Beef is in the air this week with a trio of diss tracks from (former?) Cash Money spitta Tyga, Funk Volume artist SwizZz and former Geto Boys member Willie D. The targets are different, but the aim to make poignant points are all the same. T-Raww himself must be feeling some type of way about the way business is run in the home of Baby and Slim. Then again, this has been a recurring issue for the label for quite some time. Since letting loose “Ill Mind of Hopsin 8” in early March, no one had directly responded on wax from Funk Volume. Taking up for the older brother and label owner Dame Ritter, SwizZz drops “Automatic.” Lastly, Willie D uses “Coon” to focus his attack on everyone from Charles Barkley to Stacey Dash.
However, are the records actually any good?
HipHopDX Managing Editor Trent Clark and Senior Features Writer Ural Garrett give their thoughts on the interesting trio of diss tracks by artists representing various angles of Hip Hop.
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Willie D Ices Charles Barkley, Don Lemon & More In “Coon” Video
Trent: Normally the staunch reviewer in me would disqualify such robotic rhyming. Willie D’s flow hasn’t gotten that 1.0 update since the Grip It! days and whatever new project he plans on rolling out will likely be filled with records stilted with this type of cadence as well. However his strong sentiments towards these much maligned high-profile black figures mirrors the feelings of many individuals across the country and inhabiting Black Twitter. As entertaining Barkley and Stephen A. are as sportscasters, their unsolicited political views have seen them benched more times than Paul Pierce in the current NBA playoffs. Don Lemon doesn’t readily identify with black viewers of CNN looking for that strong cultural voice to represent the nation and Dionne Davenport has long inhabited the mind, body and soul of Ms. Dash, but U.O.N.E.O.
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If there is only one event that come from this “Coon” record, I need it be Willie D and Chuck catching that fade outside the Turner Studios. Both are able to get that silver discount on those movie tickets, which works to Charles’ detriment, as it crippled his professional athlete physique over the years. And Willie D is still talking like a Geto Boy so that mentality might compensate for the size disadvantage he’s facing.
Ural: Every now and then, social media activist and one time Baltimore mayoral candidate Deray Mckesson tweets “I love my blackness. And yours.” It’s a simple, yet effective way of dealing with issues of racial identity in a world that loves the idea of boxing those ideologies in. Nowadays, calling someone a “coon” is mad outdated and elementary even when having strong disagreements about race. It’s even worse when anyone inching closer to 50-years-old utilizes it. Labeling Charles Barkley, Don Lemon, Stephen A. Smith and even Stacey Dash as coons isn’t going to solve whatever problems people have with them. This isn’t a “Fuck Donald Trump” moment either. None of the focuses of attack are running for office, they’re all commentators with opinions I’ve agreed and disagreed with over time without the need to send personal attacks. These are all human beings with various life experiences that they themselves the sums of. The “make whites feel comfortable at your own expense” approach made popular by Booker T. Washington is something that’ll be debated probably for the rest of eternity and Willie D isn’t adding much substance to the conversation either.
Then again, the rap head in me thoroughly enjoys hearing Willie D just talk the most shit possible. Hell, I’m human.
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Was Tyga PC In Going After His Former Label On “Cash Money?”
Trent: T-Raww must have some info the rest of us aren’t privy to. Like that Cash Money contract is officially set to be expired like his Kardashian gate key code access. History has shown us that disrespeking Birdman will get your lawsuit buried through litigation procedures with the quickness so either he was in the studio on some I-don’t-give-a-fuck weed or he’s set to be released of all binding agreements soon.
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As memeable as the homie is these days, I’ll still go to bat and argue he’s a really good rapper and even better artist. Book him for any festival or concert series and watch him roll out the hits (“Ayo,” “Rack City,” etc.) to easily fill up his set. While The Gold Album wasn’t the street certification he needed to step up to the next echelon (I wouldn’t go as far as saying it was thee worst album of 2015 like Ural is), he’s still one banging LP from getting the average hater riding his fur like it never happened. As for “Cash Money,” expect to have it a healthy life in the club, giving the actual “diss” aspects of the record eternal life.
Ural: Looking back at 2015, it’s easy to call Meek Mill the biggest loser of the year. Sure, he’ll probably never have the real opportunity to crossover into mainstream, but he struck enough of a blow to Drake’s integrity as a lyricist. And yes, I read enough of DX’s comments (shout out my number one fan FuckHipHopDX) to see how some could view Mill as a hero. For Tyga, he hit rock bottom. Between the brutal shade Drake threw on If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late track “6 PM in New York,” weirdo relationship with Kylie Jenner and The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty being the year’s worst album didn’t help either. Let’s not forget that cringe inducing interview with The Breakfast Club and those atrocious looking LA Gears that screams shitty taste.
Looking for attention, he drops “Cash Money.” At this point, who from the label hasn’t gone at Cash Money on record for issues regarding money? What’s new? Absolutely nothing, and the same goes for T-Raww’s struggle bars that haven’t improved since “Rack City.” There’s a reason, Baby probably blocked the release of Tyga’s album before he cut ties to the label. He knew it would be as uninspired as this single proves.
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Is “Automatic” Funk Volume’s Adequate Response To Hopsin?
Trent: First up, do I think SwizZz can go bar-for-bar with Hopsin? Not really. But let’s read between the lines here. Hopsin and Dame Ritter are at odds so there’s the line in the sand where Justin is obviously going to ride for his brother. Dizzy Wright is still signed to Vunk Folume or whatever it’s transitioning into and Jarren Benton got out of dodge but he acknowledged that Hops wasn’t totally being truthful. So despite both “Extra” and “Automatic” relatively being softballs and/or warm-up laps for a MC who has been M.I.A. for a bit, it does lend the records some credibility (something that’s still important in Hip Hop; regardless of what you see on TV).
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Honestly I’m not anticipating a slew of diss volleys from both sides of this disagreement. Like Tech N9ne recently stated, it’s painful to see this in the public eye when so much potential to create pure, unfiltered and raw rap to counter the mainstream was left on the table. That said, expect Hopsin to return with the Scud missiles and the war will be on.
Ural: Hopsin’s biggest complaint regarding the situation with Funk Volume was that he felt as if the label was being anchored by him and him alone. By the time “Illmind of Hopsin 8” dropped, he kept the attack toward his former business partner Dame. Fans of Funk Volume wondered how the Dame’s brother and label artist SwizZz would respond. But wait, does his opinion matter as his lack of output actually may prove Hopsin’s point? Outside of features and a mixtape, what has SwizZz actually done. For being the first artist signed to Funk Volume, he’s yet to reach the heights of Dizzy Wright and Jarren Benton, let alone Hopsin. Maybe this is him stepping things up. Don’t think it’ll work as both “Automatic” and the release of “Extra” earlier this week combined don’t offer the level of intensity “Ill Mind 8” had. The open letter on Facebook doesn’t help its case either.
