day 1738
so what if you found out that i didnt even write this blog. that all these days that i’ve been journaling and putting down into this thing, weren’t written by me. that they were all just made by a combination of a bunch of writers. or that i actually have been doing this whole thing with somebody else writing all the words and me just copying and pasting it.
now granted that would be pretty much a CONSIDERABLE waste of time, as 1- nobody reads this stuff. and 2- i ain’t getting paid for this stuff. so, i can pretty much assure you, dear reader, that every word, every sentence (or fragment) and every thing that has been written into these days has come from my fingers (i dont use pens anymore). but the reason i bring it up is because, in case you haven’t heard and aren’t a hip hop buff like me, one of my favorite emcees, Nas, was accused of hiring a ghostwriter for his previous album UNTITLED. the ghostwriters? Jay Electronica and stic.man from Dead Prez.
now if you know NOTHING about hip hop, know at least this. Nas is one of THE most…if not THE most….prolific lyricists of all time. while his beat selections have always been questionable, his ability to tell a story, paint a picture, and engage listeners are second to none. in fact, his latest album, Life Is Good, has been hailed as a pretty decent release from the artist. he’s also responsible for the hip hop classic ILLMATIC. in fact, he’s ghostwritten for MANY rappers, INCLUDING Will Smith (see Cruisin’), so you can see why the accusation would send ripples throughout the hip hop community.
all parties involved have denied the accusation, but…i’ll tell ya…from a personal note, if this were true, i’d be heartbroken. to think…this guy, who so EFFORTLESSLY raps circles around so called GOATS (i’m looking at YOU, Lil Wayne), to think that throughout this time, he could just be the result of many other emcees….and that he just paid other folk to help him out…its pretty much unthinkable.
i don’t think he’s hired ghostwriters though. i mean, it just doesn’t seem write. Nas’ flow and style can only be duplicated, really, by one other person…..RAKIM…because they are so alike. but even Rakim, i think, can’t hold a torch to Nas’ vivid poetry.
ha…poetry.
how often do you think about POETRY when listening to hip hop. i would say nowadays, it’s very rare. Kanye…who many would say represents the pinnacle of “art” in hip hop right now….i dont think he’s ever written any kind of rhyme that can match the depth of Nas. and Jay Z? hmm…he’s a different style in my opinion.
there is a lesson in all of this though….styles are copy-able. i wonder though, if i DID enlist the help of a ghostwriter, if they would be able to mimmick my….ahem…style….whatever that is. i mean..it’d be pretty hard to top my stream of conscious weirdness without raising at least SOME eyebrows right?