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Rap-balladic artists are not respected: LL Cool J to Drake
Monday 8th July 2013 | Magdalene
In 1987 young LL Cool J released ‘I Need Love’. Probably unknown at the time of its release, the song was the start of a musical revolution. Its success to the disgust of hard core hip-hop fans sent ripples through the hip hop scene. LL cool J’s song adopted a ‘soft’ style which bred a new hip-hop sub-genre called the rap-ballad.
LL Cool J was ahead of his time’ Steve Yates
Prior to LL’s experimental single, the merger of romance and hip-hop was pretty much unheard of. With much of hip-hop concerned with masculine, sexual glorification –LL Cool J's romantic track proved to be quite the novelty. Though heavily criticised at the time, the 'I Need Love' singlehandedly established hip-hop's versatility showing that hip-hop could portray romance and heartbreak just as well as other musical genres.
"What Dre and NWA did for gangsta rap music I did for romantic music" - LL cool J
LL's musical move opened up a new sector of hip hop that gradually intercepted the work of many rappers after him. Consequently the rap ballad sub-genre has become a commercial success raking in high record sales since its conception. For example one of Eminem’s most successful single to date is a rap ballad 'Love The Way You Lie', considering that Em is the bestselling rapper of all time goes to show how the rap ballad genre has come a long way.
"Drake is the new LL Cool" - Jamie Foxx
With the best-selling rap album of 2011 and referred to as the 'new movement', no artist has successfully succeeded Mr LL quite like Canadian rapper Drake. Drake, like LL Cool J, has produced a career with its foundations cemented in romantic exploration and if his album sales are anything to go by it is certainly working. Yet despite his commercial success Drake remains one of the most mocked rappers of our time. Drake's effeminate musical style has made him the target of harsh and comical criticism.
"I don't want to hear Drake sing about girls the way he sings about girls. I need to respect him" - Estelle
Publicly slammed by DMX, Lil Kim and dubbed 'corny' by rapper Charlamagne Tha God. Drake's 'softness' is evidently something that many hip hop fans have a problem with. In the words of Common, Drake is just to 'sweet' for hip-hop. Of course many rappers release music about love, loneliness and heartbreak but few go as far as Drake in allowing this romantic expression to define them as an artist.
"I love to study women, I love to study the behavioural patterns of women..I'm inspired by the makeup of women" - Drake
Drake being the modern day flagbearer for the rap ballad sub-genre openly admits to writing for women. However it seems that his chosen demographic has the ability to alienate hip hop fans. LL Cool J argues that the rise of the rap ballad was particularly beneficial for women's representation within hip hop arguing that it 'doesn't down women and tell them they aint nothing' like other sub-genres in hip hop perhaps?
There may be some truth to this, in Drake's 'Make Me Proud' he includes a rather cringe-worthy feminist representation of a young lady 'That's why you want to have no sex, why you want to protest/Why you want to fight for your right'
His rather cliché depiction is not particularly great but it is certainly worthy of recognition. Drake is undoubtedly comfortable with pouring out his heart on a record just as LL Cool J was in the 80s. Our disapproval of Drake's 'softness' brings to light another and perhaps more profound issue within hip-hop. As a society we seem far more comfortable with hearing rappers rap about ‘bitches and hoes’ as opposed to males rapping about love or heartbreak the way Drake does. If this is the case perhaps the rap ballad genre was not as progressive as LL believed it to be. Rapper Common makes a good point stating it is not that ‘softer’ songs within hip-hop shouldn't exist but that they shouldn't saturate the art. Maybe a balance in hip-hop is necessary for it to maintain consistent credibility.
So is it the case that rap ballads are not respected? It certainly appears so. Drake often plays the heartbroken or smitten partner and as a result his lyrics are often humorously looked upon. Lyrics such as 'You could have my heart or we could share it like the last slice' certainly invite laughter but maybe this is because we can all secretly relate to them. Ostensibly whilst many of us criticise Drake for his sweetness, his records sell ridiculously well - so someone is lying! It is no secret that music about love sells and Drake has mastered this art just as LL Cool J did before him. Drake is the rapper that we all love to hate and hate to love.
Drizzy is hip-hop’s guilty pleasure!
ConstantRigor @ConstantRigor http://constantrigor.wordpress.com/
