- Home
- Business & Marketing (839)
- Editorials (696)
- Entertainment (2037)
- Fashion (1035)
- Highbrid (189)
- Honeys (2883)
- Humor (955)
- Music (5234)
- Need to Know (2265)
- News (2133)
- Podcasts (4)
- Politics (15)
- ARCHIVE
Thursday, March 26, 2009 | 3:05pm
UPDATE: MTV’s RESPONDS TO ‘Asher Roth = Moses’ RANT
“He’s the Hip-Hop Goodwill Ambassador, and he has to succeed.” See this is the bullsh*t I’m talking about.
UPDATE: This afternoon I received an email from James Montgomery, the MTV News correspondent responsible for the article at the center of my scathing Rant. I have included his comments and a brief rebuttal at the end of the post.
Although Nas‘ proclaimed “Hip Hop is Dead” in December or 2006, I might have just read its obituary. In an article entitled “Asher Roth Is Proof That Hip-Hop Has Won” that caught my eye on MTV.com, delusional columnist, James Montgomery laments (or should I say gives journalistic fellatio to) burgeoning rapper Asher Roth.
Throughout the article, Montgomery tries to convince readers that the arrival of Asher is somehow vindication of the oft-credited importance of rich white kids’ buying power to the game as if White Suburbia should all of a sudden be dubbed the 5th element of Hip Hop.
For the record, I’ve heard some of Asher Roth’s material and I find him entertaining. His flow is on point in drunk frat boy kind of way and his subject cache is refreshing in this day of carbon copy raps. That said lets not overstate his importance to the game. Dude just stepped on the scene and the white boy lobby group over at MTV is already launching his Hall of Fame campaign.
“He needs to seize those opportunities [available to him],” Montgomery said in his column. “Because he’s also carrying the entire future of hip-hop on his skinny little shoulders. He’s the Hip-Hop Goodwill Ambassador, and he has to succeed.”
SAYS WHO?! B.I.G. needed to succeed. Sh*t he needed to live and how did that work out? Hip Hop needs to stop falling for this trap of allowing the White Corporate Music political machine at MTV or local radio station programming departments determine what is dope. I digress…
Montgomery very eloquently describes Asher Roth’s lyrical style as one that addresses “things like Teddy Ruxpin and pizza, he doesn’t have a thuggish bone in his body, and his lyrics have the depth of a kiddie pool.” So what’s so great about that? Now we’re praising rappers for their lack of lyrical prowess? I thought the whole point was to be dope? Once again I’m not denying his creativity but while creativity may make an artist, it does not make a GREAT artist.
In the end Montgomery’s point is that Asher is “proof that hip-hop has won?” We needed ASHER ROTH for that vindication?! What about Jay-Z performing “Wonderwall” at Glastonbury much to the chagrin of Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher or 50 Cent and his Vitamin Water deal, The Roots being chosen as the house band for NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon? I could go on. Shit we won back in the 80′s when Run DMC raised their sneakers to the heavens and proclaimed “MY ADIDAS!” We didn’t need no snot nose bed head drunk college frat boy type from the ‘burbs to justify our existence. Give me a break.
Montgomery is either very lost or extremely calculated but a little sloppy. His claims that passing “off hip-hop as music made ‘by a people for a people.’” is somehow “terrible” is insane. Hip Hop IS by the people for a people…HIP HOP people! That’s the whole point. Hip Hop is about inclusion. I don’t want to make this about black or white because its not, but its about values. Hip Hop was founded and deep rooted in a base of a rebellious struggle for creative expression. Most of that came out of the ghettos inhabited by black folks in the 70′s and 80′s. But at the same time, Rick Rubin (a white dude) was a pioneer in that struggle but he understood the plight of the movement towards an organized culture. But with the lack of respect the post Golden Era generation has for the music, Hip Hop has opened her doors for imposters and all types of shenanigans.
Today court jesters like Soulja Boy, Lil Wayne or even Joaquin Phoenix with the support of radio payola, special interest and slick ass journalist like Montgomery can not only chisel out a career for themselves but re-write the history books confusing an already gullible youth that the trash they choose to feed them is gourmet. PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN. No one is saying Hip Hop isn’t or shouldn’t be crossover worthy but the music must stay true to the essense…the struggle. The culture has clearly become a victim of its own success. With every success story, the traditioins of the past become lost. In the words of my man Dap from “School Daze”…”WAKE UP!”
