When you turn on the radio to search for some nice jams, you may here the notorious Carly Rae Jepsen along with any other terrible- uh, I mean today’s popular hits. But while we live in modern times, you mustn’t suffer the wrath of unnecessary noise and phrases with some rhythm coming from the stereo. With technology come options.
Along with the radio, iTunes updates the top songs for any genre and album quite frequently, but that doesn’t always mean that the number one hit is a tune that everyone can stand hearing, I mean haven’t you heard the new depressing, yet up-beat Taylor Swift song about breaking up? Not much meaning there…
I have come to you readers of We’re Just Here Pretending, to introduce good feeling hip-hop that spreads amazing vibes and words worth listening to. Don’t get me wrong, I get that some artists believe that they have talent and that they can make a living out of singing, but that will last as long as the listeners will let them.
About a year ago I came across a few artists through the online Pandora radio which ultimately led me to attending a concert that was showing near my house only a few months after I discovered them. In August of 2011 I appeared at my first concert that was sponsored by a hip-hop company called Rhymesayers.
Rhymesayers are an independent hip-hop label that was founded and raised in the Twin Cities in Minneapolis. They started out with struggles as any other record label but eventually formed a crew and still to this day has new artists being signed. One of the Rhymesayers first groups to generate an audience and tour life was Atmosphere featuring Slug as their leader. Their “Overcast” album in 1997 is considered a classic in its genre with dark and melodic beats.
Just recently my brother saw one of The Rhymesayers’ most unique artists perform in Vermont, Brother Ali. This rapper joined Rhymesayers’ wagon in 2000 and was brought along to Scribble Jam where Ali was considered a finalist. Later in 2003 Ali introduced a song, “Forest Whitiker” that spoke about his albino-ism and how ‘when I look in the mirror I see sexy ass me.” Brother Ali’s most recent album debuted just a few weeks ago with a more political mind titled Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color.
The radio is currently used as an easy and quick escape from reality on your way to work or to school in the morning or evening, but to actually analyze and respect what the popular people are singing about is ridiculousness. The artists that are still on the bottom are there because they are true to their audiences and care about what kind of message their lyrics relay. A lot of the Rhymesayers’ artists have such amazing stories to share and they tell it in a creative and effective way. Hard work and dedication is what comes from independent labels. Brother Ali for example has songs about respecting women (“My Beloved”) and his views on politics seemingly. Any modern rap song today explicitly states the artist’s sexual needs and specifically describes them without any regards for a filter. How can you respect someone (being a female) if they don’t show respect your kind?
There is a major difference between music to be made just to be number one and music to be made to get a message across and share experiences. Then, there is the manner in which it is done. All music artists go about their career differently but the one thing that is the same is the support and feedback from their audiences which ultimately keeps them going. So, the next time a radio is playing “Call Me Maybe?” do yourself a favor and shut it off.