S. Samuel
Brooklyn rap veteran Talib Kweli is the latest hip-hop artist to voice his opinion on last weekend's Grammy Awards and, notably, the debate over whether Seattle rapper Macklemore deserved to sweep the "Rap" categories.
Instead of bashing Mack for his wins, Talib gave a take on the rapper’s core fans.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have at least one fan in the hip hop community — former Black Star rapper Talib Kweli says haters need to back off because the real issue isn’t Mack’s skin color… it’s about his fans. Talib came out swinging on DJ Whoo Kid‘s SiriusXM show today … defending Mack & Ryan against rap fans and critics by saying, “When you hear people dissing them, they really dissing their audience.” He explained, “Their audience don’t know about hip hop, but their audience is into them.” It’s an interesting perspective … because ever since Macklemore blew up last year he’s been hearing that he has an unfair “white rapper” advantage. Talib doesn’t buy it, but check the clip … he addresses the whole white rapper theory. (TMZ)
Although a fan of both artists, music mogul Russell Simmons gave Kendrick Lamar the edge in being a better emcee than Mack Man following the Grammys.
Do you still accept cd’s/demos from the hands of emcees? What type of artist do you think hiphop needs right now? What are you looking for? Lyrics & social consciousness. Someone with lyrics & flow like Kendrick, with the social message of Macklemore. Poets should touch peoples’ hearts, and possessing that ability is what’s most important. What is the best piece of advice someone has ever told you? What did you think about Kendrick Lamar getting robbed last night for best rap album? Kendrick is absolutely a better rapper, and Macklemore had one of the most inspiring, socially conscious songs of the year and that is what did well for him. He’s a great rapper, but there is no evidence anywhere that he’s a better artist than Lamar (Reddit)
On an ESPN broadcast this week, Def Jam’s Fabolous acknowledged Macklemore as a great musician and noted the Grammys had unusual politics when it came to choosing its winners.
“I wouldn’t say he’s overrated. I think he’s a good artist. I think he makes great music. And he’s one of the new artists that’s came in on the independent wave. So, I think he’s definitely done a lot for that whole wave too as well. So, I think he’s a good artist,” Fab said in an interview. “I think he’s more commercial and it fits in the kind of music that the Grammys celebrates and is looking for. There’s guys who’ve had tremendous success who’ve never won Grammys. 50 Cent has sold millions and millions of records, he’s not a Grammy winner because of maybe his style of music or whatever. But I think Macklemore fits in there.” (ESPN)
Instead of complaining, K. Dot congratulated fellow hip-hop artist Mack for dominating the Grammys.
“It’s well deserved; he did what he did, man,” Kendrick said. “He went out there and hustled and grinded. Everything happens for a reason; the universe comes back around, that’s how it go.” While Kendrick may have grounds to feel snubbed, he’s hardly the first rapper to come up empty; hip-hop legends such as Snoop Dogg and Nas have been snubbed numerous times. “I definitely feel like they should always have more of the culture up in there, for sure, because we definitely stand out just like any other genre,” Kendrick said when asked if he thought the Grammys undervalued hip-hop (XXL Mag)
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