In response to my rant, MTV author of “Asher Roth Is Proof That Hip-Hop Has Won” sent me the following email:
I think the point i was making (or fellating, as you put it) was that roth is proof that hip hop has completely enveloped all aspects of our culture. he makes the point of every hip hop detractor (the bill o’reillys, etc) moot simply by existing and flourishing. i mean, yes, i know that rick rubin was white. i know about serch. but mainstream media does not. the average frat guy does not. that’s the point. roth is that tangible proof — anyone without an encyclopedic knowledge (or whatever kind of knowledge is necessary to know who mc serch is, sufficed to say it a “slightly more than casual” one) can look at him and go … wow, you know what, i could do that. i understand that.
if, as you point out, “Hip Hop is about inclusion,” well, then these should all be good things. it has nothing to do with the fact that asher roth is white, it has everything to do with the fact that he is who he is — a kid from the suburbs, went to college, loves weed, etc — and he didn’t have to validate himself or inflate his past to get to where he is today. and if hip hop as an artform, as a cultural force, is to be truly recognized, and to be truly accepted, well, then it needs to be inclusive. it needs to realize that rappers can come from anywhere. there is no MC in a box. that’s why asher needs to succeed. not to save hip hop, but to bring it into the standing it so rightly deserves.
this might be about the dumbest way to go about this, but hey, sometimes things dont need to be smart or precision guided — in fact, the majority of the people don’t notice if they are — they need to be big, dumb and blunt-force.
yours in slick-ass journalism,
James Montgomery
MTV news
While I most certainly welcome the debate I think Montgomery is digging himself a deeper whole. Am I to believe that lil ole Asher Roth is the FIRST EMCEE to provide “proof that hip hop has completely enveloped all aspects of our culture?” I’ve already given numerous examples of that in my previous comments.
I find it hard to believe that we need ROTH to play like Moses and somehow lead us out of bondage. Please! We’ve been turning heads since the 80′s. If anything, Montgomery and the MTV machine should be apologizing for not recognizing Hip Hop’s influence sooner.
Sure white suburbia’s Hip Hop fans can relate more to Asher’s plight but why is that important? They were buying (downloading) rap music long before he came along. If anything it speaks to the diluting of the culture and her music. If there has ever been a major criticism of the rise of Run DMC its that relating more to their fan base than the futuristic, space age cowboys that came before them (see Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) it made every kid in the hood feel like they could rap even when the couldn’t or more importantly…shouldn’t. Paz!
FILED IN Editorials, Music
Well played sir! I am feeling this rant on so many levels right now. I mean really, they are giving acolades to this newbie whose most notable (only?) single is “I love college”…I like to think myself a consiour of diverse music and regardless of genre–in the case of Asher Roth–I remain unimpressed.
Oh and literary felatio– hahahahahahhaha rotfl I cannot breathe!!!!
Its cool to recognize dude but this clown Montgomery is bugging big time.
There you go, Rico! Asher Roth is definitely NOT Hip-Hop. He’s more like a cast on a broken leg of Hip Hop. You feel sorry for him, so you listen to his music.
.
This goes back to yesterday when we were talking about Eminem. I guess you proved me wrong for a change. I’m man enough to admit that.
You notice I didn’t even bring up yesterday or draw a link to that post. I don’t want people to think this has anything to do with White or Black. It has more to do with Hip Hop and this corny impostor we’re subjected to today.
The “mainstream” (code word for white establishment) has always looked to control all aspects of non-white entities. Hip Hop was the latest genre they took over (and they did take it over, as evidenced by the mostly unoriginal trash that that passes as rap music today). They have succeeded to a great degree because of the carrot they dangle in front of our artists, who (and I’m really not passing judgement here) are more interested in the bling bling than staying true to their craft.(That is the world we live in). Rappers snatch that carrot, but have to sell their souls to do it. Mainstream Artists have little control of their careers or their music. They are owned and when they want to rebel, they find themselves out the door and broke so fast…so they conform. And you can count people like Diddy in that “mainstream.” If you watch Making the Band, you see that he is the only one getting paid off them kids!
That is so true. Its rather ironic that a culture built on breaking lose from that control…escaping Big Brother has fallen victim to its grip like no other. Really sad…like I said Hip Hop was dead…this was just another eulogy.
“or should I say gives journalistic fellatio”…LMAO, classic.
*
People are so desperate for a reigning hip hop act that they are willing to take anything right now and that really sucks. It kills me when people justify accepting garbage music by saying that the people who don’t like it are old when the rappers that make the crap are in their 30′s.
*
Roth is a good contribution to the genre, fitting into that animated funny hip hop like the eminems and beastie boys of the rap world but lets not get too carried away with the big-ups, he’s ok at best. Some journalist are just dumb and know nothing about the music they write about, that’s why I ignore a good majority of them and make my own judgements.
“Ok at best” exactly. You hit the nail on the head, he’s animated hip hop. A cartoon character. What happens when that drunk college roommate shtick runs dry? What he’s going to be an 20 year super-senior? I equate this coronation to those who said Travis Minor was Baby Micheal Jordan.
FYI Juan great job!
