For such a musical city, Montreal’s lack of a prominent hip-hop scene has always seemed-to me- an odd oversight. That was why I was so pleased to hear about hip-hop week, let’s turn on the mics of the MTL hip-hoppers, let’s hear what they have to say. Finally more hip-hop in Montreal! Where you been hiding hip-hop? So nice of you to come out and play with us.

The talk that occurred on Wednesday March 18^th, was titled Hip Hop today: Fit or Flop? Intrigued- not least the cheesy title- I brushed up on my hip-hop, re-listening to rappers that have released songs in the last couple of years. I think the “Flop” of the title hinted towards the most prevalent criticism of hip-hop; that it has switched to the dark side. Enticed by commercial success, hip-hop has forgone its values: self-expression, singing about inequality and intolerance, singing for a culture, singing for those who can’t.

Yes, this is a valid criticism. The proof is in the pudding: compare BedRock by Young Money (2009) to The Message by Grandmaster Flash (1982). The messages sang in hip-hop have changed through time, but hip-hop will always remain one of the best genres to sing about social injustices, not caring about commerciality.

At the panel there was probably to coolest people one could have hoped for, for a chat on hip-hop. With us were Ali Sepu (Nomadic Massive), Butta Beats (Nomadic Massive), Gabe Nandez and Jonathan Emile (Kalmunity). What was interesting was that all these speakers came from different backgrounds, different generations and lead different lives. However, they all shared similar ideas and bounced off another. They fused together extremely well. In fact, the second they were all settled, they became immediate bros and it seemed like they were hanging out and not speaking to an audience. Gabe Nandez even threw in some dance moves during Jonathan Emile’s introduction.

One of the first points that was established, was how important the roots of hip-hop are to the genre. Where hip-hop stems from is what shapes hip-hop today, and thus it is crucial to know its history. Hip-hop started in the Bronx in the 1970s, the genre emerged out of block parties where DJs became increasingly interested in the percussive beat of a song. This changed how people danced and changed how singers approached the beat. With a sequenced cadence, words can be emphasized in a sentence. If words can be played on and highlighted, rhyming becomes interesting and that is the essence of rap. Isn’t rapping just a poem with a beat? However, back the in the ‘70s, New York was still the site of severe inequalities between black and white; the Bronx was a poor black neighbourhood. Because of the power of words with rap and hip-hop, the genre quickly became a means of self-expression for that community. As the panelists were conversing, it became evident that hip-hop had been a means of self-expression for all of them. The beauty of hip-hop is how the values of hip-hop thirty years after it started have changed less than you might expect.

The idea of commerciality and hip-hop is very contradictory. The Young Money vs Grandmaster Flash rap-off showed that the messages inherent to hip-hop have changed and that’s part of the Flop of hip-hop. When it started, hip-hop was not about popularity or success, it was about self-expression. If you think about it though, hip-hop was valued for the messages that it showed which is what lead to its popularity, more and more artists found their means of self-expression in hip-hop. “Started from the bottom, now we here”. Hate on Drake all you want, but he is right. Hip-hop blossomed out of the Bronx and exploded into worldwide fame. Hip-hop embodies the essence of the self-made man and the American dream. Hip-hop artists are proud to singing about their successes, grateful for what their ancestors have achieved. The four panelists embodied this pride felt by hip-hoppers. One of the speakers shared that Sprite was the first soda company to use a rapper for their ad .

The panelist agreed, that one of the problems with hip-hop today is that most people have forgotten the history of hip-hop. Most kidlets my age discovered hip-hop through MTV, which is representative of hip-hop today, but not of hip-hop as a subculture. MTV showcases the rappers who have made money off of hip-hop, the rappers that are considered as commercial. When hip-hop became commercially popular, so did the rappers, and very soon hip-hop was a way for making it big in the music industry. Rappers started living like billionaire movie stars. We can all agree though, that regular muggle people like you and me, don’t and probably won’t ever live opulent lifestyles like rappers. The idea that rappers are the voice of generation is therefore lost.

Conversely, when one comes to think of commercialization, it is hard not to associate this to capitalism. After all, isn’t consumerism one of the consequences of capitalism? When you look at hip-hop today, most of the big artists are American. America is built on this idea of the self made Man, whose been transformed from rags to riches, who has the ability to purchase as much as pleased. General criticism is brought to artists like Lil Thug or Rich Homie Quan, whose portrayal of consumption and materialism has been blown out to crazy proportions. In doing so, hip-hop loses its original political motifs and inherent revolt. However, hip-hop artists are just acting the reality that is present in the US. When a movie is politically charged, media blames the producer and/or writer but not the actors. Can’t we consider hip-hop artists as the actors of the movie that is the US at the moment? Perhaps, in showcasing the absurdity of mass consuming products, luxury and opulence, the hip-hop artist is raising awareness about problems of commercialization.

All four speakers praised hip-hop for giving them a way of self-expression. Whether it was battling cancer, struggling at school or with life in general. For hip-hop to remain as relevant and powerful as it is, it needs to keep its revolutionary aspect because that is why the genre started. Hip-hop was a way of unifying all the underdogs. Rappers need to remember they are singing for a community and not for their personal benefit. Rappers need to remember they are singing for those who can’t. In the last few years, black and white inequalities have started being more transparent, yet there are still many oppressed groups out there. The messages in hip-hop have changed, now hip-hop is vehicle to showcase male and female inequalities, contests our heterosexual society, contest western supremacy.

Hip-hop is very similar to jazz in some ways; you can’t just sit down and listen to it. Hip-hop needs to be curated over time; it needs to be understood before it can be loved. That’s why we shouldn’t be too worried about the commercialization of hip-hop. True fans won’t stand for it, and there are a lot of people who have done their homework and who still know what hip-hop stands for. Hip-hop will remain the voice of our society, the voice that speaks for those that can’t. In fact, we should embrace its commerciality, with the hope that it will help with public debate. Montreal is such a melting-pot of cultures, it is a prime location for hip-hop and I would love to see more coming out of this city. Rappers could sing in both French and English, selecting the exact words they wanted in each language, making their message so specific. With these words, I leave you with a hip-hop celebration playlist.

WRITTEN BY MARGAUX JOLY

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