I was reading XXLmag.com yesterday, and the homey Byron Crawford wrote a post about Bangs ascendence into national prominence and it reminded me that a few weeks back, I had FULLY intended to write about “itz ya boy Bangs.”
But first, an intro (to let you know) so that we can all be on the same page here. VSB, meet Bangs and his “hit” single, “Take U 2 Da Movies”:
You’re welcome.
A quick bio on Bangs. He’s a Melbourne-based, Sudanese rapper who quite frankly SUCKS, but has somehow gone viral with his ridiculousness. He’s been on radio shows, and hell, a few weeks back, in Washington, DC, his song “Take U 2 Da Movies” was played on Hot 99.5, which is the big pop station here in DC.
Now back to the lecture at hand. Just to be upfront, I’m usually the first one in line to scream that you cannot blame hip-hop for society’s ills. You just can’t. It’s probably closer to a chicken vs. egg thing, but the fact is, life was f*cked up for a lot of people when Smokey Robinson was singing about “Crusin’” and will continue long after Souljaboy Tell’em’s career (yikes, he actually has one of those) subsides. But only an ignoramus would attempt to downplay its cultural impact. While I’m often willing to argue that its just art, I can’t deny that a lot of people take this “rap sh*t” serious, especially people from other places and think that all of us ninjas really do look and act like the folks they see in videos. For a lot of people, it’s their only real connection to American Black people.
Quick story: When I was in undergrad, me and my boy went out to eat with one our FOB African homegirls. We started talking about how she liked America, and asked her what her impressions were like before she got to Atlanta. She said that she pretty much thought we were all on some Menace II Society malarkey because at home (I think she’s Nigerian) at the time that was what she’d been exposed to. Mostly the LA gangster genre of Black movies.
By the way, I realize that’s not how every non-American views us, but I’m guessing its not so far fetched that quite a few do. See what happens when you take people to da movies (shawty)?
Back to 2009 and Bangs. Bangs is what I always thought would happen if certain folks got ahold of rap music. And by certain folks I mean, pretty much non-Black Americans. Bangs has managed to take pretty much EVERY aspect of hip-hop that most of us reading ninjas wish wasn’t so omnipresent and run with it. Hell, for him, it’s probably just his assumption of what he’d need to do in order to make it in the music business. His album titles read like a horrible No Limit album from the late 90s. He’s got the chains, the cars, the stack of money, the synth-based production…basically EVERYthing that he thinks you need because that’s what he sees. Now, let me not take too much credit for him, he PROBABLY thinks this shit sounds and looks good, but in the words of my homey builtfromwax, “I couldn’t come up with that flow on my best day.”
Bangs is a truly terrible rapper. There’s no denying that, but it almost isn’t even his fault. Okay, that’s not true. He’s mastered the English language about as well as the cashier lady at El Pollo Campero on University Boulevard in Langley Park, Maryland (I see you Maria – thanks for whatever the f*ck you put in my bag. My order was just a suggestion anyway). But he’s also a symptom of the problem we have here, does anybody make real sh*t anymore? He’s just like 90 percent of confused rappers out now.
Now don’t get it twisted, I’m highly amused by him. He might have the worst flow I’ve heard since Overit started rapping (shots fired), but his song is actually catchy as hell. I want to go to the movies right now and get some popcorn. Shucks, dudes making the rounds and become quite the famous guy. But I wonder if he gets that most people are laughing at him, not with him. I don’t know.
But what I do know?
He’s more popular than Walé. 28K.
(And by the way, it doesn’t matter if you only ship 30K to stores if 64% of your sales were digital anyway. You didn’t sell 28K out of 30K physical copies. You sold 28K because frankly, you were going to sell 28K.)
So what do you all think, is Bangs just more fun and games or is he our worst fears confirmed about hip-hop and its reach?
And once again, you’re welcome.
-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka TANGLE JIG P aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL, HE A 3
Related posts:
{ 240 comments… read them below or add one }
*Speechless*
@Maximillian,
I’m with you brutha….
Naw I take that back. That sh*t was priceless. LMMFAO.
@Maximillian, not speechless…he should at least make you curse.
lol.
btw, Bangs is quite entertaining if you just don’t think about it.
@Panama Jackson,
“btw, Bangs is quite entertaining if you just don’t think about it.”
It makes sense that you’re not supposed to think in order to enjoy the song because he obviously didn’t either while making it.
this is funny to me. me & my friends have been laughing & mocking Bangs for awhile now…but it is a shame that this is how lots of ppl see BLACK PEOPLE as a whole…
anywho, when speaking about Wale….he’s way more popular than his record sales make him seem. As a DMV native, I know that MOST of his fans didn’t BUY his CD…but I was telling my friends some time ago, that most people don’t make their money off of record sales anymore…
@Hot Buttered Rum, that seems kind of retarded to me. most of his fans didn’t buy his album? what kind of fan doesn’t buy his album? who cares where he makes most of his money. album sales are kind of a benchmark of the support that you have from your fans.
now, i’m not a Walé fan…frankly, he just kind of bores me. i have all his material though, but as an artist, he’s not my cup of tea. but his lack of support in DC does baffle me. at least they’re playing “pretty girls” on the radio now…but even then he wasn’t sure if he had a hit on his hands (and i use the term “hit” loosely) and went out and threw Gucci Mane on a song that was DC thru and thru…EVEN including freakin’ Weensey from BYB.
part of the reason why i threw that 28k number in there at the end was because i think he and his team have been misleading folks about what it really means that (if its true) only 30k shipped. their point is that only 30K hit stores so they were set up to fail. and i think thats disingenuous. if folks want your album, to pay for it to boot, they’ll go to iTunes, or amazon. those digital numbers are being included. so yeah, 28k people bought your album…b/c only 28k wanted it.
