Subpar mediocrity has been on the rise recently. It would seem that the floodgates have opened up – foresting… rather, forcing a deluge upon the world that the majority of us seem surprisingly cool with accepting as the new status quo. The worldwide waterboarding of which I speak is most evident in the two streams of consciousness presently flowing in politics and Hip-Hop. Four years ago, the political arena was infiltrated by the same mediocrity that has betrayed Hip-Hop music. I’m talking about President Donald Trump and the presiding dominance of mumble rap in today’s mainstream Hip-Hop.
By and large, I’ve given up on both. By “given up” I mean I do not listen to either. The disgust that boils up within me is bad for my health so when I hear the Trump’s childishly brutish tone or the monotone drone of the same bassline that accompanies EVERY mumble rappers’ flow, I just tune out. The thing that bewilders me the most is how anyone else with two functioning ears and a brain can listen to Trump or mumble rap and justify them as legitimate representations of their respective industries. Far from presidential, Trump’s “un-presidented” presence on Twitter and in the media in general is only matched in support by the limelight and center stages that have been given to degenerate lyricists.
Now I know that’s a pretty hard stance to take but coming up a bygone era of Talib Kweli, Mos Def (a.k.a. Yasiin Bey), Big Pun, Lupe Fiasco, Gemstones, Big Daddy Kane, and Kool G Rap, what these present day rappers are spittin’ is far from lyrical. Yet they’re as numerous as Trump’s witless, twittering tweets – rife with grammatical gaffes that even my eight-year old daughter is capable of avoiding. Yet and still, when Trump came to office and mumble rap began to take front stage, I wasn’t too concerned. I believed that time would reveal the ignorance of these individuals and that those who chose to support them with votes and record sales would come to realize the error of their ways. Yes – it would only be a matter of time before an aggregation of broken syllables and incoherent language would cause enough agitated aggravation to have these clowns bounced out of the big house and into the streets. Yet I waited… and waited… and waited.
In fact, the detractors that I thought would come out in droves seem vastly outnumbered by those who dug in their heels and rallied behind Trump and mumble rap even more. Baffled, I simply did what I often do – I focused my writing, speaking and energy elsewhere as I chose to bury the questions I had about how these people where managing to thrive despite (if not BECAUSE of) their mediocrity. Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning. What hit me, you ask? The explanation that had alluded me since the first time I said “WHAT?!!” while listening to Trump’s projected win over Hillary Clinton or a millennial’s deference to mumble rap over Black Thought’s 10-minute freestyle.
Trump and mumble rap supporters are in love with the mediocre effort that has yielded meteoric heights for these esteem-less buffoons. Their meaningless sentences are a source of encouragement for all the ne’er-do-wells of our society. The ones who want the prestige without seeing the need to press in. The ones who crave the talisman but lack the drive to own/hone the talent. For the better part of the last two centuries, America has been viewed as the land of opportunity. A place where you can start with nothing but still PUT IN THE WORK TO get something (I REFUSE to quote Drake directly – he’s not a mumble rapper but he still represents the fall of Hip-Hop in many other ways). While this has greatly encouraged scores of people, there was a population who felt counted out. There was a swelling of people with a poisoned sense of privilege that began to feel empowered within the microwave generation that sought out instant gratification over hard-earned success. These are the ones who would rather redact the words “PUT IN THE WORK TO” from the former sentence:
“A place where you can start with nothing but still PUT IN THE WORK TO get something.”
Though the work ethic of most people shuns such lazy entitlement, much like the racism and hatred in this country, they merely went underground and festered – waiting for an opportunity to manifest. And when it did… there was an entire generation waiting to embrace the rising stars of this movement. An entire generation ready to cheer on Trump and mumble rap louder with each word they slur without saying… a mumbling word. This present-day manifestation is, in fact, a present day infestation which means it’s not getting better over time.
And as we stare down the barrel of another election year, I’m not convinced that Trump won’t get another four years in office. I tell you what I AM convinced of, though. If he does lose, I believe Trump could be the next great rapper of our generation. He has the braggadocio and ego to pull it off. All he needs is the right name and motto which I’ve already provided as the title for this article: Trump the Lyricist. Just let that double entendre soak in for a second… Do you see it? The title given to this political malcontent illustrates what we’ve allowed to happen in Hip-Hop as all these mumble rappers now trump the lyricists.
