For Jay-Z, pride in the block has been essential and he recognized rap’s role in taking “that embarrassment off of you. The first time people were saying: I come from here — and it’s O.K.” He quotes Mobb Deep: “No matter how much money I get, I’m staying in the projects!” But here, too, he sees change: “Before, if you didn’t have that authenticity, your career could be over. Vanilla Ice said he got stabbed or something, they found out he was lying, he was finished.” I suggested to him that many readers of this newspaper would find it bizarre that the reputation of the rapper Rick Ross was damaged when it was revealed a few years ago that he was, at one time, a prison guard. “But again,” Jay says, “I think hip-hop has moved away from that place of everything has to be authentic. Kids are growing up very differently now.”
Full Article: NYTimes
Do you agree with what Jay-Z is saying? Check the full article, “The House That Hova Built,” on the New York Times.
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I agree but in the same respect why does everyone think you had to have once in your life been gang banging or moving weight to be a rapper? I look at rap as an art form, a way to express oneself. If you are good at it then thats what you should be rated on, not whether your a blood or a crip or where you came from, what block you came from etc. People like to trash on Drake, they say hes not “authentic” which may or may not be true. At the end of the day non of us know the truth from the lies that these rappers portray. They just say what they want us to hear and think. Drake is a great example of being a good rapper and not having a criminal past. I respect that more than a rapper like Cheif Keef who gets famous and is rated as “authentic” because he kills people in the streets and shit. I like the Era of not having to be “authentic” because it promotes a healthier form of rap where artists can be truly recognized for there talent and not there street credit. Realtalk.
I don’t agree with the portion where you say “it promotes a healthier form of rap” and I actually think it does the opposite. Rick Ross is an example of that, a kid that likely grew up poor and in tough surroundings but never actually did the shit he’s talkin about (there’s a lot of us who grew up in those conditions and we hold normal jobs), so what Rick Ross does is worse and not a healthier form of rap
same thing with Drake, he’s a good rapper but he increasingly wants to get his thug on, Drake should never be talking about catching bodies, so again I have to disagree with that part of your point.
@onblast What i mean by “Healthier” is that now a days it shouldnt be about having to prove your “real” by rapping about negative things. The stereo type of a rapper if you ask anyone is a thug or gangster when in reality now a days that isnt the case. Look at Lupe he raps about real quality subjects and not violence and bs. Rap should be a way to say and speak on what you want, how you want to.
As far as being “authentic” you nor do I know the lives of Drake, Ross, or any rapper by that matter. So who are we to judge them by what they say? It could be the truth or it could be a lie.
For example, Im sure all of you here on this site reading this comment look down on Pitbull and say he is a disgrace to the game when he raps. The funny thing is i know him and the life hes lived and can tell you that all the things hes said on verses that many people are saying he shouldnt be speaking about are true. So as far as drake “catching bodies” and you saying he shouldnt speak on that, we dont know who he is or what he’s capable of. he may not have been about it or he may certainly have been about it but i’ll tell you what when you got money you dont need to be about it. Theres dudes that will do it for you, which drake goes on to say in that same verse.
My point is, Just listen to hip hop, enjoy it for what it is and take everything with a grain of salt unless you know for a fact.
he’s not saying u have to be a gang banger, he’s saying if u say u r it shud be the truth.
yea man as i’m getting older i find i dont really care as much anymore about how authentic……….excuse me how ignorant your actual life is. the way the quote read, “the readers of this newspapers found it odd that rickys rep was damaged by him having a real job”
thats a lmaooo moment right there, the readers of the ny times said why would him having a real job hurt his career? stupid niggers smh.
thats the way i read it. look nfl is changing cuz of safety and concussions and etc. its might not be the same game but its safer and more profitable when u dont have to pause for 20min to see a player get carted off the field. same wit rap, the authentic street cred is to ugly for a profitable genre like hiphop. nba was airbrushing tattoos and implementing a dress code cuz the ppl spending money dont like it, thats all that matters is the consumer.
so if the consumer can look at rap like they look at movies, which rappers always compare themselves too, then it dont have to be real. when a movie is real is says based on a true story. other than that, its fantasy, imagination, box office is all that matters. so if i run a label and i had a real gangster (beanie sigel) or a fake gangster, i’m trying to make a profit and the fake gangster (actor) is probably way more profitable in the short and long run.
and also drake is one of the realest rappers out, he aint gangster but that dont mean he aint real, he is a lame, sucker for love, dweeb watever but he owns that shit he aint frontin on it
yep best explanation.
