No black artists had a #1 single in 2013

[1ke]

Call me dense, or whatever you want, but i still fail to see the point of this thread.

 

[NAHSTE]

Your Grammy award winner for Hip-Hop Album of the Year:

 

[EmpireWF]

and Maclemore did it without a major record label.

 

[Houston]

Grammys? :jonesy:

Rappers used to boycott them, now they cry about not winning.





Part of an article from '89

Smith, one of three nominees to boycott the ceremony, said he had no regrets about the action.

"Absolutely no second feelings. The way it happened was exactly the way I wanted it to happen."

"One management company started it and went to the papers and figured all the rappers would follow," he said in reference to Rush Artist Management, which handles D. J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and fellow boycotters Salt-N-Pepa and L. L. Cool J.

Interview from last year.

 

[Pitty]

Your Grammy award winner for Hip-Hop Album of the Year:

Macklemore looks like a fucking Simpsons character.

 

[PP]

White power

 

[NAHSTE]

Macklemore looks like a fucking Simpsons character.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

I never even heard of this Macklemore guy before this thread, so I looked him up and listened to his biggest hit, "Can't Hold Us".

I guess people don't like him because the song does has a bit of a "party rap" feel. But if he were a black dude I bet the story would be different. His lyrics are the same typical bragging/bravado/LOOK AT ME IM SO SUCCESSFUL you hear in most rap songs, or at least the rap somebody like me is exposed to. He uses black street vernacular and sounds like a black guy. He's even truly self made, doing it on his own label.

Sounds like an old school, grass roots hip hop story that people would usually get behind. Genuine question here, no trolling or baiting. It has to be the image, right? He's too "clean cut" for the hardcore fans? Too "party"? Otherwise, I don't get it. Seems like some people reject him for simply being white.

 

[Glenbino]

I never even heard of this Macklemore guy before this thread, so I looked him up and listened to his biggest hit, "Can't Hold Us".

I guess people don't like him because the song does has a bit of a "party rap" feel. But if he were a black dude I bet the story would be different. His lyrics are the same typical bragging/bravado/LOOK AT ME IM SO SUCCESSFUL you hear in most rap songs, or at least the rap somebody like me is exposed to. He uses black street vernacular and sounds like a black guy. He's even truly self made, doing it on his own label.

Sounds like an old school, grass roots hip hop story that people would usually get behind. Genuine question here, no trolling or baiting. It has to be the image, right? He's too "clean cut" for the hardcore fans? Too "party"? Otherwise, I don't get it. Seems like some people reject him for simply being white.

People hate on Macklemore because he speaks for MY streets!

Now the rest of the world can know the plight of only getting a single shot Frapp when you SPECIFICALLY ASKED for a double.

Real as it gets.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk

 

[JeremyHight]

If there was a single rapper out there who could rap like Tupac or Biggie about a MESSAGE, then they would be successful, regardless of color. Most of the mainstream rappers now rap about the dumbest shit imaginable. The rap scene set the stage for social commentary about a struggle most of us had little clue about, ie. Urban strife. Now it is about glamour, being high, or hoes. What a surprise, it is dropping in popularity and being taken over by people that a majority of the population can connect with.

This has nothing to do with race and everything to do with the sad state of the mainstream rap scene. There are good rappers out there, but you won't find them on the radio.

 

[JimLeavy59]

If there was a single rapper out there who could rap like Tupac or Biggie about a MESSAGE, then they would be successful, regardless of color. Most of the mainstream rappers now rap about the dumbest shit imaginable. The rap scene set the stage for social commentary about a struggle most of us had little clue about, ie. Urban strife. Now it is about glamour, being high, or hoes. What a surprise, it is dropping in popularity and being taken over by people that a majority of the population can connect with.

This has nothing to do with race and everything to do with the sad state of the mainstream rap scene. There are good rappers out there, but you won't find them on the radio.

Fuck outta here.

 

[NAHSTE]

There are good rappers out there, but you won't find them on the radio.

Yeah that's kind of what the thread was about.

 

[mgoblue2290]

I thought The Heist was a good album overall but not on the same level as GKMC. To his credit Macklemore did say he thought Kendrick should've won.

 

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

If there was a single rapper out there who could rap like Tupac or Biggie about a MESSAGE, then they would be successful, regardless of color. Most of the mainstream rappers now rap about the dumbest shit imaginable. The rap scene set the stage for social commentary about a struggle most of us had little clue about, ie. Urban strife. Now it is about glamour, being high, or hoes. What a surprise, it is dropping in popularity and being taken over by people that a majority of the population can connect with.

