Art and Culture # 71
Hip Hop and Journalism!
-For the Uncensored!
The condition of journalism is not an art, but the way the media has led itself into a shit show of jumping off media controversy is indeed an art form. It’s what was used to be called “yellow journalism” as the word was used to describe news stories that fabricated lies in order to sell magazines. It’s no different than a circus, maybe. But what makes hip hop and journalism once again a prescient topic is that without the Internet, there would be no independent media sources that could claim the title of “Alternative media.”
Hip Hop, rap, is such a contentious test of the medium. From break beats in the 80’s, scratching on records, to hard core lyricism in the 90’s, to mumble rap in the 2000’s to the present, lame stream journalists have always targeted rappers as it drew the attention of the government on N.W.A, as they received a letter from the government, on their stance against police brutality in the 80’s. Dr. Dre himself slapped a journalist, Dee Barnes, but has since made a public apology as of 2013. When the groups film “Straight Outta Compton” premiered.
The media is not blameless in their role against hip hop and rappers as many journalists didn’t really get the phenomenon that was born in the streets of Bronx. Moving from there to the south, and the west coast, Hip Hop and Rap of the 80’s and 90’s, were the pinnacle and maturing platform of the day.
The media, in there sincerity, never got hip hop or rap. They thought it was just “angry music” but they don’t get the lyricism that delves into an artists world view. As KRS-One (Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everything) states, in The World is Mind, “Hip is to know, it's a form of intelligence. To be hip is to be update and relevant. Hop is a form of movement, you can't just observe a hop, you gotta hop up and do it. Hip and hop is more than music Hip is the Knowledge, hop is the Movement. Hip and Hop is Intelligent movement.”[i]
But what the media will have to wear is their ignorance against the rappers themselves, usually chasing after their personal life, trying to expose them and their faults. 2Pac, after being released on bail, was infamously spitting at the media. It’s still a shocking video to this day, but something is wrong here. Shouldn’t the media taken an interest in a growing rap stars success and his trials being fair and balanced at the same time.
But there are five men that have ultimately destroyed the image of media in hip hop but also took it to far off places. Two publishers/owners of a magazine—Dave Mayes, Benzino—DJ Akademics, DJ Vlad, two journalists—and Joe Budden, one failed rapper.
For many hip hop/rap aficionados, the Source, was a small Boston paper, printed out on loose leaf, to which he handed out himself. Started in 1988, it seemed to cover chronicle much of hip hops word and brought success and attention to many artists that needed more attention. Including an “unsigned hype” section where the back was devoted to an independent artist.
Growing into a worldwide icon of rap journalism, the Source, would rate an album based on Mics, and the rating goes from 1 Mic to 5. 1 being poor or terrible to 5 being a classic. As of 2022, it only circulates two physical copies a year.
It felt like everyone in the Source, originally owned by Dave Mayes, was according to Eminem, or Marshall Mathers, “the Bible of Hip-Hop” and the Source’s word was gold.
But that didn’t last long. When rapper Benzino, Raymond Leon Scott, became co-owner of the Source, it took a turn for the worse. Many in Hip Hop felt that Benzino didn’t earn his place to become a great MC, or rapper, and used the Source as clout for his acts.
Maybe it’s yellow journalism, but Benzino, a small pimple on the ass of Hip-Hop, faded away into nothingness after his feud with Eminem early 2000’s feud failed to garner success. It was an embarrassment for Benzino and also Dave Mayes, then owner of the Source. Benzino served on the Source staff from 2003-2006. But what makes contentious strife between Hip Hop and Journalism is that rappers ultimately believe journalists rarely try to critique the art and solely focusing on the artist instead.
It does make sense. I don’t care, personally, that the Game, a Compton rapper, has a show where he documents his life. I want to know that he still makes great music. Not watch his life unfold on television.
But that hasn’t happened in years. Rap journalism is as faulty and abysmal as the lame stream media. It drove 2Pac insane, which is why rappers are wary of speaking to the press. If Roger Stone’s rule is “Don’t be hostile to the press” then that rule should apply everywhere. But when rap is sensational itself, which part of the kettle do rappers belong to?
