In no other music genre, credibility
matters in rap music just as much if not more than the ability to make good
music. Much of this attitude comes hip-hop culture's obsession with
authenticity or "being real." It could also stem from the
media's obsession of exposing public figures of their true characters ever
since the Watergate scandal in the 1970s. Reporters realized that finding dirt
on famous people is big business, and the media has never been the same since.
As quick as they are to put stars on a pedestal, the media is quick to
take them down. Naturally, hip hop culture reflects this mentality, for many
hip hop enthusiasts criticized anyone who did not live the life that they talk
about in their music. Neither hardcore gangsta rappers nor politically
driven emcees are safe. If you start gaining notoriety, then expect the
dirt to come out. Expect any action, quote, or opinion to be overly
scrutinized. The microscope is on you, so you better have yourself prepared for
the storm.
Hip-hop is strange, though. Despite
this attitude, some rappers escape the mega criticism others face. The media will attack them. Other emcees will spend verse upon
verse disparaging their reputation, usually to gain more notoriety
themselves. However, these rappers
march on to super stardom. The best example is Ice Cube. As a
founding member of NWA and as a solo artist, he was one of the icons of gangsta
rap in the early 1990s. Funny thing is he had no criminal record before
he started rapping. In fact, he completed a year of college in Arizona
before joining NWA. His family was middle class, and he lived a life far
from the dope stories that he told. It did not matter that much because the
music was dope and also had some substance. He also had some respect for the culture, which is something
Vanilla Ice lacked, leading to his tragic yet hilarious downfall. Ice Cube's music began to reflect his
real life going into the 2000s, but surprisingly, fans clamored for him to
return to his gangsta form. He
eventually did with 2006's Laugh Now, Cry
Later, and it received positive reviews and some commercial success. As much as a rapper deals with the
critics about his or her background, the bottom line is that if the music is
banging, then the public does not care about their lives outside of it.