@whattheheck.. i dont think he’s saying that, i think he’s just speaking on being authentic!! your story should b real is what he’s saying. if you’re tommy hilfiger son, rap about riches and clothes and shit.. not about drugs, if you’re 16 rap about school and bitches.. not about grown up shit!! Kids today have lost their essence, they respect money and power and thats it.. and bitch like Kim Kardashian couldnt make it where i come from.. today the bitch is good because she’s rich, young bitches wanna b her and shit, not saying that bad but thats the difference
@RealTalkFromARealNigga1… I get what Jay is trying to say, I just expressed my feeling on the situation a little out of context. Its all about being real to who you are, but my argument is how real are these dudes when we dont know them personally. We just have to believe and trust what we want with these dudes. @CountyofKings said it right, rappers are exactly like movies. We just gotta pick the ones we like and thats it. I never take what these dudes say 100 percent, Its ENTERTAINMENT for a reason. There just doing there job as entertainers. Drake isnt Aubrey Graham. as Jay Z isnt Shawn Carter. But i like to think that these dudes are being real with us cuz we invest so much time with listening and buying there records. To be honest i really dont care if what you say is authentic becuse who am i to say it is or it isnt?
“Wht u eat Dont Make Me SHit” is a perfect quote to explain how we should take rapper’s lyrics. Why do ppl base their lives on another man’s words? What I took from Jay’s article is that times have changed and so has the integrity of the artist or the life walk of the artist. “Gangsta rap” is what most rap is now so artist feel like that’s the route to take when they should stick to what they know.
“No lies on my verses” – Jay-Z – - Who Gon Stop Me
I don’t think Jay or anyone give rappers credit for being good at marketing. Look at Rick Ross. He assumed the persona of an actual person, lies about what he did in the past and he made $9 million dollars last year from it. That’s what sells. Instrumentals with strong base, catchy hooks and fantasies about drug dealing and gang relations. In this industry not only can you fake it til you make it, its practically good business to fake it. Fans don’t really care what’s real anymore.
JAY Z is always on point….besides having one of the most respected shorties as a wife…he always stays 2 steps ahead and is right. The “background story” as promotion nowadays doesn’t even seem to matter anymore….getting shot 100 times….doing the shooting….raping….wutever….as long as it has a hot beat nowadays……lyrics are coming back though…..thx to Drake, Jadakiss, and a few others who fight for that next level shit….and thats good
NAS BEEN SAYIN’ THIS FOR HOW LONG NOW? BUT WHEN JAYZ SAYS IT, ITS SOLIDIFIED AND CARVED IN STONE…SMH
there’s a difference between Authentic, Fabricated/Accentuated, & Fake.
Jay-Z speaks of his “stomach rumbling” in Renegade & many other Accentuated/Fabricated instances of being poverty stricken.. but he reveals in many interviews that his moms always kept food on the table. the only real harsh circumstances he faced was the streets & losing his father as a young teen. Same goes for Biggie… he went to a great school just like Biggie & busta rhymes & his moms kept him fed well too… obviously. lol.
so my thing is being Authentic isnt a matter of who went thru harsh things or not its a matter of if you own up & remain true to what you really went through. Jay does that. Big did that. Pac did that.
now some of this other shit goin on out here….. Fake. no truth what so fucking ever. but last time i checked everyone got a Fake friend..family member.. coworker.. boss.. so it is what it is lol
yo hov my man but yo real talk my son is around the same age as hov a couple years younger and he used to see jay z in marcy projects. He said that nigga was a regular ass nigga like me and you, and my son is hustler but never claimed to be scarface, just a get by hustler. I heard Jay did used to get money tho, outta town with trenton niggas, but they ran him outta town. Jay still the realist cuz if you go ot and lock it down you put in work but some of his story is fabricated too. But i see wat he saying, Rick ross do od, but it’s the music that’s winning, it’s what niggas like to hear at the moment no matter wat you saying.
50, Nas, Jay, even some other dudes in the game say this all the time, because with the realness it builds a fan base, that’s why a person like Rick Ross the rapper will never sell big and will be always stuck with a low fan because of not being real he lost that respect along time ago,so instead of making the biggest impact he could in music, at his highest he will still kind of be the lowest,Nas, 50, and Jay they did it mostly to get out of there situations and got respected because of there past, and there music connected with it, thats why there significant ,like they had to do it, and you know there no joke,so when you bump to there music you be like I can connect with this artist, and it makes you more in tune,same thing with em and drake too because of what they do, they spit factual stuff and what’s around them, what they been through and it makes you say that they know what they talking about, and they are more than rappers.There innovators, also Kanye, as im talking about big figures today in rap music.
Its all fun and games until Chief Keef learns how to read and shows J he’s real by shooting somebody.
