Philaflava wrote: easily got hundred of white rappers, so i'd like to see just how selective he gets. addi's choice. that chick he used to date? eternal? she gotta make it, right?
stop being stupid. You KNOW her name's "Eternia". Jason, I don't like when you pretend you are more stupid than you actually are. You don't have to play coy to fit in with your American brethren. I expect better from you by now. But, I digress:
I'm doing this because for the most part, white guys and white people in general have a POOR grasp of how LITTLE they ACTUALLY RESPECT Black artistic culture and history, and it's something that has to grow over the next few... hundred... OR THOUSAND... years. The current success of movies like 'The Butler' and '12 Years a Slave' are a tiny start. But musically? Shit is still disgusting, B. Black people really don't own anything in the music industry or on the internet in comparison to white people, and every Halloween, white people are caught in Blackface and say "Why isn't this funny? Isn't black life and culture and music just here to entertain me?" The white guy in Blackface with a Trayvon Martin hoodie and a bullet splattered on the chest was a great new low in White Ignorance this year. It all connects, and maybe one day, white people will realize that. But since you asked, Jason, here you go:
Mindbender's Top Five White Rappers Who Behave, Speak, and Create Music Like They Acknowledge and Respect Black Music History
*Brother Ali. Probably the Best Ever. But he's a special case
so besides him, let's go with:
1.) Yelawolf. Denounces ALL use of the "n-word". Outspoken critic of ALL white people who use "n-word". Constantly is caught on record speaking at length about his knowledge and respect of Black music history, from jazz to the blues to rock and roll to hip hop. Does his own fucking Southern-fried psychedelic rap thing, and always sounds original. Never comes off as try-hard or I wanna be down type of white guy, and shows love to all people, from African-Canadian to European-American. YELAWOLF'S AWARENESS OF BLACK HISTORY, AND HIS KNOWLEDGE-OF-SELF IN THE CONTEXT OF BLACK MUSIC HISTORY, SHOULD BE STUDIED AS THE BEST EXAMPLE OF WHITE UNDERSTANDING OF BLACK CULTURE IN ALL OF MODERN HIP HOP.
2) Ill Bill. Righteous white man who, even though sometimes rhymes with a crew of white rap anarchists called La Coka Nostra, I do believe he has remained one of the most outspoken voices of white injustice in hip hop. Non-Phixion was one of the few groups to try and speak their truth to power, no matter how conspiratorial and left-wing it might have been for the masses to grasp. How many groups of white guys in hip hop tried to drop any kind of knowledge or jewels? Sadly, not as many as there should be. I mean, hip hop BEGAN IN THE BRONX AS COMMUNITY HEALING EVENTS TO SAVE THE BROKEN AND FRUSTRATED SOULS OF BLACK AND LATINO PEOPLE IN NEW YORK CITY. How many white guys rapping across America really give a fuck about anything even close to the still-prevalent impact of slavery, segregation, economic and employment discrimination, mass incarceration, government-sponsored genocide, and such all-American activities? He may be crazy, but at least he gives a fuck. Peace to Ill Bill.
3) Everlast. First white guy to get love from a hip hop crew. I been a fan of Everlast since 'Forever Everlasting', and I enjoyed 'The Knack' in 1990. Made Irish hip hop a thing. The "Jump Around" phenomenon was actually awesome to be a part of in 1992 when it came out. 'Truth Crushed to Earth Will Rise Again' is a criminally slept-on album. One of the few people to dis Eminem to the point where Em couldn't respond, said "turned hard the day Dre gave you a record deal" and some other great stuff that shows he knows what time it is. Got love from Ice-T and Donald D in the 80's, so he gets love from me. I seen Everlast perform on my birthday one year in the 2000's, and it was a good show. He is a real musician in my eyes, and a respectable man, which is more than I can say for a LOT of people making music in hip hop.
4) Bubba Sparkxxx. I've read stuff where he exhibits a similar awareness and political frame of reference as Yelawolf, and I admire him for it. I've always thought Bubba Sparkxxx was not taken seriously as a rapper or a thinker, and I found his stuff to be much more humane and respectable than I saw his music ever get received. 'Ms. Fat Booty' was a mistake, but mostly I see him do the right thing and make music from his heart and soul. Timbaland fucked up thinking that he was going to get Eminem/Dr. Dre success without committing to Bubba. And his name is unfortunately kinda cringe-worthy, even like 15 years after I heard 'Ugly' for the first time, and loved it. I always said to myself 'for fuck sakes, what kind of name is "Bubba Sparkxxx" for such a decent MC? Who's gonna take this guy seriously on a widespread level? This is even worse than Uncle Murda, this is damn near LMFAO-level. Sigh." Still: even with the redneck image, I've always thought that Bubba Sparkxxx was conscious of his privlege in Black music, and always showed respect, in both interviews and his music.
5) Eminem. He shows a lot of love to a lot of Black music legends that they would NEVER get if Marshall's voice didn't bring a moment of attention to them. Just this week, Buckshot Shorty got a shitload of attention he would never have gotten in this day and age without Eminem remaking 'I Got U Opin'. Eminem has given props and shown genuine respect for countless Black idols on record and on film. That moment of him with Ice-T in the 'Art of Rap' documentary shows a person who knows his knowledge, studying and his dedication to the Black teachers he had were the foundation of MOST of what he has today. The rest of it was the unimaginable momentum of white supremacy mixed with innovative history, and some Dr. Dre magic. Et, voila. Eminem: the Elvis Presley of rap, FOR REAL. All the way to the Black beginnings and poverty stricken failure in the origins of his career. He also has unwittingly made the point that multi-platinum hip hop music CAN be made without it being filled with the word "n!gger", which is a fallacious notion that some industry idiot made a while back. That being said: Eminem's hatred of women probably does not save Black women from his homosexual wrath, but that's another psychological defect for another post on another day. When it comes to Black men and Black history: Eminem shows more respect than most White Americans EVER will, regardless of his world-class fame and fortune, and that fact does NOT go unrecognized by Mindbender.
*Special shoutout to Cage. He's not musically political, but in my personal experiences, we've had some conversations that show me he's not the average savage.
I'm probably forgetting someone, but whatever. You asked for this, here you guys go. I hope you had fun.
For the record: *I would name a whole bunch of White/non-Black Canadian rappers who actually go on record talking about BLACK POLITICAL ISSUES like Theology 3, Adam Bomb, Que Rock, Grimace, Cale Sampson, or The Red Menace who make songs about real shit and actually respect Black history and don't treat hip hop like disposable cultural waste.
That's why I DON'T FUCK WITH RiFF RaFF and Mac Miller and Action Bronson and most of these new school atrocities.
It's not just that their songs are weak and psychologically unhealthy to repeatedly consume, oh no.
It's that they treat this artform like a pimp treats a bottom b!tch.
And I love hip hop.
Black people who disrespect and self-destruct THE GREATEST TOOL FOR LIBERATION FROM SLAVERY SINCE WE WERE DRAGGED HERE, AND THE GREATEST WAY TO ESCAPE THE PERPETUAL GENERATIONAL TRAP OF THE GHETTO, ARE BAD ENOUGH.
White supremacy is every fucking where a person can go in North America. And in 1974, hip hop is born so Black people might have a BIT of their own place to exist and dream and create paradise... but some white kid wants to ignore all that shit just to act dumb and be cool with his fucking friends? I ain't got time to respect a white person who doesn't fucking respect hip hop history or Black history.
I might find the time to school they motherfucking ass, though.
By any means necessary.