The birth of white hip-hop

the release of 8 Mile was a sad day in hip-hop history.



Right now, all the people in my office who saw the movie and had never

thought about hip-hop before Friday, other than to talk about how unmusical

it was ... are all at this very moment discussing this film and saying "NOW

i get it! this music is more than just dirty talk over annoying beats...

it's word combat... it's ART"



On top of that, you have all of the people who have been listening to Eminem

for the last two years coming up to ME and saying, "They just don't get it

do they."  My response, "and who exactly is THEY?"

THEY look the same as you to me!  But, oh, I understand, you GOT IT a long

time ago and now they're late.  I get it, that's why YOU are down with the

brothas right?



I can't help but think that this is how it happened with Elvis.



well... maybe it's not sad, maybe it's better. After all, Elvis took the

music he played to a wider audience than any black artist had ever done.  So

maybe it's good for hip-hop since more than half of the hip-hop being

released is garbage anyway.  Maybe, just maybe, it will finally blow up,

become mainstream, and force others to try something original and different.



But with the oscar buzz and everything surrounding 8 mile, I can't help but

believe that this is somehow the birth of the white hip-hop era.  Similar to

when every label in the country released their Backstreet Boys clones,

expect the same in the future.  The Eminem clones will be rolling onto your

radio quicker than you can say Affy Tapple.



Remember this date, because Curtis said so first.



-c



CD of the moment: Sountrack to the movie Calle 54