the world were replaced by the Puff Daddys and 50 Cents. It was the record companies that stripped mainstream rap of its relevance. They found a formula that worked. All they wanted, and still want to this day, is a funky beat and hard rapper who could spit the right buzz words. Gats, Hos, Shizzle, Bling, Crunk. It doesn't matter what your saying, just as long as it sounds right.
Fast forward a decade and this formula is firmly entrench. We live in a world where the most popular rappers are 50 Cent and T.I. Hell, we live in a world where Three Six Mafia won a god damn Oscar. Which brings us to the video I posted above. Fergie, one of the most popular female artists associated with rap today released "My Hump" in 2005. The song hit #3 on the pop charts. While there was no doubt that Fergie was celebrating her admittedly ample breasts, it was easy to miss the exact lyric content of the song amid Lil John's beat and the rest of the Black Eyed Peas rapping.
That is, it was until this week when Alanis Morissette of all people releases a cover of "My Hump". Sang is a slow, haunting style it seems to capture everything that is wrong with mainstream rap. The objectification of women, the glorification of materialism. It exposes how truly god awful Fergie's lyrics are. Truly, it is a depressingly funny reminder of what passes for hip hop these days.
Here is to the underground. Our last, best hope.