But if youtubers are then another branch of the tree with alternative journalism, then DJ Akademics, is a curious, yet hilarious figure in the world of entertainment journalism. Born on May 17th, 1991, in Spanish Town Jamaica, DJ, Livingston Allen, reminds me of many youtubers who are doing what they need to dominate views and respect in entertainment journalism. By refuting the insults and threats of rappers shows that his bias is for the story first, and not for the artist. While he does have a friendship with Tekashi 69, a rapper turned snitch, his early career proved that he was willing to fight for his place. Constantly covering entertainment and kissing the artists ass is not typically what a journalist is supposed to do. And Akademiks doesn’t do that. If rappers can’t answer questions all they have to do is say, “I can’t comment on that, next question” as DJ Vlad once said, and he’ll leave it alone.
Born Vlad Lubovny, in Kyviv, Ukraine on June 28th, 1973, DJ Vlad’s alma mater University of California, started out originally in computer science programs. Only to then find his passion for cutting records and rising his way through the record companies. Turning his camera on the artists, he can sometimes hit or miss. But at least DJ Vlad can be honest at some point, and teach future guests on how to deal with him and anyone in the press.
With helping artists better situate an interview, DJ Vlad, has his limits and ethics in journalism meanwhile labeled the “culture vulture” in the hip hop game. But then, rappers don’t like being asked questions, either. They think, by design, they are Gods. Well, if they have an asshole, they certainly are human.
And that’s what celebrities are treated like in the media. Gods. But the rap game has its fair share of beef with the media. They should. I don’t find Nipsey Hustle interesting when he trashes DJ Akademiks, but can’t trash the media he’s on. If you’re going to hate the media, you might as well hate it all.
But the money is too good. Rappers want to prosper, and being nice to journalists would greatly benefit them. But then it becomes an attention game. And not about actually asking serious questions.
Even New York’s Queensbridge rapper, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, has been featured on the show Info Wars. It just depends what you want to talk about. The media can sometimes be an accepting place, other times, it sucks. So, even as the Source is now a dead puppet in Hip-Hop, podcasters now don’t have to ask hard questions because they are their peers and not going to push the rappers patience at all. Which is a good and a bad thing, depending on the context.
But to wrap this up, as this is a large history of hip hop and journalism, the finale of this piece, belongs to New Jersey’s own failed rapper become podcaster, Joe Budden. Out of all the great journalists, Joe Budden is someone whose rap career is shorter than his patience and journalist, Joe Budden is not. Even when he himself will leave his own podcast, just out of the sure fuckery of his impatient attitude, letting his assistants take care of the show after. That’s just an example, but does his street appeal often mean that makes him a good journalist?
No. So, he’s at fault far more than DJ Akademiks, who was once a host on Everyday Struggle, Budden’s “hit” podcast. I use hit in quotation marks for a reason. If you can understand the rambling screaming incoherence that Joe Budden is, as if his little rap world is so important to the larger vast complicate world we live in. But journalism and covering dick breath celebrities is only as fun as…nothing else, it isn’t. But as I said before, journalists can often antagonize rappers, but if rappers can’t be asked basic to hard questions, then they aren’t worth the money used for studio time. Nor is Joe Budden reporting on anyone in his field. He’s having a conversation.
But to summarize this creates more pressing questions. Is journalism really a valuable field in the world of entertainment anymore? When rappers have their own social media accounts, why does the press still actually matter. For a brief period of time, it did matter with the main stream journalists. As I regale about the dying form of journalism, nothing can really bring it back either. Just the frail crusted come trail of a entertainment mogul, Joe Budden, just like the Source, are a hollow shell of entertainment journalism. A dead dog in the middle of the road. When people see that dead dog they say, “Oh, that’s the Source and Joe Budden. It stinks.”
[i] https://globaltexanchronicles.com/words-krs-one/. Global Texas Chronicles. June 4th, 2017. Found 03.02.2022.