The New York Hip Hop Scene Is Bullshit
Although that subject line was simply made to grab your attention (and obviously worked) its also a very honest description of how the scene is in New York at the moment. Not JUST in New York, as it was the same in Texas before I left. However, New York is the birth place of Hip Hop. Its not suppose to be the same here as anywhere else, or as it is now.. less than anywhere else. New York is suppose to set the example for the rest of the world. Instead, it may be the worst place to be a Hip Hop performer at the moment.
Why? Well, there are quite a few reasons why. I’m going to list a few and simply get them off my chest. The fact that half of you will only read the top paragraph of this post and another 25 percent won’t even open it is a good place to start though.
The Crowd
Am I the only one asking where all the fans went? I mean, either I’m at a showcase event and I got a crowd of 30 fake thugs wearing bright (translation: gay as hell) colors on with their arms crossed because they’re simply waiting for their chance to perform.. or I’m doing a real show and only ten percent (and thats being VERY generous) of the people who said they would come do come. For you other MCs, don’t say stupid shit like “its because your wack” .. I’ve seen half of your shows and its the same shit. Pack FM doesn’t even draw a crowd anymore, so he doesn’t do shows in NY.
I don’t mind that its just a group of rappers staring at me who didn’t practice their sets nearly as long as I did.. its not their fault. But don’t be fucking staring at me like I got the world’s largest pimple on my face. If I ask you to put your hands up, do it. If there’s some call and response shit, respond. Act like you’ve been to a Hip Hop show before and show some respect to somebody else doing their thing. When I come off stage, shake my hand.. criticize me. Why? Because I’ll do the same thing for you when you come off stage. I don’t mind getting in front of the stage and acting a fool just to show another artist some love. I still remember the days when I was a FAN of this music BEFORE I was a rapper.
Don’t think the rappers are the only ones to blame though. The fans that like to say they’re coming and never come out.. go fuck yourself. I hope you spend the time you were suppose to be at my show getting ran over repeatedly by a bus, bitches. Yeah, I’m harsh. Why? Because your bullshit. As far as those girls who like to say “I’m not no groupie” I’d like to send a special “suck my dick” out to you. No, your not a groupie. Groupies are real fans who will actually buy merchandise. Groupies will actually come to shows. They get more love than fake fans.
Bullshit Promoters
I’ve discussed this before, so I’m just going to slide through it and say I hate promoters who try and make you buy tickets to sell or audition.. or pay to perform. I’m not doing any of the three. I won’t audition because that means you haven’t checked my credentials. Meaning anyone can audition and simply be judged on their performance, not by stature in the Hip Hop game. I understand that its an audition and that the best performance should win, but at the same time your trying to book the best event possible. So if Johnny No-Name comes along and puts on a slightly better live show than Jay-Z, your gonna book him instead? I’m not buying tickets because packing the crowd would be a promoters job. Your wack. Go kill yourself.
Over-saturated
If your just doing this as a hobby, quit. There’s no shame in saying that you didn’t make it as a profession. Hold your chin up and walk away with dignity. If your not a good promoter, your not going to make it as an MC. If you don’t have a budget, your probably not going to make it as an MC. If you schedule shows and cancel them constantly, your not only fucking over promoters, your fans and making a bad name for yourself.. your not going to make it as an MC. There are too many people who want to be called rappers, but who don’t want to put in the effort or the money. The reality of the situation is, your gonna put in more money than you get back for a long time. Your gonna put in a lot of effort and bullshit fans aren’t going to come to your show.. and your gonna feel like giving up. Either deal with it or please quit and get the fuck out of my way.
This is what sets apart RAPPERS from MCs. A rapper will put on his favorite bright (translation: supreme faggotry) outfit and go up there every week on stage in front of his crowd of 5 dudes he knows from the hood, do his best Biggie or Tupac impression and act like he’s the star of the show. An MC is gonna notice there’s something wrong with that and call you out.
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