A IM convo with R.E. inspired this blog post. Well, that and a myspace bulletin from B.O.B.
He notified all of his myspace friends that he just posted a new song "Ill Be In the Sky" on his page and that he wanted feedback. I left some. Since I've been on dude for a while, have all of his stuff and have done what I can do to support...I'm allowed to talk.
I didn't really like that song and some of the stuff he's been doing lately. Not because its wack, but mainly because it seems like he is trying to hard to sound like Dre 3000 in some respects. Like when I first heard "Cloud 9" yeah dude was singing, but he sounded like himself. But nowadays when dude sings, he sounds like Dre more often than not. Now, by no means am I calling B.O.B. a Dre biter. It just sounds like he lets the influence influence him a little too much sometimes. I prefer rapping ass nigga from Decatur B.O.B. over the super-musical rockstar guy his image seems to be portraying right now. And I know that rapping ass nigga from Decatur B.O.B. still exists because of the stuff he does with Playboi Tre and other songs like "Fuck You." Where even there he sings, but he still sounds like himself.
I guess the point I'm making/question I'm asking is...if rappers out here are going to be heavily influenced...or even bite, should we be satisfied or happy in that at least they are heavily influenced or biting dope ass artists? Like, say if someone came out heavily influenced/biting Scarface, would you be mad? Me personally, I want my nigga Gorilla Zoe to bite the shit out of Scarface, that's just me though.
Or, would you be upset at a dude for being heavily influenced/biting Eminem (Asher *cough* Roth *cough*). At least dude is sounding like a dude who at the turn of the century was one of the fiercest MCs known to mankind, right?
R.E. sparked the thought that at least B.O.B. and others borrowing from 3000 are doing just that. Instead of borrowing from cats like Jeezy and going out spitting faux cliche lines about the trap life. Or Shawty Lo and just whispering on a song. Or T-Pain and doing annoying things with their voice, making you hate the originator in the process.
Is that something that should be at least halfway commended? Has the quality of music dropped so low that we should be happy when some body gets heavily influenced/bites some one that actually like, because it reminds us of them?
What do ya'll think?
14 comments:
I don't think there's really any excuse for biting. I remember when Nappy Roots came out. I thought they had a fresh vibe but then there was the guy who sounded JUST like Scarface (I think Big V is his name). Artists are inevitably going to be influenced by everything they hear. In BoB's case, I feel like he's been trying his hand at "dre music" for awhile now. From the drum patterns in his beats, to the hooks and overall feel. Of course we'd rather hear someone bite Dre than Jeezy, just because of the sheer volume of Jeezy sound-a-likes. But what i'd rather hear more is artists being the best THEM that they can be. I love Dre just bc he does him. He doesn't try to emulate or replicate. I guess it's just harder to be yourself these days.
ask any OG in the game, they teya unanimously biting is WACK, until the nu era, hip hop was all about originality
man can be influenced n u might even spot it every now and then, but the scale of biting nowadays is rediculous and scandalously they don't bite what's good and talented they bite what sells, and the two nowadays don't always equate
it's not hard to be yaself if u got it, but the majority of modern day rappers be flat out bland and faceless, they got no personality of they own so they have to emulate somebody else,
originality is really a gift, gifted fawks r always a minority, so it's hard to expect it in so many rapping heads we see these days
quality suffers cause of quantity
Man...im torn on the issue...At the end of the day, every artist is influenced by others...most even copy to find their own fingerprints eventually..The Beatles first two albums were full of covers by folk on Motown and others..they even sounded like them initially..but with time they found their own voice..An artist's "Sound" is nothing but a number of influences mixed up, toped with their own personality...so in essence, ur only as good as who ur influences r....if ur only influence is Dre.ur just gonna sound like Dre..but if it's Dre, Led Zepplin, etc, etc...ur have a little room to kinda carve out ur own niche..
History repeats itself. Artists are gonna bite one another forever for several reasons. I feel you when you say you want people to bite other people, cause it's like them coming back in another form, sometimes a better form. As for BOB, I think he's young. And when you're young, it's usually easier to be influenced than when you're older. He will grow out of it quickly when he realizes he gotta come with some real to get out there and get what he really wants.
There's so much music in the world it's hard to be completely original.
That said, I'm sad if BOB decides to really try and become the new 3K. He doesn't have to do that, he's extremely talented and can do so much more.
Loved BOB:s stuff with Playboy Tre, loved the "Hi! My name is BOB"-tape, loved the song "Fuck you". Keep doing that, no need to put on golf clothes and try to be a "lovable weirdo" for the ignorant crowds.
i'd even say that the genre commercial success hurts the originality
when u strive for that success u try to overdo ya peers or be different from those who ain't successful and that's where originality flourishes, cuz this is the main method of standing out
now everybody emulates success and not strives for it
This is Why I Fuck wit Maurice "dont return calls" Garland!!! This is a dope as post. Tell da troof lil bruah
Biting has always been around but lately it seems more accepted. Why? I dont have that answer. I think most kids today just love "the song" or love "the beat". They don't understand the rules from waaay back. I don't want to sound old but I remember when you had 10 different dudes from different places and none sounded alike...and we loved them equally. Because they were being them, not being their favorite rapper.
I don't blame B.O.B for the music he's currently putting out. I blame Atlantic... dude has been with Rebel Rock/Atlantic for how long now and where is the album? You know as well as I know that they keep telling BOB he only needs that "one" big hit.. even though his music is dope as it is the label keeps on with that bullshit.
It all goes back to the label and them wanting him to be something that he isnt.
Pull up another past Atlantic rapper named Apathy and read his background... they did the same shit to him.
I'm not torn....B.O.B. just needs another hit. True it sounds like 3000 but all in all shit's just boring. Sounds similar to the cyber heaven joint. So that's why he's gone under the radar again. You're only as good as your last song in this game.
IT has gotten to the point where I might welcome an Ashton Roth because he sounds like a college-surburban-watered-down Eminem. I think people basically saying, anything better than whatever we've been bombarded with lately.
But, damn tell em how you really feel. I think BOB needs to rhyme a little harder though. He has potential to make pretty good music, he just doesn't move me right now.
Post a Comment