RACE AND RAP: DOES DIVERSITY IN THE BAY HOLD US BACK?

[doodiejones]

HAD A DISCUSSION WITH SOME OF MY PEOPLES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF RAP AND THE BAY AREA'S POSITION.

WE CAN ALL AGREE THE ORIGINS OF RAP BEGAN WITH BLACKS AND RICANS IN NEW YORK, WHICH MAKES IT A BLACK AND LATINO ART FORM. OVER TIME, THE CULTURE HAS SPREAD AND EVOLVED AND REACHED THE MAINSTREAM WHICH IS GREAT. THIS IS WHERE THEY CLAIM THE PROBLEM BEGINS FOR THE BAY. DURING THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE BAY, (1985-LATE 90'S) WHEN THE BAY WAS SELLING AND GETTING SHINE BLACKS AND LATINOS WERE IN CONTROL OF THE CULTURE. HE SAID IN THE LAST 10 OR SO YEARS, A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE BAY AREA SCENE WHO ARE SO-CALLED "FACTORS" ARE NOT BLACK OR LATINO. BEYOND THAT, THEY ARE NOT A TRUE PART OF THE CULTURE. HE SAID THAT THE BLACKS AND LATINOS WHO MAKE THE RECORDS HAVE TO GET APPROVAL AND BACKING FROM PEOPLE WHO ARENT PART OF THE CULTURE. HE GAVE AN EXAMPLE OF COUNTRY MUSIC:

HOW WOULD IT LOOK IF GARTH BROOKS HAD TO SUBMIT HIS RECORDS TO A BLACK MAN IN THE GHETTO? A BLACK MAN MAY TELL GARTH BROOKS THAT HE NEEDS TO MAKE CHANGES THAT WOULDNT BE RELEVENT TO THE COUNTRY MUSIC CULTURE BECAUSE HE ISN'T IN TOUCH WITH THINGS. A BLACK MAN DOESNT KNOW WHAT A COUNTRY MUSIC FAN WANTS OR WHATS HOT IN THE WORLD OF COUNTRY, BECAUSE HE IS NOT A PART OF THE CULTURE. WHO IS YOUR PROMINENT BLACK OR LATINO DECISION MAKER IN THE BAY AREA MUSIC SCENE? DO YOU HAVE ONE? HE SAID THATS THE PROBLEM IN THE BAY.

HE SAID THAT IF YOU LOOK LOOK AT THE SOUTH, THE EAST, AND MIDWEST, THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE MUSIC AND PUT IT OUT ARE 90% OF THE TIME BLACK OR LATINO. OBVIOUSLY RECORD EXECS AND PEOPLE HIGHER UP AT LABELS ARE OF OTHER RACES. BUT HE MEANT ON MORE OF A LOCAL LEVEL. BLACKS AND LATINOS RUN THE MUSIC SCENE ON A LOCAL LEVEL IN ALMOST EVERY MAJOR MARKET IN THE COUNTRY. HE SAID THE BAY HAS TOO MANY PEOPLE RUNNING THINGS WHO ARENT PART OF THE CULTURE...

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT WHAT HE SAID????

 

[contactsport]

wtf r u talkin bout? white people started rap

 

[doodiejones]

wtf r u talkin bout? white people started rap

????????

 

[MAC DRIZZA]

did u just say DIVERSITY is wat holds us back? thats fuckin retarded

 

[doodiejones]

did u just say DIVERSITY is wat holds us back? thats fuckin retarded

yeah diversity....the fact we have a melting pot in the bay. there are some nationalities you see in the bay that are rare in other parts of america..... for example, go to atlanta and see how many asian or filipino people you see.

my potna from new orleans moved out here after katrina an was amazed when he saw fillipino girls. its was funny, but it put things in perspective

 

[MAC DRIZZA]

diversity isnt wat holds us back......the problem is that the money that artist make isnt spent on gettin bigger.....people sell 1000+ cds then go buy a new car and a chain instead of puttin that back into their career


there needs to be more music videos and shit like that to get exposure....

 

[kayvee]

i dont think race is an issue when it comes to rap becuase the bay is so diverse as it is...

~k.

 

[shame]

interesting.....I dont think its a race thing cause any idiot with half a brain knows (or should be ashamed if they dont know) hip-hop music was created by black and puerto-rican folks in NY. Even hip-hops roots, musically speaking, which would be jazz, blues and early rock and roll ect. are all originally black music.

Now to me its a cultural thing.....its exaclty what D-Cash said, people from out side the culture in control of the business aspect are what fuckin it up. Musically speaking there's room fro everyone but the bottom line is that as an artist if you dont keep it 100 you could be black, brown, white or purple with polka dots and the real fans will see right through you.

