Some entry-level rap fan once told me that if the genre had its shit together, everybody would make "positive, uplifting" music "like A Tribe Called Quest or Atmosphere." Not to knock those two, but I say homogeny has no place in hiphop; this is an art form that's stayed vibrant by moving, mutating, and using whatever it can get its grubby li'l mitts on. Diversity is essential in any healthy system--rap is no exception.
Seattle, never exactly known for its diversity, is nonetheless of late showing a surprisingly wide breadth of dope hiphop talent. From the edgy, post-millennial rap of Grayskul, to the politically charged consciousness of the Blue Scholars, to the rugged South End gangsterism of Lac of Respect, the 206 is dropping tight shit all over the place, no matter ya taste. Some say that everyone's vastly different ideas about where our scene is, and should be, have been a liability--but I contend that this will be one of its greatest strengths in these times to come. Who knows, maybe our strange, lonely corner of the hiphop map will one day be renowned for its ability to rock so many styles. Local hero Jake One is certainly showing his versatility, as probably the only hiphop producer around who can say he's done beats for both Vast Aire of Cannibal Ox and 50's ubiquitous G-Unit. Seattle, stand up!
Speaking of 50 Cent, didja hear dude got booed offstage at NYC's Hot 97 Summer Jam? Trying to clown his opponents (well-beaten dead horse Ja Rule and the underrated Joe Budden) onstage à la Jay-Z's now-legendary emasculating of Prodigy and Nas seemed to backfire on the G-Unit general as he was greeted by booing, jeers, and even a chair flung by former associate Bang'Em Smurf. Damn, (ex-)homie! Overexposure's a bitch, Curtis--take a different cue from Jay; drop an album every year that shuts the game down, then vanish till you've got another one. It works. You know us rap fans are notoriously fickle. Stay in our faces too long, and we're bound to turn on you, even if we loved you last summer.
And did Jigga really just sign the long-suffering Foxy Brown to a $75 million deal on a new label? Didn't she have an imprint deal thru Def Jam anyway? And what the hell does all this mean for Roc-A-Fella? Rumors abound that CEO Damon Dash is considering putting a "For Sale" sign on the house he, Jay, and Biggs built. This would be a strange move on his part, considering the Roc has had a damn good year despite Hova retiring; the Young Gunz album has been moving briskly and need I mention Kanye West? Probably not, as Mr. Louis Vuitton Don is in everybody's video (see above comments to 50).