Nobody was ever Hating on Rick Ross for having a real Job, it was because Ross story was so crazy, he took Freeway Ricky’s name then called him a snitch, and portrayed a wild image with no disclaimer while Denying the truth .
I think what Jay-Z was trying to say was Vanilla Ice had No problems until he started telling lies he didn’t need to tell.
Nobody was perfect back then but there was a limit to what you could get away with. One bad Rumor could end Careers or get cats hurt for real……
That’s exactly what I was trying to say, but it did hurt Ross career in a way, because he doesn’t have that big fan base he could have, if he wasn’t a fraud.
ross never had a big fan base tho. even before he got exposed he wasnt a platinum selling rapper. getting exposed actually helped his career in a way, in the same way a crack head has to hit rock bottom before looking to get clean. ross thought he was good, got exposed, then hit rock bottom for a few months, then he figured out a great marketing scheme by throwing shots at 50cent who will ALWAYS take the bait, and with that beef, his career was resurrected and he’s bigger now than he ever was to begin with.
it was a hell of a plan i gotta admit.
*blank stare* @ County of Kings
Hurt Ross’ career? Ever since the truth came out he’s been on a role. He used 50 as a catapult and now he has one of the hottest groups in hip-hop (the other hottest group is G.O.O.D. Music).
What jay is saying back then niggas you to rap what they lived if you didn’t live that life rap about what you REALLY LIVE! Back then the only reason u could rap and know it was what it was cause niggas did backround checks!! So if you said you did this that and the 3rd you say ur from a certain spot niggas will go to that block or that area and find out if u was bout that life. Now granted u gon have the hating ass niggas and you go have the niggas that gone tell the truth! Ross said he was some big drug deal trick daddy and every1 else exposed him and he try to say he wasn’t @ 1st for a reason. My point is if you sold cars for a living rap about that life how sellin car sucks and the pros nd cons! If you was a watcher for the nigga sell that shit talk about how it is to watch for that dope dealer. Any and every1 these days r rapper bout shit they ain’t doing! That’s why a nigga like me only listens to the niggas I know really lived that life it’s easy to find out! Shout out to the whole BLOK GANG MOVEMENT!! Free max b! Free boosie! Free tru life!!
but on some real shit tho my nigga, why did u put free max b, free boosie free tru life? just curious and also do u listen to drake, cuz i promise u he lives what he raps, he raps about being a sucka for love and its real shit. i need to know tho why u put free max b?
glad jay know rick ross if fake, and glad he shouted a a real Ninja max b on ross album.when appears lie a some crazy ish its ok , n one believes them , but the small lies that should matter , like a pas job just makes it hard to listen to anything they says
chill hova i be listenin to joey badass he is the truth….
^AMEN .
we all not feeling his music too much within the last few years….getting better again….we must admit but i guess 50 is one of the realest dudes who didn’t fabricate his past…he got stabbed up…shot up…and came back stronger….jay real in his own little hustling ways but its the music that speaks 4 itself nowadays…but believe it or not Drake is real too though…he doesn’t talk gunplay and sings for the bitches and even had a jewish video!! lmaoooo….so….certain niggaz keep it one hundred…….VERY FEW!!!!
That was my point, and also 50 sold drugs and stuff, but the things that attract there fans is the way they kept it 100, like nas he probably didn’t shoot up anything or so, but he grew up in all of that violence and stuff, also when the preme team was around.same with eminem he doesn’t talk about killing people down and stuff about his hood, he only raps about what he is known for or what pretains to him, like his family , proof, just real shit, thats why when the music isn’t all that good but still good people still listen to it cause it’s em, jay,50,or nas, or drake, like you know what they are known for and they stay true to it, even though im not a fan of drake to much.
@thekidddd i didn’t read your post, but read your second post and i agree 100%.
@ big tah the one about ross not having a huge fan base, or Jay, 50, Nas , and em, drake keeping it real, and maintaining a big core audience
@ big tah were you talking bout the post about ross never being huge in the rap scene or music, or 50, em ,jay,nas, drake, etc just being themselves nd having that big fan base because they real nd true to themselves, nd they draw fans cause of that.
I kno lots of cats love 50 and he’s certified in the streets but if it wasnt for Dre & Em, he wudnt have done numbers either. 50′s career existed bcuz of beef…he capitalized on his time in the spotlight and made some great business decisions but as far a music he shuouldnt be in the convo with Jay and Nas…Ross is even more lyrical….ijs
In the last decade though 50 belongs in there, and some beef, but he also got good records without it, that just adds to his career, nd ross is ok lyrical, but to me his lyrics are just rapping about what he buys for his bitches or girls, or the coke shit and you can’t make alot of lyrical shit about that really, but I understand where you coming from