Hip-hopper For Life

Danjaruz Demeanor:
Hip-Hopperific

Daily Danjaruz Deliberation:
If it wasn't for the Bronx, this rap shit probably never would be going on...

Danjaruz Disclosures, Declarations, and Diatribes:
Last night, I watched the Second Annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors

I have to say, off the bat, the innaugural event was much better

What I did not like about this year:

--The artists should not have been the main focus of their memory lane segments. I prefer that when someone is being honored, other people speak on their behalf, speak of how the person influenced or affected them, and give props [honors] to the people being honored. I thought that it was anti-climatic to have the artists sitting on stools talking about themselves. For a movement like Hip Hop, it is better to have one's peers speak of one's achievements, or have other people speak of the influence. It better illustrates Hip Hop's pervasive nature.

--Reverend Run and Russell Simmons hosting = terrible choice. Everytime Russell opens his mouth, he sounds like a mumble-mouthed moron. Reverence Run lost me with the plugging of a reality show he needs not be doing. I understand why they were chosen, theoretically, but they were not effective hosts.

--More should have been done for Salt-N-Pepa in terms of performances. Everyone else had people performing their work in some shape or form. I thought the choice of What A Man was poor, as it was not a pioneering song. Hip Hop honors claims to honor those who pioneer the way, so the music represented should reflect that. Push It or Let's Talk About Sex would have been more appropriate.

--Interview with Lil' Kim. This was misplaced and totally out of the realm of what this show was about. They interviewed her because she was going to jail. While I recognize Kim as being a Hip Hop Icon [yes, people, she is... face it], I do not think the interview with Fab Five Freddy should have aired right before the show. I will also add Lil Cease to the mix. His honoring Biggie was ill-placed as well. As much as people have a problem with Kim, she wasn't the one who sold out her people and for that she is serving a year in jail. These rap cats talk so much about the streets and respecting codes, honoring street laws, hating snitches, but when it came down to it, cats like Lil Cease sold out anyone they could, including someone close to them. Biggie would never have done that and we all know that. For him to be up there acting like he is honoring Biggie is beyond me.

What I liked:

--Nelly honoring LL Cool J. Say what you want about Nelly, hell I will even say it with you. Nelly did his thing and personified LL in his performance of "I'm Bad". Even down to the way he was dressed, his movements, and his taking off his jacket to reveal that physique that the Ladies Love. We know why Ciara was there, but whatever. I liked her new hair color. I'm glad she let the blonde tresses go and I am hoping more women will follow.

-- BIG DADDY KANE Nuff Said. Kane warmed it up and made the evening alive. he showed the ole skool folks how to do keep it fresh. kane has always been a great performer though, plus he has been doing shows around town, so he has had more recent practice than many others [S-N-P admitted to only having a week of preparation after 6 years of seperation]. The entire Kane segment was the hypest. From my ex-baby daddy T.I. participating in the Smooth Operator segment to Tariq a.k.a. Black Thought of The Roots performing. If you have the Tipping Point, you have heard his Kane impersonation on the track "Boom" and you know, no one does Kane like he does. When Kane got up there and began to dance, I knew it was a wrap for the show. He stole it, easily. And still looked great.

--The selection of honorees. This year was a good follow-up to last year, though last year ought to have included at least one female honoree. I feel either Lyte or Latifah getting it next year. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are the unquestionable innovators, LL Cool J was one of the youngest to do it and one of the longest to maintain it, Ice-T is one of the most slept on Hip-Hoppers ever [in terms of his influence] mainly because he is from the west coast, Salt-N-Pepa paved the way and made it happen for the ladies, Boyz In The Hood opened America's eyes when their ears ignored N.W.A., Big Daddy Kane brought style and class to the look and sound of Hip-Hop, and no one can deny the major influence the Notorious B.I.G. had on Hip-Hop in the short time he was in the game.

Lil Kimberly Jones

I just wanted to add a small bit about Lil Kim. Kim is a hip-hop icon, there is no denying this fact. She came on the scene and ushered in a genre of sexual lyricism that had only been reserved for the raunchiest of male hip-hoppers. We can speculate and debate about the roots of such brash and sassy words, but she made it popular for women to talk about sex and money the way that the men did. Foxy Brown has bitten Kim's style in so many ways, it is unbelievable. I like Foxy, don't get me wrong, but I am not so ignorant that I ignore Kim's influence on her. Foxy has some songs that I listen to and I wonder why Kim has not sued her yet; the cadence, flow, and even random sounds are straight from the Lil Kim's Book Of Sex Rap. Eve would not have been able to prosper as a stripper-turned-rapper rolling with a group of men, had Kim not done it with Junior Mafia. Having a single female as the source of estrogen in a pack of men, or a "clique", or "fam" became popular with Lil Kim. Trina could not be the Baddest Chick talking about how much of her self-worth is in her behind, and Jackie O would be the Po' lil rich girl no one cared about. Yes, she has altered her physical appearance for reasons many can speculate upon, but to dismiss her as just some ho off the block would be unintelligent. You may not like what she says, you may not like how she represents herself, you may not even like how she looks, but you cannot take from her the impact she has had not only on female rappers but also male rappers that have come after her. While I do not agree with the Source giving Kim FIVE MICS on her latest effort, I understand why they did it. They did it to show support and solidarity for her. They did it to reward her for being a woman of her word and a woman of the streets. While I believe she is more than a little bit obsessed with Christopher Wallace, she did, on the stand, what he would have done; lied to protect his peoples without pointing any fingers or implicating herself. Now Kim will do her bid in jail and it will be talked about in the news. She will come out with more street cred and a slew of experiences to write about for her next album. Her current album will sell well like Shyne, but unlike Shyne, she won't be forgotten, because her bid is just short enough for her to remain relevant.

Hate it or Love it, this might be the best thing to happen to Kim's career.



All comments are welcome.