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Sooo to all my faithful listeners this is an update or better put an explanation of a post that I published last April titled The Industry. If your new to the conversation listen up: #RealTalkSeries The Industry  I was ask to do a little more explaining as to what I meant by conscious hip hop being a construct of the industry.

                  Could you talk a little more about Talib, "conscious rap", and genre as a construct?                  

What I was referencing was that Talib Kweli never set out to be a conscious hip hop artist. At no time in his career did he say that I'm going to make conscious hip hop. The industry took the type of music he was making and said that it didn't fit the norm at the time and created a completely different box to put it in. He was labeled as the artist he is because of the music he makes. He never made music to fit into the genre he has been labeled with. And as such the industry created a listening audience for him but they also placed him into a narrow field of music which people now have preconceived  notions about and it has limited his reach to much greater numbers. I also was asked about Common:

Common is another "conscious rapper" whose career exposes inconsistencies with the "sub-genre". The brouhaha from the right concerning Common's performance at the White House, along with Maya Angelou's concern about his use of the N-word, brings up interesting ideas about genre, listeners' expectations, and labeling.

I think that Common falls into the same situation as Talib, I'm making a large assumption but i don't think majority of artist go out and make music with a particular genre in mind. I think that the are aware of the audience that they are trying to reach but, the labels that are placed on them later are mostly outside of their control. And depending on who you speak with artist can fall in several different genres at the same time. I think that Common set out to make music and because of what he created was labeled as a conscious hip-hop artist. I think that artist should make music that is and expression of their heart. And if people only mad music that stayed within the boundaries and expectations of a genre then change and progress wouldn't develop within music. A prime example is the present and continued use of electronic and synth in HipHop music today.

PS

Common a "gangster rapper" all i could do was laugh, I dont like to label people and as we have discussed genre's can easily not fit an artist all the time. But i think his work can speak for itself.... gangster rap it not really part of it.

Much Luv guys keep asking questions and ill keep talking ( or in this case writing ) 

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#RealTalkSeries Definition Of Disposable

Inferiority

Sooo it’s crazy you know "We Are All Self Conscious, I’m Just The First To Admit It"... I was recently on a different coast visiting friends and we started to discussion about what else... Music. 

       ( !!!Background Break!!! )

The people that I was going to see were guys who live, breathe, and eat music. They create, catalogue it, and critique it. I love music its something that is a part of my everyday existence but I don’t engross myself in it the way they do. 

            ( ...Back To The Story... )

Sooo we started this discussion and we went on forever and discussed hip hop, Downtempo, electronic, etc. But we got to a point were I made a statement about how I feel that a lot of music being producer in recent years as "disposable" (btw: I stand by my statement ill explain it later for you guys ) Anyway one of the guys made the counter argument that my opinion by the very same logic could be "disposable." I wasn’t offended but intrigued it’s always good to have your opinion challenged it keeps you on your toes, people who are surrounded by "yes men" are always doomed to fail. The point I’m trying to make is that someone I respect because of their musical talent, encyclopedic knowledge of music, and generally because they are a good person challenged me. And in that moment because of the things I listed above and many more I felt inferior to them. Like a child does when being scolded. I shook it off, and like I said this guy is a real chill person and he meant no harm in his statement. 

But it just reminds me of how far I have to go, keep myself and check and continue to know and be at ease with myself and some day I’ll never have to feel inferior to anyone again. (Then again on the other hand it keeps you honest)       Are We All Self Conscious???

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