While I’m not as seasoned as my older brethren who got to witness the fervor that accompanied rap releases, I can remember a few dates that had me as excited as a fan to purchase rap albums beginning with the dual release of Graduation by Kanye West and Curtis by 50 Cent in 2007 and ending with Born Sinner by J. Cole and Yeezus by Kanye West in June of 2013. While it is a not new phenomenon by any means to release multiple albums on the same date, the decline in record sales and oversaturation of the music market has left fans uninspired to say the least about listening to records by artists much less supporting their work. The releases of Born Sinner and Yeezus is one of the first times I remember urgently wanting to buy two records at one time when I averaged at best one to three CD’s a year at most as a hip hop fan. Excited, we found ourselves as fans eager to feel like fans again, and this Friday is just another day for those who love hip hop culture to celebrate. The release of Kendrick Lamar’s fourth album coupled with the second installment of hip hop inspired show The Get Down has left me giddy to say the least for a number of reasons.
1. Each Project Reaffirms our Cultural Identity
In short listening to a Kendrick Lamar album while watching a show describing the origins of rap in the Bronx is about the most cultural progressive thing you can do as a rap fan in this day and age of revisionism. For millennials and project X babies alike, the fast food culture of music has affected us as well, causing us to find ourselves listening to the music of today while wishing for the music of the past that seemed to not only entertain us but shape the culture. Kendrick’ last album did just that, influencing curriculum in school systems as well as award shows that have historically undervalued our artform.
On a major scale, the Get Down failed to reach the masses but I’d argue that in the rap community it’s a treasured relic for a generation that grew up watching hip-hop classics while praying for one of their own. Indulging in both is enough to have even the most calm fan want to roll up a spliff and listen in silence or ride in their car and drive aimlessly in circles just to hear.
2. Pivotal Releases at Pivotal Points
Needless to say Kendrick’s legend grew on the last project to the level we knew he could reach but maybe doubted he could reach so soon. His second project singlehandledly encompassed the black experience from past to present in a way that paid homage to black musical roots of jazz, funk, and soul. The Tupac comparisons suddenly didn’t seem so laughable when you coupled it with the Grammy performance he did the same year and the praise he garnered from the president of the U.S. as well as rap veterans alike. TPAB became his magnum opus the way Me Against the World became 2Pac’s and it showed the perfect level of artistic growth mixed with punctuality. It is for these exact reasons that this next album for Kendrick is arguably his most important. If it is deemed a classic like his last one, it now forces people to have a conversation about his impact on rap and may make the conversations about whose top 5 seemed outdated.
The lack of views from Netflix viewers left many to wonder if the Get Down would even return for a second season. For many like myself who loved the series, it made me appreciate the culture in a way that had been previously unfathomable, depicting the roots of hip hop, disco and New York culture all in a way that didn’t seemed forced. To hear that it was not a crossover success was not unreasonable then, but left us to realize that now more than ever it is imperative that it succeed. On this hallowed Hip Hop Eve April 6th, 2017 the success of this show determines just how many more like minded shows could arise and be ended at the same time.
In short, hip hop heads are excited to be excited about something rap related. Something that is sure to generate controversy good or bad, while also causing us to smile, laugh and maybe even cry at its message. It’s sure to be a weekend of joy, dialogue and laughter and in a world that prides itself on removing even these basic human instincts, shouldn’t we thankful to have another reason to do just that?
Wright World 