Or: “How Everything Wrong With Rap Right Now Can Be Unpacked Via Two Of The Odd Future Kids Rapping Over “4th Chamber.”
So, you’ve got Domo Genesis and Hodgy Beats, part of the oft-compared to Wu Tang crew Odd Future, confirming their fans’ lunkheaded, connect-the-dots hype/mythology in the laziest way possible: Rapping (not even that well, mind you) over a beyond-classic RZA beat. It makes sense. Too much sense.
Then there’s Pharrell, a pop-rap genius producer, known for a goofy falsetto and lumpy verses here and there. For 2006’s In My Mind: The Prequel, he teamed up with DJ Drama, a dude from Philadelphia who made a name for himself compiling Southern hip-hop mixtapes. Together, they made one of the weirdest entries in the trap-rap mixtape series. It nods to Pharrell’s backpack rap origins just because, but mostly features raps about high-end fashion and models over Young Jeezy hits and 80s and 90s rap classics. Pharrell raps over two Liquid Swords productions. This is how dude promoted his solo debut. Think about that.
Now, it’s the next-big-thing iconoclasts that tow the party line–almost expertly so. Pharrell took that line and bent it back on itself until it was a big continuum of hip-hop: Backpacker shit, trap-rap, gritty NYC stuff, moody synthy pop-rap and more. It’s really this simple: Pharrell violated the sanctity of Liquid Swords much better.
As I (and others) said before, perhaps Odd Future are best understood not as iconoclasts out of nowhere, but subversive opportunistic shitfucks toying with the system from the inside, exposing Nahright and 2DopeBoyz as ad whores, highlighting the boring biases of the bleeding edge tastemakers, and showing the goon from Gorilla Vs. Bear to be one more guy who suddenly starts writing in rap slang when he blogs about hip-hop!!!!!.
Can’t argue with any of that.
Thun
13 Apr 11 at 1:32 am
I hate to be the one to defend OF here, but I find this a confusing critique. Compared to countless other crews, Tyler and Co. just like seem to like what they like, regardless of whether it’s got the “real hip-hop” stamp on it. They co-sign Flocka and NERD and Jeezy and Toro Y Moi and Beiber; “Backpacker shit, trap-rap, gritty NYC stuff, moody synthy pop-rap…”–I’ve heard most of those styles used in Tyler and Left Brain’s productions.
If they were trying to make people think of Wu-Tang, wouldn’t they shout them out more? Seems more like the Wu comparisons got forced on them and they were like “Fuck it, let’s rhyme over ‘Liquid Swords.”
I think this makes more sense as a critique of lame bloggers who want OF to save hip hop and bring ‘94 back or some shit. Jackasses wanting OF to be the new Wu-Tang is just fucking pathetic and I’m sick of reading comments like “I haven’t listened to rap in years but OF reminds me why I used to love it.”
Daniel
13 Apr 11 at 2:49 am
Nah man, you’re certainly right. I do think it’s interesting though that as they sorta rise up, Tyler might shout-out the shit he likes or pose with Bieber, but there’s an increased sense of really simplifying their image. It just seems like the perfect time to release this and that makes me feel weird.
Brandon
13 Apr 11 at 3:01 am
Yeah, I think Tyler is kind of torn, like he wants to be famous so he’ll come out with midgets and zombies on TV, but then in other interviews (like the Drone magazine one) he’ll seem like a real thoughtful dude that doesn’t want to be pigeonholed.
Daniel
13 Apr 11 at 3:11 am
Yeah and I mean, I’m far more cynical about these guys, unfairly so maybe (though I do kinda love how it’s becoming this thing I can talk to about with any rap nerd and anyone under 20) but I just think it’s part of their success. You’re not really allowed to say anything about them because they’ll contradict it, or with all the rape stuff, “We’re just joking.”
Brandon
13 Apr 11 at 3:23 am
I almost wanna give them the benefit of the doubt and say this is like an OF experiment just to see lazy fans’/critics’ reactions to the supposed OF-Wu connection. I think Tyler’s been pretty vocal about them not being anything close to Wu so I feel like he’d wanna just fck around and fuel the fires just to expose wackness of critics or something. It doesn’t really make sense to me any other way because I think during the Pete Rosenberg interview, they were saying they didn’t grow up on Wu-Tang really. So it’s not like they just wanted to hop on a fave instrumental from their childhoods or anything (btw, how hilarious is it to ask 16yo’s what they grew up listening to? They’re still 16)
quan
13 Apr 11 at 6:30 am
Man, quan took the words out of my mouth and said it much better. I was gonna say maybe its some post modern, rapping badly on a Wu track that everyone will embrace any way. lol.
Fernando
14 Apr 11 at 1:18 am
Do youve got a spam concern on this internet site; I also am a blogger, and I was wondering your scenario; we have developed some good techniques and we are searching to exchange solutions with other individuals, be positive to shoot me an e-mail if serious.
cheap seismic retrofitting
10 Jun 12 at 1:02 am
Can you email me with some hints about how you made this blog look this awesome , Id be appreciative!
home builders perth
11 Jun 12 at 7:13 pm
Thank you so much for the comment. Please feel free to pass along to others. I enjoy helping others in their real estate transactions so if I can be of any help to you and your friends please let me know.
Refugio Moskos
11 Jan 13 at 5:14 pm