If you're like me, you know that subliminals, innuendos, backhanded compliments, and all manner of femme fatale tactics, never truly score points for you in warfare, nor do they boost your alleged "cool". More often than not, propaganda ultimately ends up exposing fraudulence, if anything. The concept of "War as Art" intrigues me, and I have a special interest in Hip-Hop culture, so naturally, when a genuinely interesting Rap Battle ignites, my radar engages, and I tend to follow it, at least as much as my work and life will allow, which is none too often currently. Work and life usually serve as filters for me, but being that music is work, I sometimes get the chance to indulge and pass some of this type of tomfoolery off as "work related research". Okay, I'm lying, but you get my drift. lol.
Now I'm not going to rehash the "Fiddy vs Rawse" beef here. Trust me, there are more than enough places where you can get yourselves up to speed on that, but instead, I prefer to shed some light on one or two of the intricacies therein, or the "game within a game", if you will. Now don't worry, I'm also very much aware of our new millenium plague: "S.A.S.S." (short attention span syndrome), so relax, I'll try my best to retain your interest, and I'll be breaking this post into 2 parts for those that suffer from the condition.
Recently, Rawse has been on the campaign trail, right here, in my beloved city of NY, and in addition to a few regional performances, and promoting his now allegedly pushed back album, "Deeper Than Rap", He's also taken some time out to do a an interview with Flex, and has even had one mysteriously cancelled by Angie, while at the same time evangelizing himself as a REAL man of the people. He boasts that he was in "The Heights" with the "REAL" New Yorkers, and he's even gone topless in photos of himself with some NYC "PJ's" serving as a backdrop.
Here is what I truly find intriguing in all of this: If the man is even HALF as real as he claims, then why all of the posturing, and the live threats over the air? Why did he blast Fiddy for allegedly snitching on himself in one breath, and then threaten him on syndicated radio in the other? Why did he comically paint himself as a charitable giver, and champion of the Black community, when his entire sales pitch from day one has been that he was/is the biggest drug dealer in Miami? Call me crazy, but glamorizing his epic tales of "flooding Dade County with Yay", doesn't seem to coincide with what he's pitchin' right now. Truth be told, not very much of what he says is coinciding with anything authentic nowadays.
"I know Noreaga, the REAL Noreaga"
Am I picking on Rawse? Hardly, but let me get to the nitty gritty. The reason why this is all so interesting to me is that 50 is systematically exposing what appears to be a fraud IN PUBLIC! The smoking gun doesn't do anything but state the facts, no matter HOW damning they may be. But no, not Curtis. Curtis is taking great pains to 1080P zoom all the way in on a dude who simply isn't giving a good account of himself in the REALITY department. Rick Ross is not the first person to attempt to pull the wool over our collective eyes. The industry is littered with the corpses of imposters, but NOBODY has ever been taken to task like this. Ever. F the rules of engagement, I say. When you get a opportunity to obliterate a rap stereotype, and bring a bit of authenticity back to the game, that's something that I can cosign.
Now, as much as so many of us love to hate the man, imagine for a moment, the irony of 50 being a catalyst for more scrutiny within the Hip-Hop community! Hilarious indeed. Who knows? By the time the dust settles, and we can thoroughly analyze this event, we might just be forced to acknowledge that Fiddy Cent's contribution, via this battle, might end up inadvertently playing a bigger part in the revival of Rap Music than we'd like to admit. All of this, mind you, without even putting out another mediocre album! Ha Ha!
Imagine that...
To Be Continued
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