This has nothing to do with race and everything to do with the sad state of the mainstream rap scene. There are good rappers out there, but you won't find them on the radio.

Black people don't struggle anymore. It's all about the paper now . White people are alienated because they're poor and can't ball out like blacks.

 

[Jmiles]

People hate on Macklemore because he speaks for MY streets!

Now the rest of the world can know the plight of only getting a single shot Frapp when you SPECIFICALLY ASKED for a double.

Real as it gets.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk

That real life struggle...:ronaldo:

 

[dell71]

I never even heard of this Macklemore guy before this thread, so I looked him up and listened to his biggest hit, "Can't Hold Us".

I guess people don't like him because the song does has a bit of a "party rap" feel. But if he were a black dude I bet the story would be different. His lyrics are the same typical bragging/bravado/LOOK AT ME IM SO SUCCESSFUL you hear in most rap songs, or at least the rap somebody like me is exposed to. He uses black street vernacular and sounds like a black guy. He's even truly self made, doing it on his own label.

Sounds like an old school, grass roots hip hop story that people would usually get behind. Genuine question here, no trolling or baiting. It has to be the image, right? He's too "clean cut" for the hardcore fans? Too "party"? Otherwise, I don't get it. Seems like some people reject him for simply being white.

As far as I know both "Thrift Shop" and "Same Love" (the song he did at the Grammys) are much bigger hits than "Can't Hold Us." The three songs together present a fuller image of him. Yes, he does have a "party rap" and mainstream feel a lot of hardcore fans can't get with. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who dismiss him simply because he's white. On the other hand, he has a lot more on his mind than it appears most of the other popular rappers do. "Thrift Shop" turns the whole "look at me, I'm so successful" thing on its ear and "Same Love" is one of the bravest rap songs of all time. It advocates gay marriage using a genre of music known to be intensely homophobic. He brings a creativity sorely missing from popular rap so I like him.

If there was a single rapper out there who could rap like Tupac or Biggie about a MESSAGE, then they would be successful, regardless of color. Most of the mainstream rappers now rap about the dumbest shit imaginable. The rap scene set the stage for social commentary about a struggle most of us had little clue about, ie. Urban strife. Now it is about glamour, being high, or hoes. What a surprise, it is dropping in popularity and being taken over by people that a majority of the population can connect with.

This has nothing to do with race and everything to do with the sad state of the mainstream rap scene. There are good rappers out there, but you won't find them on the radio.

There is a lot wrong with this post. First off, I love Biggie. Skill-wise, he's one of the greats. His flow is the best ever, still, his wordplay was phenomenally slick, he told elaborate stories that really did have a cinematic feel, and he somehow made himself a sex symbol despite his appearance. This is what made him successful. He did NOT rap about a message, no matter what his mother says. He made some astute observations, but generally there wasn't much depth in regards to social commentary.

I also love Tupac, but he's been romanticized to the nth degree. Sure, he had plenty of songs that made social commentary and had an uplifting message. Then, he had a number of songs that were the exact opposite. It's almost like he's bi-polar. His popularity is largely fueled by his mystique more than his message. There's the kind-hearted thug image, the run-ins with the law, the movies, the times he was shot, and above all, the passion with which he said every single word that came out of his mouth.

There are plenty of rappers out there who fill their music with social commentary, or are concerned with things other than money, drugs, and sex. They aren't popular or "successful," in the mainstream sense, precisely because of this. Pop music, regardless of whatever genre it evolves from, always pushes the lowest common denominators: money, drugs, and sex. Hmmmm....Go back through the history of whatever type of music you like. You will probably find that the most thought provoking artists get lots of respect, but the ones who had the most hits were simpletons, by comparison. Therefore, since radio is inundated with shallow rappers who build their whole careers on explaining just how rich they are, it is not surprising that rap is actually MORE popular than it's ever been, no matter how many purists, of which I consider myself one, tell you hip hop is dead. Billion dollar industries aren't dead. Soulless, probably, but not dead.

/RANT

 

[NAHSTE]

Most of the mainstream rappers now rap about the dumbest shit imaginable. The rap scene set the stage for social commentary about a struggle most of us had little clue about, ie. Urban strife.

Sounds kind of like Kendrick Lamar, who everyone thought should have won ...

 

[Houston]

I remember Axle Rose saying that he thought he was hard with songs like Welcome to the Jungle, until he heard N.W.A for the first time.

:lol:

 

[mgoblue2290]

Sounds kind of like Kendrick Lamar, who everyone thought should have won ...

And arguably his biggest song, Swimming Pools, was all over the radio. The message was definitely missed though.

 

[Pitty]

JeremyWhite needs to bow out of this thread gracefully.