“First the Fat Boys Break Up…”
In Hip Hop, the break-up can be considered one of the most heartbreaking moments for a fan. As children, we’ll never forget the day we heard Tribe was going their separate ways. Or how about the day your heart sunk when the word spread that the Green Eyed Bandit and Parrish Smith made their “business” personal. Some of us still hold our Wu-Tang flags at half mast awaiting the day that the crew can stay together longer than a Rock The Bells moment. Alas, it is all a part of hip hop and now comes a day where many fans have shed a tear once they heard that 9th Wonder and Little Brother have parted ways.
“It was all good just a week ago…”
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That’s what it seems like for most of us. Just last week I was on a road trip bumping The Listening. Hell, I remember pounding “Lyrics To Go” the day I found out Tribe was breaking up and thinking “Gotdamn…for real?” As fans, we only consider the last album to have been released “a week ago” although there is time spent between records. As fans, we tend to forget that artists are human beings and have their differences – whether creative or personal. But honestly, we don’t want to hear that shit. Didn’t nobody want to hear that Pete Rock and CL Smooth were a wrap. All the bullshit in between didn’t matter to us. All we cared about was the music. You couldn’t tell me then (and probably couldn’t tell me later) that Hi-Tek and Talib Kweli’s best work was done as solo entities. As much as I want to think that their work apart has been up to snuff with Train of Thought, I’d be bullshitting you to the tenth degree.
The fact is that fans don’t know who these artists are outside of their craft. They don’t know what kind of guy Talib Kweli is or if Phife Dawg was an explosive element that led to Tribe breaking up. All the fans know is that the music they made was dope and that’s it.
As a fan…we just don’t give a fuck about your life outside of music. Sad but it’s true.
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As a journalist, we tend to come to know what’s going on with your favorite rap artists. Some of us befriend rappers and come to understand who the artists are outside of music and get the notion that they are just as human as us. All you get is choice quotes on your favorite magazine/website that paints a slightly distorted and sensationalized story which leads you to believe that (insert your favorite rapper here) is an asshole, has a massive ego or is a divisive element.
All things considered, the break up is the gotdamn worst thing that can happen to an artist. And as totally unfair as it is to those who are interested in growing and expanding their catalog, the term “The first impression is a lasting one” holds true in every aspect. Gang Starr was defined by their sound. Strip Guru from Primo and you have…well…notGang Starr.
Blaring faults were pointed out once Guru stood on his own. Things that some thought but never said out loud began to come into fruition. Some pointed out that Guru’s rhymes were inferior without Premier. Yeah…well…honestly his rhymes were the same back then as they are now.
“Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is/I get more props and stunts than Bruce Willis”
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I love that line and I really don’t know why. The set up line is corny as fuck but add in that pounding bassline of “Dwyck” and it was all forgivable. All a breakup does is force the artist to stand on his own without the “help” of his boys. As human beings, we all have to spread our wings and try to fly. Some rise above the clouds while some of you sons of bitches fall flat on your face. U-God without the Wu-Tang? Yikes…
As much as many of us hated (and LA fans still hate) Kobe Bryant for “helping” Shaq out of Los Angeles, it had to happen. Yeah the methods that it went about were wack but Kobe had to find out sooner or later if he could win without the Diesel. Sure, he floundered about as a one man show for the first year, but (as much as I used to hate him) this year he has come to his own and learned that the breakup isn’t all about you as much as it is winning at the end of the game. The drama of the breakup only lasts as long as you are a loser. Miss the playoffs without Shaq and your ass will be talked about.
Fans will, however, shut the fuck up if you can deliver the wins. The 81 points was ill but at the end of the day that was ego trippin’ at its finest (along with some shitty Toronto Raptors defense). How about a division title or another NBA championship. You don’t want to be the only 81-point scoring sonofabitch WITHOUT a championship (in the post-Shaq era). Ultimately, careers are defined by wins. All that drama in between will be forgotten if you follow up with a good year. If the music speaks for itself, we will all excuse the notion that the breakup eventually dooms the artists.
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In some cases the breakup can be crippling. The Jacksons minus Michael? A tragedy. Or how about LONS without Busta? On the other hand, making a move can be beneficial to ones career. Diana Ross dissed The Supremes and was like Scrooge McDuck swimming in money. Imagine if Marvin Gaye stayed being a session drummer for The Miracles. Scarface never leaving the Geto Boys? Or how about if Lauryn Hill and Wyclef were just Fugees? It all depends on how talented you are outside of the fan created comfort zone.
If Phonte and Pooh were wack then I’d be worried. But some of us forgot how utterly retarded the Foreign Exchange album was and 9th was nowhere to be found. Yeah, we can bitch and moan about 9th not being able to make hot shit without his LB brethren, but that dude cooked up something ridiculous with Murs (who also semi-split from a “legend”ary underground group to take on a solo venture). There are lots of artists who split from the group and make it (Letoya Luckett is laughing her “I got booted out of Destiny’s Child” ass all the way to the bank). But the Ali Shaheed Muhammad album, Parrish Smith’s solo ventures and Flava Flav’s outing? “Not so much!” © Borat
So can the breakup actually work out? In Little Brother’s case, Phonte and Pooh can be like Ice Cube and Dr. Dre with this shit. Cube arguably made his best work after he left NWA (not arguable at all to me…maybe to you). And because Amerikkka’s Most Wanted and Death Certificate were incredible, nobody said shit. Nobody shed a tear after they heard The Chronic did they? Hell, for a minute there I absolutely forget that Dre was even in NWA. Eazy E took all of us on a trip with Eazy Duz It. As for MC Ren? Well…somebody has to be a casualty of the breakup. Sure, Fantastic Vol 2 can be considered a classic for Slum Village but Dillahad to split. If he didn’t, we wouldn’t be subjected to all of his brilliance since then. Premier has cooked up some incredible beats with and without Guru while Pete Rock continues to be a monster behind the boards.
So really all the breakup does is take our favorite group out of the neat little box we created for them and force their respective talents to stand on their own in different environments. Many said that Peyton Manning wouldn’t get this far without Edgerrin James. I don’t know about you, but a certain quarterback got that “can’t get to the big dance” monkey off his back and made it to the Super Bowl without his beloved tailback.
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Some players are defined by their uniform while others define the uniform they are in.
Look fam, at the end of the day, nobody has died. I ain’t being a palm bearer because 9th Wonder left Little Brother. Hip Hop ain’t dead because Little Brother, Tribe Called Quest and Blackstar went their separate ways. it’s dying because a whole lot of other nonsense plaguing the airwaves. As fans, we need to think outside of our little box for a minute and wait for the material to drop before we start assuming things. The only sad thing about this ordeal is that Little Brother as a trio was never exposed to the masses. Most of us tucked them away and we felt damn good when we put somebody onto The Listening or The Minstrel Show. I personally have never heard anyone say “Yo…them Little Brother dudes is garbage.” Never.
I am quite gassed at the concept of Getback possibly featuring the likes of Just Blaze and Primo backing up Pooh and Tay’s rhymes. Fans and Stans alike…let the artists grow. You gotta see if you can win a ring without Michael Jordan and if Michael Jordan can win a ring without you. But if Phonte and Pooh make Shade Business or The Wonderful World of Cease-A-Leo then it’s a wrap. But growth is nature at the end of the day. Deal with it. Everybody doesn’t stay married until they die so why should we expect two or three men to stay together forever. So are 9th, Pooh and Tay making a mistake by going their separate ways? I’ll just wait until I hear the music. But until then, I’m just a critic… Who The Hell Am I?
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or just hit me on the myspace…
