Mr. Oliver Wang–better known as O-Dub from Poplicks–recently wrote an article about “coke rap” and its recent upswing in popularity. I’ve got quite a few issues with the piece, but the most glaring of these can be found in the rather ridiculous statement that “the roots of this fad [of ‘coke rap’] date back to 2002, with the critical and commercial success of both Scarface’s ‘The Fix’ and especially the Clipse’s ‘Lord Willin.’” I don’t think it’s nitpicky to insist that it is patently ridiculous to suggest that the roots of “coke rap” can be found in 2002. Dudes BEEN rapping about coke basically since dudes started rapping.
Yes, it is true that the internet is goin’ nuts for coke rap these days, with everyone from pitchfork to your friend’s roommates dripping with enthusiasm that Jeezy’s album effectively reveals “the wisdom in his ignorance and ignorance in his wisdom,” and that the new Clipse record proves that they are “hip-hop’s meanest, smartest duo.” But, just because the internet is goin’ nuts for something doesn’t mean that (a) the rest of the world necessarily is, or–as in this particular case–(b) that this phenomenon did not exist off the internet.
Yeah, I said it: “off the internet.”
I know it’s hard to fathom that there are people out there who’s proximity to the internet is about equal to most of our proximities to a jail cell, but, please believe it. Some people don’t use the internet all that frequently. To many of these who are rap fans, “coke rap” ain’t nothing new. In fact, “coke rap” is not a new genre of rap, and it’s not even worth re-labeling it a genre. People have been rapping about all sorts of foul shit since the very beginning of this here rap shit. Misogyny, homophobia, violence, poverty, drug-use, and drug-dealing? All of these buzz words have been common-to-the-point-of-cliche themes in rap music since your momma first smacked your wrist ’til it was red because she caught you with a tape with a “Parental Advisory” sticker on it.
So, let’s please stop pretending like rappers who rap about coke are somehow different then their many forefathers and that this is somehow a “fad.” This is rap music, god damn it. People rap about a bunch of different shit, and one of the things that people have a history of rapping about in this here game is drugs.
By the way, even though O-Dub’s piece has its shortcomings and its very existence is questionable, his analysis of what he calls “coke rap” is absolutely on-point:
It’s tempting to read crack rap as a form of imagined nostalgia. Most of these rappers would’ve been too young to remember the height of the crack epidemic in the ’80s, yet this may be what makes it easier to romanticize the trade and gloss over its deleterious impact.Â
“However, what’s being promoted isn’t nihilism, despite appearances otherwise: It’s crack as a metaphor for power. Drugs are deeply symbolic in our culture — not just in hip-hop but American pop life — of escape, pleasure, obsession and despair. For a young cadre of rappers trying to one-up their peers, coke has resonated as their signifier for mastery and control.
If hip-hop respects nothing else, it’s the idea that simple things can move minds and bodies, whether that power is found in a gun trigger, a raised fist, a mic grip or, as it now seems, trapped in a glass vial.”
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