I certainly don't claim to speak for Mr. Baldwin, but I believe that he said this because one can only reach their true potential when they are aware of and act to correct their shortcomings. That being said, I am issuing a two part challenge to the Hip Hop Nation. Firstly, for a time span of one year, I challenge every performer in the rap/hip hop/R&B genre' to write and release songs that make no reference or mention whatsoever lyrically to the following...
- Any car/truck costing over $50,000
- Any reference to rims, dubs, 22's, 23's, etc
- Guns
- Your jewelry (grillz, ice, bling, etc.)
- "The club"
- Drugs or drug dealing. Slang terms or otherwise.
- Petrone, Alize' or any other expensive alcohol
- "Head", "brain" or any other slang reference to oral sex.
- Strippers, strip clubs or strip poles.
- The following terms and phrases - "Making it rain", "haters", "the V.I.P. room", "These streets".
- The non-existent word "Conversate".
Secondly, write storyboards for, create and release videos free of...
- All of the above mentioned
- Women popping, shaking or dropping it like it's hot
- A bunch of dudes standing around trying to look "hard".
- Women sucking on lollipops or popsicles
- Holding your jewelery up to the camera for a close up, be it on your wrist, around your neck or in your mouth.
- Women in bikinis or lingerie for no good reason, although I can think of many good reasons.
- Cars with scissor door kits that aren't Lamborghini's.
- Close ups of your tattoos.
- Unnecessary cameo appearances of actors, athletes or other rappers not performing in the song.
- images of a group of people holding up champagne glasses.
All of the above have been done to death, resurrected and done 50 times more. Is it possible for the current crop of popular "talent" to create something vocally and visually that breaks from the lemming mentality and is almost totally original? Missy Elliot almost always does it - with her innovative video concepts if not in her recordings. Gnarles Barkley has that creepy video with the talking heart - brilliant!
So yes, it can be done, so come up with something new already! As a side note, I'd also call for a year long ban on the use of the Vocoder/auto-tune or any other machines or techniques that alter ones voice and correct vocal shortcomings. As for the vocoder, Peter Frampton brought it to prominence in the Rock genre, and Roger Troutman (R.I.P.) refined and perfected it's use in his landmark recordings and concerts. Teddy Riley made good use of it as background in some Blackstreet recordings as well. Recently, T-Pain, Kanye West and many others have used auto-tune and other vocal effects to the point of annoyance. Even Mary J. has released a song with her using auto-tune! I issue this challenge out of love for the music and culture that is hip hop. Like many others, I see it overall as stagnant and pandering to the lowest common denominator. You don't agree? Watch MTV Jams or BET for an hour and see how many themes are repeated over and over both in the lyrics and images. It's an absolute insult to anyone with a grain of intelligence. The challenge is also issued as a nod to curbing the culture of misogyny that is prevalent in popular hip hop. Martin Luther King Jr. once said in a speech that "A race is ultimately judged by the character of it's women." Given that watermark, what is it that the videos we produce and allow to be shown say about us? Again, watch BET/MTV Jams for an hour and the answer becomes painfully clear. Bottom line - we are the perpetrators of these images and many peoples opinions are formed based on what they see on the television. We know the difference between entertainment and reality, but the lines are beginning to blur. To quote the great (revolutionary artist) Michael Franti, "Television - does it imitate us or do we imitate it?" We must raise the bar.Finally, to all my musicians, lyricists and videographers, put out something truly revolutionary (but funky) and prove me wrong.
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