Thank you…just trying to call em out when I see em.
yeah i don’t know about all this
I haven’t read the author’s article at MTV and I don’t care to based on your “rant”. Actually, it has more to do with the limited time I have. However, I’ll say that this is the best “rant” I’ve read thus far. You’ve made great points and I will not go against any of them.
.
Keep on keeping on.
very nice rant! cosign 100 %! keep it up Juan.
We’re on the same page?! I’m shocked lol j/k.
instead of complaining, why not DO something about it!?
I believe I just did. Its not enough to just not buy his album or not support MTV cause I generally don’t anyway. I felt the need to counteract this ridiculous propaganda with the most powerful vehicle I know…my keyboard and Highbrid Nation. While it isn’t MTV.com, I hope that I’ve helped to open some eyes out there.
.
FYI I emailed the author of the story and his editor as well to voice my displeasure.
And America didn’t exist until a White Person discovered it. Here we go again…first it was with Vaudeville, then Rock and Roll, Jazz and they gotta get Hip-Hop. Didn’t we go through this with Vanilla Ice already….Hip-Hop isn’t dead, it’s just not “alternative” or underground anymore, which makes it dead to some people BUT accepted to the masses. You can’t go backwards, the foundation has already been laid down. Good Rant…because it hits the points that people seem to be reminded of, Hip-Hop and Rap culture isn’t even close to being new, it has a 30 something year history behind it already and has already crossed over.
I agree Hip Hop is no longer Hip Hop. Hip Hop is a collaborative genre with many different styles under the umbrealla of Hip Hop.
Sorry to say it is a Black and White thing in my opinion. We can’t have anything to ourselves. From our language,style of dress to our music even down to sororities and fraternities. Other cultures especially white people always find a way to infultrate and imbed their own opinions and directions in which way we should move and how our culture should be dictated. I have a big problem with that because we have yet to fully infultrate their culture and change anything about it. Ours has been changed drastically. The only thing I can say is people are making more money, but then again there is a glass ceiling on that also because at the top are white people.
I don’t mind so much the crossover aspect, but what I want is a clear cut vision of genres with in hip hop. You have rap, you have hip hop, you have concious etc.. So many levels under the umbrealla of our music it is rude and a disrespect to hip hop to place people in categories they do not belong! You can’t call every rapper an MC or say he is Hip Hop! Asher Roth, never heard a song but have heard his name and heard about his style, he is not hip hop!
this guy here
“He’s the Hip-Hop Goodwill Ambassador, and he has to succeed.” LOL, wow! Somebody got beside themselves. This begs me to wonder, why an artist with the caliber of a Joell Ortiz, or even Saigon, that’s fairly new, isn’t gratified or even considered such a stature. Is it race? Apparently not, according to thee disenfranchised columnist. Maybe it just comes down to whose more of a token in the hands of Corporate Mainstream? Either way, I see this as an ongoing power struggle or lack of true Hip Hop scholars being the talking heads of the culture.
.
Good ish on the rant, had a lot of insight to it & on getting through to MTV.
I’m so sick and tired of this “Savior of Hip-Hop” arguemnet that people have been having for years. No-one is the savior or the next big thing. Niggas come along blow up sell a few mill and then fall off. And then someone new comes along and the cycle keeps going. It’s about which Gimmick will sell the most this yr. Last yr. it silly kid dances, and the vocoder, this year its Frat Boy drug induced party lyrics, and bland Pop Champagne/Blame it on the Goose/All of the ABOVE/We the Beeeest/Live ya life type of songs. Next Year it will be something else. Everything Hip-Hop is for sale to the highest Bidder that’s why all the Hot Neptunes/Swiss/Premier/Kanye/Timberland beats that Nore,Clipse, Nas, Talib,and dudes like Jadakiss used to get now go to Britney Spears, Christina Aguilara, Gwen Steffani, Fergi, and Justin Timberlake
i couldn’t have said it better!!! you LITERALLY said everything i was thinking
This Montgomery guy has gotten carried away with his analysis of Roth’s relevance to Hip Hop.
“Because he’s also carrying the entire future of hip-hop on his skinny little shoulders. He’s the Hip-Hop Goodwill Ambassador, and he has to succeed.”
Personally, I don’t understand this statement, why does he have to succeed, what is it about Asher Roth that’s going change HipHop. Should he be the goodwill Ambassador because of his non threatening appearance, why him and not someone like Lupe Fiasco. Regardless of what I think of Asher’s music he is no Lupe Fiasco nor is he the “Future of HipHop”. With statements like that being thrown around on a whim it’s no surprise that HipHip has become diluted and misrepresented. I never thought I’d see the day when an “Alex P. Keaton” type of dude would be the future of HipHop.
Juan: “…Dude just stepped on the scene and the white boy lobby group over at MTV is already launching his Hall of Fame campaign.”
LOL, you’re killing me Juan.
Awesome rant Juan…keep this good *ish coming