O'Shea Jackson knows that answer as well as other famous African-American Rap/Hip Hop artists. They were brought up in ghetto culture and they have gained the respect from their peers.
Exactly...The question is why? I know that 'bad boys' have certain appeal to pre-teen and teenage girls but this is different. These guys represent actual criminal activity don't they? A lot of them have been murdered as well. The continuing criminality of drugs will only exacerbate this counter-culture lifestyle. But it does put lots of $$$$$ into the coffers of sycophant liberal corporations. Lots of capitalism goin' on there among socialists.
By actually living the life and not pretending too. By being true to where they came from. Today though rapping is a lot like wrestling, a bunch of people who put on a show based off a persona they made up, and pretending it is real.
Well that could mean a lot of things, but I am talking about just simply being real and not lying about what you have done or where you came from. For instance,Slim Jesus rapping about killing, all the guns he had, and whatever else you can think of. His video went viral and gained something around 20million views. He built up a rep obviously. But then he made a video talking about how he is really "not about that life" , he just likes rapping about it. He immediately lost all credibility and is now nothing but something to laugh at. Basically, just be true to your fans and you wont have a problem. Many rappers get called out for pretending to be something they are not and then making money off their lies. Trust me, there are very few rappers today who are taken seriously about what they say, because 90% of rappers are full of crap. Basically dont talk about life in the hood when your ass never experienced it. At the same time, the ones that do not talk about that can still get slammed. Like Kanye West who talks about black struggle and all of his other nonsense when his ass grew up in the upper middle class and went to the finer schools. He has no idea what struggle is other than getting into his skinny jeans or which skirt he is going to wear. Tyga has also come under fire for this. There is no such thing as a certain life to be a rapper, just dont pretend to live someone elses life as your backstory.
OK thanks...Basically rappers have to tell their own original story. What if their story does not include guns and killing or hood-living? Is it still called rap?
Rappers dont have to tell their own original story, but if they want respect from other rappers it is best not to lie about who you are. Basically, just like making friends you want to be honest with them, because if you are a liar nobody wants to play with you lol. rap though is just the style of music, you don't have to be a straight up hoodlum to be a rapper. There are many rappers who were not or are not gangsters or rapped like one.
Who says rapper even needs street cred? I've made beats for years and worked with many local artists.... I've never claimed gang nonsense, I was just known as a dude that knows how to make dope beats and engineer dope records.... Besides, the whole organized gang nonsense died a long time ago.... One doesn't have to be a gangbanger to have street cred either..... Violence or being a hard ass doesn't necessarily have much to do with being respected or having credit... I don't really work with gangbangers anymore, nor produce much rap anymore - I could, but I just think I'm contributing to a lifestyle I no longer can agree with.... Hell, I haven't made much digital music in nearly a year.... I've really just lost my passion - more like writers block but whatever.... If I work with another rapper it will have to be positive rap/hip-hop or nerdcore or something..
It's not really about "street cred". It's about authenticity. Making music that reflects who you are. Be it if you were a drug dealer like Meek Mill or a poor kid growing up in Fayetteville, NC like J. Cole or a white hipster from Seattle like Macklemore. If you are real in your music and the audience can relate to you, they will respect you. The idea of street cred is kind of an outdated one.
Exactly, be who you are and let your music be who you are.... Street cred is a myth.... I mean perhaps at times you will need to be vouched for but if you got it you got it, if you suck you get better or retire... IMO If you're obsessed with image or being a star then music is not your gig... Confidence is way more important than "street cred"....
