Two thousand five has largely been disappointing for hip-hop, from albums built up to be classics such as The Game’s The Documentary and Common’s Be coming up woefully short of that label, to albums as terrible as Mike Jones’ Who is Mike Jones? and 50 Cent’s The Massacre enjoying long rides atop the charts. Many in hip-hop have become fatalistic, pontificating on the slow death of the genre, seemingly more concerned with being right than seeing hip-hop improved. Finding truly original hip-hop doesn’t require a backpack and a long walk down the beaten path, and this summer provided several albums that stood out from the Webbies and Yayos.
Hip-hop can often embrace its legends with one arm, and then push them away with the other. Gangstarr are celebrated for their contributions in the early ’90s, but when Guru dropped his album Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures, it was greeted coldly. Even though Guru’s familiar voice automatically lends credibility to whatever production he chooses, many have been hesitant to accept anything from “The Baldhead Slick” without production from DJ Premier, the other half of Gangstarr. Guru chose a complete unknown in DJ Solar, and pairing his authentic lyrics over classic break beats created one of the better albums of the past few months.
While Guru takes himself fairly seriously, one rapper that never seems too concerned with the perceptions of others is the enigma of MF Doom. Doom has joined forces with DJ Danger Mouse of The Grey Album to craft an album, titled The Mouse & The Mask by Dangerdoom, with an “Adult Swim” theme. Most would be roundly criticized for this sort of cross-promotion, with guest raps provided by popular Adult Swim characters, including the Mooninites, Brak, and many interludes from Master Shake, but Dangerdoom receives due praise for their originality. Mouse’s production is surprisingly good, and Doom, as usual, makes rapping look much easier than it actually is, from trading bars with rap heavyweights Ghostface and Talib Kweli to writing an entire song on possible uses for urine.
The rest of us, unfortunately, can’t always afford to be so happy-go-lucky, and Capone’s emotional Pain, Time & Glory reflects the mentality of a man who was incarcerated while his debut album with partner-in-crime Noreaga, The War Report, was earning huge success. Hip-hop often struggles because it seems that the MCs just don’t really care — the ones that get rich stop trying — and it is Capone’s raw emotion that makes this album one of the realest of the year.
Feel free to turn down the volume on your new Emanon or Atmosphere CD, because it’s safe to come outside again. Hip-hop continues to live on strong, thanks to those who create albums not to make money, but simply because they enjoy it as an outlet for whatever they choose. Whether you are rapping alongside a cartoon character or pouring your heart out over the mic, keeping it real and being yourself will never die.Those basic tenets of hip-hop are just as alive as ever, and you don’t even have to look that hard to find them.