Das Racist,
Without getting into what I think of
your music, let's tackle
your response to Sasha Frere Jones' column on
the state of hip hop.
Granted, it's probably unnecessary for any writing to signal the death knell of hip hop, much in the same way that it was unnecessary for any amount of ink to be spilled on the death of rock and roll. Because, let's face it, neither are going anywhere anytime soon. (I don't, however, recall any similar treatment of country music; is there a lack of race politics to be discussed there?) So if your main beef against SFJ's column went to its existence alone, that'd be something entirely different.
Also, thank you for acknowledging that publishing your response for Flavorwire was simply, as you put it, a "good publicity look" for your group. Because, quite simply, I don't think I would have ever heard of your group or your music otherwise. Chalk that fault up to my own; I don't follow the inner workings of Brooklyn.
However, your critique of a critique just falls deaf on these ears. From what I can tell, you're working heavy on applying what crit theory you've come across to basically say that SFJ, as a white journalist, probably doesn't have the credibility to opine on hip hop, presumably because the genre finds its sui generis from African-American culture (though your mixed bag its-the-peoples'-music-now explanation seems to claim the genre as, quintessentially, world music in its current form, devoid of an emphasis on any particular race as much as it encompasses all race)(thanks for name dropping all the permutations, btw: it's crucial for me to know that you acknowledge the influence of bhangra and reggaeton, though apparently not crucial for you to acknowledge that SFJ's comments were likely directed at American hip hop as Hot 97 would know it)(also, your examples seem to emphasize hip hop as music for the disenfranchised, though you then shrug off any bling-bling criticisms as a "party line" for "old (often white) journalists").
Or, on the other hand, you're bringing up that much-loved artist response to any genre criticism, whatsoever: the idea that these crazy genre labels were the critics' doing, or marketing, or whatev (thereby ignoring the sheer economics that exists, shock of shocks, in art as well). In the sense that any periodization or sweeping genre comments that SFJ may have must fail, because the idea of grouping art forms into genres itself must fail. Thank god you've spared us the whole writing-about-music-dancing-about-architecture bullshit.
(That point you don't trounce on as much, because much of the wordcount then explores how SFJ's barometer on the current state of hip hop is an inaccurate reading because what 'new' elements he points to existed in hip hop before. Yes, thank you for bringing up Kraftwerk. Thank you also for bringing up the fact that hip hop does work in a club. Thank you for negating the fact that most people that read SFJ would already have done time in Hip Hop 101 before. Then you hand the reins over to some haiku dude, because clever is clever, and disdainfully shrugging the argument off is the best passive/aggressive pose, whatsoever.)
What your response failed to do for me, then, is to defend hip hop in any real way whatsoever. Simply stating that white ain't right doesn't do the job. Passing off standard bling disses and upping the cred of rapping over another rapper's beats doesn't do it either (btw, all those hip hop skits really are of a lesser quality, not sure who you're kidding). Without copping the grad student attitude, just tell me: what is it about hip hop that still makes it crucial, now?
I'm not saying it isn't. And, despite your pointing out that SFJ only had one hip hop album in his best of 2008, his new list for the
best of 2009, which has a host of hip hop singles/albums, in the globalized format that you push included, doesn't seem to either. But you haven't aided in clearing up any confusion that SFJ's column may have given rise to...the most confusing aspect being why SFJ would consider your response to be a "serious read" at all.
