Hip Hop Special Olympics

I guess I'm like any other red blooded American male out there, I have done some rather extravagant things in order to engage in a few fleeting moments of coital bliss. Lets see, I've pretended to like dance-hall Reggae, even attending a plethora of cringe-worthy concerts in order to be ridden like an untamed bronco under an elaborate Jamaican flag. There was another time I dated a devout christian with a body like a porn star, so in order for me to get to know her "biblically" I acted like a perfect Christian Gentleman. Well, that was until we eventually engaged in a friendly game of intercourse where I used so many curse words while clumsily thrusting on top of her she probably thought she was witnessing an exorcism. Then, last but not least, I helped out one spring preparing handy capable athletes prepare for the special Olympics in order to get close to a particular girl I had my eye on.

Her named was Tina and she had been working with the handicapped for years, I simply figured that I would help out with the kids, show my compassionate side, then slowly win her over and eventually sexually disappoint her like I had done to women ritualisticly since the age of 16. But a funny thing happened on my way to achieving a supreme pervert status, I really got attached to the kids, their winning spirit, and their unflinching optimism even though being dealt a not so great hand in life. In the special Olympics, the athletes are overjoyed by simply competing, there are medals given out for simply finishing the race, awards well deserved based on how hard those athletes bust their asses.

Based on what passes for Hip Hop these days, and the apologizing for lack luster lyricism over the past few years, Hip Hop has turned into a special Olympics to be totally honest. Hip Hop, unlike any other genre of music where you could virtually get away with never actually getting involved in the writing process, is an art-form that relies on an extreme writing prowess and creativity. Also, when you are an MC you have to know that you could be called out for a rhyme battle at any possible time, its the only genre of music where you have to constantly prove that you are worthy to hold that microphone. I remember reading something about Bruce Lee years ago where people would randomly approach him on the street, individuals who thought they could beat him, and they would tap their foot on the ground signalling that they wanted to challenge him to a street fight. Of course he would dispatch his would-be dispatchers, besides the pride aspect of it, but because he knew in the position he was in that he had to constantly prove himself and that he was worthy of any success that he had achieved thus far.

That's kind of how I have always viewed being an MC, until recently. I know, I know, people get sick of my old guy, "hip Hop was better in my day" rants, but the decline in said art-form is just so fucking obvious that something has to be said. People will argue the point that some of it is simply "dance music", and shouldn't be criticized so harshly because the artist in question is just trying to "make you dance". The problem with that argument is that there have always been groups with an intent to make you move your posterior where the focus wasn't lyricism(see Doug E Fresh, Biz Markie), but the biggest difference was that at least those artists understood the foundation and would be up for a battle if someone confronted them with one.

But now you have artists that let off a pre-emptive strike of wackness if you will, like Young Jeezy, when he claims that he isn't "into battling" and doesn't see the particular point in it. Huh?? That is like a boxer not seeing the point of throwing a jab, a hitman that doesn't see the point of using a sniper rifle, a point guard refusing to use his crossover move, a carpenter who finds his hammer "irrelevant", or any other person who refuses to use a key ingredient in their professional arsenal. But it's not only the aspect of battling, it's just the incredibly low fucking bar that is being set by artists like Dipset, Nelly, those laffy-taffy bottom feeders, 50 cent, Lil Wayne, or any other microphone holder currently in the top 40.

I guess I don't have any antidote for the evil spell that has cursed the current state of Hip Hop, look at this as just another misguided rant from Humanity F. Critic, but I can't help but to think of the medals given out to those handicapable athletes just for finishing a race when someone tells me "how good" Young Jeezy is. I can't help but to think of my involvement in the special Olympics when people excuse some of the current rap groups by saying that they are simply "party groups". I think back on those times especially when try to refute my claims of "grills" being the new black face by saying that Hip Hop has always been materialistic, leaving out the fact that acts like Rakim were actually spitting flames while wearing those hefty gold ropes around his neck. Don't get me wrong though, I am in no way trying to equate the rappers of today with mentally challenged athletes that I once worked with. I'm not doing that. I'm not making that comparison because at least those special athletes had a love, respect, passion, and desire for what they were doing.