Hip-Hop Snobbery

Ah yes, the elitist segment of the music lover; always judging, analyzing, doing their utmost to stay on the cusp of happenings in their chosen field of obsession. Whenever the topic arises of who loves this or that style of music more, tempers invariably flare and ego's are damaged.

When it comes to elitism in hip-hop, some might say there is a whole new, even more picky level of one-upsmanship. The reason for that is partially due to the current climate (and the unfortunate ongoing trend of pop rap) of hip-hop music in the public eye. The "in the public eye" section of that sentence is imperative; for two reasons.

Firstly, The various forms of media available to us nowadays mean that word of new information or products spread quickly, so when a new hip-hop song is released by a label with financial muscle; its promotion means it inevitably gets seen by several million people.
The vast majority of these several million people do not know a great deal about hip-hop music, or indeed any genre of music in depth. (As that is the realm of the obsessive muso, such as myself) Therefore, their understanding and perception of hip-hop is created by the music they are exposed to by radio and television; which most 'hardcore' hip-hop fans denounce at every opportunity. More on that in a moment...

Secondly, it is beyond doubt that there is PLENTY of very good hip-hop being created at the moment; it just isn't popular or getting enough airplay. I constantly hear friends and acquaintances telling me there is "no good rap at the moment", which is a tired myth. Many producers and rappers are still giving it their all to create great music for the listener, but its only heard by a small audience. As such, not enough people know about it : partly through their own ignorance of other artists and partly due to the media with the power to make a change sticking to the same failsafe, boring formula.

More of you need to use the vast information highway available to us through the internet to find out about rappers such as MF DOOM, Madlib, Shape of Broad Minds, Ugly Duckling, Y Society, Atmosphere, Kev Brown and the ridiculous Flying Lotus. And those are just (a few of the really good ones) with deals!! So many amazing unsigned producers advertising their heat on Myspace, Virb and other such pages.

Many will say this has always been the way for truly good hip-hop; that its best moments as a genre of music have always been away from the limelight, but I ask you to cast your minds back to the mid-90's when Tupac and Biggie were doing fairly commercialized rap music without sacrificing a great deal of quality. Of course, some of the game's most well-known names were just on the come up then, such as Nasty Nas and Jigga Jay-Z; while juggernauts Rakim and Big Daddy Kane were getting less and less attention from the distracted youth.
That is to say, a youth distracted by these material assets being paraded about in a less intellectual manner than had been done previously : Its not as if earlier hip-hop such as RUN-DMC and Slick Rick weren't talking about material gain and quantifying success through earnings; its just that they did it with real finesse, and SO DAMN WELL.


So, why is hip-hop snobbery such an issue? Especially when being written about by someone who is considered by most of his peers as a hip-hop snob? Well, quite frankly, I need to point out that I try not to be condescending about my hip-hop preferences; and always have valid reasons for my choices. Also, because as I mentioned before, hip-hop elitists are some of the most unbelievably anal and judgmental folk in the world. If you don't pass certain credibility tests, you won't be considered part of those "in the know". Aside from the unrealistic demands of adhering to ALL of the established stereotypes (baggy clothes, talking in ebonics, truck jewels, tons of sneakers, smoking blunts, drinking 40 oz's etc.) the tedious gatekeeper types in hip-hop remind the more laid-back folk (like myself) why it can be such a frustrating and dirty game; with their unrelenting hip-hop cliches about the various ways one should "keep it real"and warcries against those who don't feel EXACTLY as they do. That plus the constant reiteration of "don't forget the 4 elements, man" or "yeah, but (insert rapper name here) wouldn't even be doing this if it wasn't for Public Enemy!". Yes, both true and important; but being such a dick about it is not going to pique people's curiosity to find out more about planet hip-hop.


This is the part of hip-hop snobs that is their own doing; they are the kind of people who are pre-disposed to that sort of tiresome, childish behavior and stubbornly defend the widely recognized 'hip-hop standards' (things such as BDP's "By Any Means Necessary" and Ultramagnetic MC's "Critical Beatdown") to the death despite the fact that in retrospect, we can see the flaws with both of those classic projects.
The other reason they have developed this spitefully scrupulous level of reckoning is, as mentioned at the beginning of this piece; the state of hip-hop in the public eye. This is because that section of hip-hop is so poor (all hip-hop criteria aside); even when looked at from a purely musical perspective. As this readily available, easily accessible slop dominates the airwaves, the quality produce is left relatively unheard. This causes an understandable resentment towards the less-informed hip-hop listener.
The difference between the tedious gatekeeper types and us more laid-back individuals is that we can see a weakness with a piece of hip-hop we love, as we aren't blinded by reputations and names.
For example, while you will never find me talking shit about "Critical Beatdown", Ced Gee was obviously a terrible rapper. That didnt stop the album from becoming one of the landmarks of the genre and establishing Kool Keith as a top-quality pioneering emcee.
Now, a gatekeeper's response to that sort of criticism would have been a hostile array of expletives and a tired-ass lecture about how you aren't educated in the way of the true school.

In conclusion, while the hip-hop currently gaining radio spins is detrimental to hip-hop as an artform (for its crass pandering to popular trends rather than artistic expression), it is for open ears and inquisitive minds to realize that there IS exciting, quality rap music out there worthy of more attention; but its down to the listener to dig through the ever-increasing mounds of hay to find that shiny needle.
That condescending hip-hop snobs are taking any and every chance to belittle those who choose to buy Young Jeezy albums instead of the Rawkus back catalogue; simply ostracizes those who are curious enough to actually spend their money on the music (and therefore the closest to being "shown the light", if you will).
So don't hate on the next man for not having seen 'Wild Style' or not knowing that Pharoahe Monch used to be in Organized Konfusion; just cause you know, you can't expect everyone to be on the same wavelength.

Therefore, if you must chastise the uneducated, handle them with kid gloves; because you dont know whether that ignorance is down to not caring or simply not having been turned onto this shit. If you are too brash with the way you tell them what you think, you will turn them away; perhaps permanently. Remember, at one time or another, we who consider ourselves savvy were also oblivious to where the goodness was at.


Love, Peace and Elbow Grease.

"Very slow and deliberate, so you can understand the flow when I deliver it, considerate, for those who've grown to consider it gibberish, like tomes to those illiterate; no, not idiots, its just their missing certain listening tools, but schools in session so pull up your stools..." - MC Abdominal