You will hear it on every album you listen to. Trust me. It doesn’t matter if the artist is Common or Master P, Ras Kass or Puff Daddy. No matter how much of a thug, or how much of a millionaire anyone is, all people have a conscience. That’s why all hip hop albums will have at least that one sentimental song, whether it be remembering dead homies, chronicling the struggles of ghetto life, or admonishing of politics in the music business.
There is no question that emotion is usually put into this one song. Rather, the problem for most artists concerns EVERY song around it. Even the best artists deal with hypocrisy on some level. Yet there is a difference when a group like Public Enemy devotes a whole album to their emotions and political beliefs. In this case, they are truly making an effort to get problems solved. Conversely, when Drag-On talks about murder and misogyny for an entire album, his sentimental song, “The Way Life Is,” doesn’t carry much weight. Like Common says, “Save the war stories for Private Ryan.”
Just look at several of the recent releases to drive the point home. In fact, look at Ice Cube’s whole career. N.W.A. put Compton on the map, that fact can’t be denied. But Cube now constantly complains about not receiving recognition for his achievements. Does he fail to realize that his whole sound changed
somewhere along the way? He is no longer the gangster that he once claimed to be. Yet on “Hell Low,”
he questions, “I invented this gangster shit/ And this the mutha-fuckin thanks I get?” What does Cube
expect? Where is the gangster vibe on the rest of his new album; on songs like “You Can Do It” and
“Until We Rich”? It is difficult to people to recognize Cube as a pioneer of gangster rap when he hasn’t been making that kind of music for the past several years. If wants to be acknowledged as that kind of artist, he should devote more than one song on his album to it. Until then, he comes off as a hypcrite.
Whereas the hypocrisy in Drag-On and Ice Cube is obvious, it can’t be ignored that even some of our
better albums have the same problems. Dead Prez has been criticized extensively for claiming to be such
revolutionaries, yet being signed to a white-owned label. It is debatable whether Stic-Man and M1’s lyrics themselves are hypocritical, yet they do have a well-thought-out political philosophy. The ideas are
revolutionary, yet rarely do Dead Prez say something that is directly in contradiction to something else.
They can be labeled radical, but not hypocritical.
Even on a classic release such as Like Water For Chocolate, there are blemishes. On “The Light,” Common says, “Never call you my bitch, or even my boo/ There’s so much in a name, and so much more in you.” This is a wonderful line, but it is sadly weakened by tracks like “Thelonius” and “Heat,” which are full of misogynistic references. Or lines like “Especially if you as bitch as Missy” on “DOOINIT.” Common has made beautifully mature songs like “Retrospect For Life,” “A Song for Assata,” and “The Light,” all of which do justice to women. Yet, his main flaw continues to be his inconsistency on this subject, and until he matures even more, it will be an area that detractors can point to.
The supreme hypocrite, Ras Kass, is unfortunately also one of the most talented emcees of all-time. From
misogyny to religious views to his indecision between commercial and underground, Ras is hypocritical in
nearly every aspect of his career. He stunned the hip hop community with his first two 12” releases, then
served up more of the same lyrical brilliance on Soul On Ice. However, he consistently reprimands white
America for it’s treatment of blacks, only to show similar prejudices in himself against whites, women,
and Christians. He creates the feeling in his music that if he had power, he would exercise the same evils
that the U.S. government does, only to a different demographic. That is not solving the problem, only
redistributing it. To make it worse, Ras says, “Fuck a platinum plaque” and then turns around and makes
a whole album of commercial joints. This is precisely why underground heads were so disappointed by
Rassassination. And so to redeem himself, he includes the sentimental song discussed earlier, saying “It
is what it is/ And how it is is kinda fucked up.” This sentence simply shows ignorance - acknowledging
the problem, but doing absolutely nothing to change the status quo. It is the attitude of too many artists.
Hypocrisy is tolerated by fans, regardless of underground or commercial status. Listeners of Common
accept his misogyny just as much as MTV viewers accept talk of murder by Drag-On or DMX. It is something we need to be aware of, and strive to eliminate. At the same time, all people are somewhat hypocritical by nature - none of us have the world completely figured out. Yet there is a difference between honesty and hypocrisy. 2Pac is an artist that comes to mind. Although he struggled with misogyny and material desires himself, he never claimed to do anything more than be honest and tell the truth about his life. Hip hop still has not been perfected, but musicians can strive for it. With a well-planned, honest, and mature approach to songwriting, I believe all emcees can do better.
-Joe Kostelnik
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