I already see a lot of dissension brewing about this. In this recent expose, his opinion of Iggy Azealas Fancy, I believe that peoples very personal opinions about HER, are driving the ire, and thus the fallout is beginning against Quest as the result of this. However, I have to believe, that hes not so much addressing Iggy Azealea as hes addressing just how far out Hip Hops influence has affected the musical landscape. Now it cant really be argued, that when things like this happen, and theyve happened over and over and over again in history, peoples noses get put out of joint. I personally think Iggy Azealea, the artist, and worse, the public speaker, is an abomination. I do not even so much as view her as an artist, so much as shes a model who got in with a certain crowd and someone had the brains to say hey, she looks like a real life Barbie (as opposed to Nicki Minajs cartoonized spoof version) if we get her to go all dirty South, it would be the most GENIUS ironic thing ever, and there is an audience that would lap it UP. Its a win/win. Kids will identify with Barbie, and because theyre not really political, its true commodity, and those old enough to know better would love the angle of no one would expect that coming out of her...etc... In addition, I personally dont even like the song, because Im over this bratty nursery rhyme crap in pop music, and the way it screams at me like I am a perma 13 year old. That said, and what I think...Mr. Quest was trying to say, is that musicians, think like musicians first before we even think of ourselves as people, and when it comes to music, that reaches people, for better or worse, its PROGRESS. Musicians, are also not fans of labels, and we dont see musical attributes, solely as being of one culture or another, the great Charles Mingus once said, Soul, has no color. I believe this to be absolutely true. Jazz makes inclusion for the genius of Anita ODay, Gerry Mulligan, Bill Evans, Chet Baker and Dave Brubeck and Jaco Pastorius as much as Billie Holliday, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Clifford Brown and Herbie Hancock and Stanley Clarke. Country Music has Charlie Pride and Junior Brown and yes, even Ray Charles...the truest of all American artists for his blatant disregard of genres. Rock and Hip Hop share the same hurdles in converse, in that it took a long time for African American Rock Artists to be able to be heard in large numbers (ironic considering they pioneered the genre in the first place), but thank heavens for Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Jimi Hendrix, Living Colour, Bad Brains, Death, 24-7 Spyz, Fishbone, Funkadelic, Mothers Finest. Conversely, Hip Hop...has been a genre, that white people have had to enter, as artists, with caution, and...well....frankly, rightly so, but the talents of 3rd Bass, The Beastie Boys (who admittedly straddle the lines of punk rock and hip hop and do so flawlessly), Eminem, also shone through. (note, I was a really huge Lady Sovereign fan, but have no idea where the hell she is and shes sorely missed). Talent has no color, and here we are in 2014, and this song, a hip hop pop song, just like Diddy used to sling out on a conveyor belt in the 90s is now dominating the charts, and is the song of the summer. You may hate every drop of the content, you may hate that Iggy Azealea is its spokesperson, but ultimately...its musical progress. An adendum to this...I realize the true genius of this song is Charli XCX who has the market share on the singy songy bratty style of pop songs. I also once again, dont like the song, do not think this is a great song, but to see Hip Hop on the Pop Charts front and center again? That...is a good thing.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 16:48:02 +0000
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