 

[doodiejones]

diversity isnt wat holds us back......the problem is that the money that artist make isnt spent on gettin bigger.....people sell 1000+ cds then go buy a new car and a chain instead of puttin that back into their career


there needs to be more music videos and shit like that to get exposure....

true indeed, but how an artist spends their money doesnt change the integrity of the music....

im trying to figure out how everyone complains about how terrible a lot of this bay music is, but who is giving it the stamp of approval to put it out???

 

[doodiejones]

interesting.....I dont think its a race thing cause any idiot with half a brain knows (or should be ashamed if they dont know) hip-hop music was created by black and puerto-rican folks in NY. Even hip-hops roots, musically speaking, which would be jazz, blues and early rock and roll ect. are all originally black music.

Now to me its a cultural thing.....its exaclty what D-Cash said, people from out side the culture in control of the business aspect are what fuckin it up. Musically speaking there's room fro everyone but the bottom line is that as an artist if you dont keep it 100 you could be black, brown, white or purple with polka dots and the real fans will see right through you.

thanks fam....lol. i think you are the first person who actually UNDERSTOOD the question...lol

 

[yee]

so basically you saying filipinos are holding the bay back? hahaha

 

[doodiejones]

so basically you saying filipinos are holding the bay back? hahaha

no not at all... i was just saying our racial makeup out here is different from the rest of the major rap markets in the country

 

[MAC DRIZZA]

true indeed, but how an artist spends their money doesnt change the integrity of the music....

im trying to figure out how everyone complains about how terrible a lot of this bay music is, but who is giving it the stamp of approval to put it out???

u talkin bout them thizz releases? lol


but the thing is everywhere puts out SOME terrible music.....its just us on siccness tend to hear everything instead of gettin it filtered

 

[Chinese Mike]

my opinion is that because we are such a diverse community it is in fact the artists fault that the music has not caught on - because they're only appealing to the ear of their (black) communities rather than the bay community as a whole. hyphy/mob cats tend to speak from a limited point of view rather than on subjects that affect all races of ppl who live in the bay.

the other problem is that hyphy/mob cats have a hard time touring, wheras "backpackers" dont. without touring its hard to build a core fanbase, especially for independent acts.

 

[leftcoast415]

interesting.....I dont think its a race thing cause any idiot with half a brain knows (or should be ashamed if they dont know) hip-hop music was created by black and puerto-rican folks in NY. Even hip-hops roots, musically speaking, which would be jazz, blues and early rock and roll ect. are all originally black music.

Now to me its a cultural thing.....its exaclty what D-Cash said, people from out side the culture in control of the business aspect are what fuckin it up. Musically speaking there's room fro everyone but the bottom line is that as an artist if you dont keep it 100 you could be black, brown, white or purple with polka dots and the real fans will see right through you.

^ Thats the truth.

It's not a race thing, its a culture thing.

 

[SERGE01]

WELL THE BAY IN THE PAST YEARS HAS BEEN GETTING LESS BLACK THAN WHAT IT WAS IN THE 90'S ALOT OF ASIAN PEOPLE ARE MOVING IN WICH IS MAKING IT LESS GHETTO TO OTHER AREAS SO WERE SINGING ABOUT LESS GHETTO LIFESTYLES OF THE TRADISIONAL BLACK GHETTOS WICH IS WHATS APPEALING TO ME ATLEAST, IAM NOT RACIST WHATSOEVER NOT AT ALL I LOVE ASIAN GIRLS BUT I DONT ENJOY LISINING TO ASIANS TRYING TO RAP SORRY !

 

[MAC DRIZZA]

there aint a whole lot of asian rappers.....at least not that ive heard

 

[BAYZFINEST]

DIVERSITY ISN'T THE ISSUE ... IT GOES MORE DEEPER THAN DIVERSITY THATS HOLDING THE BAY BACK... I DON'T KNOW WHAT EXACTLY BUT YEAA

 

[SERGE01]

yes diversity is the issue people are blind to the facts that alot of people will not buy a c.d with an asian or arab dude on the cover how simple is that? the dude gotta be a major talent to do that kinda like an eminem

 

[DUTCH-F.E]

this is a great topic, i think it was miss-worded. i think people need to realize that hip hop is more than 25 years old, and it has 25+years of growth.

i grew up on hip hop. i live hip hop as a culture. and if you think rap is a "black and rican" thing only, then i guess ill be charged with infiltrating the game. cause i get money in rap. and i will continue to. i know where it started, and i see where its heading. i think muthafuckas who want in the game need to step they shit up, get a fan base and worry about that more than the "race" of people involved in it. cause while people are bitching moaning and complaining about the politics of the game, it is still growing. it is evolving. it is maturing.

good music over everything. and better business over good music.

diversity is beautiful. word to my black/white/philipino children. (who will be the next generation of the hip hop culture)