Man, the “Hipster Rap” backlash is really starting to rear its ugly head, huh? First, I’ll start by saying that I do not like the term “Hipster Rap” – it’s just another label that puts various emcees and entertainers in a stereotypical box for people to judge. Secondly, I think most of the emcees deserve more respect than to just be dubbed as “hipsters” who don’t care about the culture and only want to mock it for their audience’s enjoyment. That’s simply not true.
I 100% agree that if “you don’t like it, you don’t like it, that don’t mean that your hating” (© Common), but to lump everyone (including the likes of Kanye and Lupe) into this category and deem them as wack is unfair – but that’s just my opinion.
Everyone from Bol, to Sach O at OhWord, to Robbie at Unkut has weighed in on the issue – but last week Miles Raymer of the Chicago Readers, Sharp Darts column, contacted me for my thoughts on the matter.
I hate to quote myself (how vain!), but ummm:
Andrew Barber of the Chicago-centric hip-hop blog Fake Shore Drive, which has been acting as a forum for this hipster-rap beef by hosting MP3s and videos from both sides, likes that the scene is “bringing the fun back to hip-hop, which has been bogged down . . . by negativity over the past few years.” It may not put much of a premium on socially responsible lyrics, but its inclusivity makes it seem pretty enlightened anyway. “Seriously,” he writes, “go to one of their shows or parties and you’ll see kids from all different races, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds having fun together and partying peacefully. How could you hate something like that?”
Check out the full article here, and don’t be afraid to speak on it. What do you guys think? Do you agree, or do you think I’m some sort of hipster-sympathizer?