@Panama Jackson, I want a physical copy, and I haven’t found one yet. so I didn’t buy it. I’m gonna find one though–hopefully. I acquired it digitally and wasn’t feeling it initially–but I want to support the man (I’m a fan)–I’ll get around to going to a store to get it–Best Buy around my way didn’t have it.
@Hot Buttered Rum, anywho, when speaking about Wale….he’s way more popular than his record sales make him seem. As a DMV native, I know that MOST of his fans didn’t BUY his CD…but I was telling my friends some time ago, that most people don’t make their money off of record sales anymore…
Wale’s record sales reflect his music exactly… He is not that hot, reflect the he is alright, and alright doesnt move numbers.. He is way overhyped at this point and underdelivered…
I mean if you cant move your “fans” to purchase…. lol who else do you think will do it?
So, I’ve been lurking and thoroughly enjoy the blog, but as a newly minted DC (-ian, -nite, or wtf ever you all call yourselves) I can not for the life of me understand why you all do not support your own artist like Wale??? He is obviously the best thing that you guys have going musically, and people here some to hate this guy. I personally think that he is pretty talented…..Please explain this to me.
@themagicman, “I can not for the life of me understand why you all do not support your own artist like Wale??? ”
Probably the same reason only about half of them like their own sports teams.
@themagicman, well, i’m not a DC native so i also dont understand the Cowboy love in DC.
as far as Walé goes, i said it in the previous comment, i’m just not a fan of his. i think his buzz was overrated bc i never heard anything that made me like his music that much. i have his album, and i dont care for it. i think he’s kind of…cliché as a rapper, and also aint as confident in his own abilities as he’d like us to think. why the f*ck else do you put lady gaga on your first single (“chillin”) which was terrible, and then throw Gucci Mane on your DC song (“pretty girls”) and have high as hell profile features all throughout. the album sounds like it was packaged for the marketplace not from any type of artistic arena. but that’s neither here nor there. as a rapper, dude just aint my cup of tea. i kind of hate his rap style. which makes me not care for him, though i have all of his mixtapes and his album. i tried. he failed.
i wish him the best though.
@Panama Jackson,
I agree with you on the Lady Gaga thing. Aside from the fact, that I think she swagger-jacked M.I.A. sound-wise, I hate that in the video (I no longer live in DC/MD area so I found out about him through the video) he is in all the places in D.C. where black folks be, but Lady Gaga is some place separate. Why she ain’t off Georgia Avenue, or on U Street or outside Ben’s Chili Bowl? How come she on Georgia Avenue when it turns into 7th Street, safe and on a roof top away from the black folk? You got this song with you amongst the people in your hometown, but your co-artist is some place else and no where near the people you got surrounding you? Naw, mayne. I don’t hate him either, but that element made the concept of the video seem false and contrived.
This made me laugh hysterically when I first viewed it, but now it just makes my teeth hurt.
@Miss Patterson, you should see your dentist. i’m sure there’s an app for that.
@Panama Jackson, app deez.
@Miss Patterson,
LMFAO
Not you too
:46 seconds. That’s how far in I got on the video before I couldn’t take anymore.
But in all fairness, I can barely stand music videos so my perspective might have been a tad different if I just heard it…probably not.
@MzKang,
seriously. Idk how I made it to :50
@MzKang, really? i can’t stop watching it. i keep counting all those Benjamins, or whoever that is on that foreign money he’s got in the background.
Bangs is the man.
After I read your description, I expected Bangs to be much worst. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen and heard one too many bad rap songs and videos. He’s definately not a lyricist. His flow isn’t tight either. It’s an obviously cheap rap vid with the typical bling & car except there is no profanity left & right and of course the ladies. His style is alright. He isn’t bad looking
. He should stay away from the grillz though. His accent is cute. While he looks like he serious with this rap thing lol, he’s more fun and games rather than “our worst fears confirmed about hip-hop and its reach.”
@SnijanaFleur, ladies and gentlemen, Bangs fans DO exist.
i feel like you’re the third prong in the Santa, M&M, Bangs fan commercials.
I like Bangs. I like Nas. I like Bangs because he raps about everyday life stuff and his thoughts and keeps it real (and of course its very amusing). I like Nas because hes a lyricist. I can’t hate on someone thats doing work, that I could have done and didn’t do. See that chocolate rain fella, pure genius marking muscle. Theres money to be made on youtube.
BANGS!!! i feel a movie trip with him would be comedy, i’d go!
my life has changed since Bangs has entered it. my friends and i regularly tell each other “my life is never be easy”. por ejemplo:
friend: girl, i you always all over the place, aren’t you tired?
overit: sigh…my life is never be easy….AHA!
that bootleg jadakiss AHA! he does kills me, like how does it replace a whole verse…i need to find my fav bangs lyrics and post it on here, the most simple ish, lol…”i got my homies locked up for whole week”. i’m like ninja, we got brothas doin BIDS ok? a week aint nathan.
AHA!
@overit,
…”i got my homies locked up for whole week”.
LMFAO…locked up for a week, a week…LMFAO…you can’t fabricate this sh*t, I’m telling you Bangs is the truth,
@sisanda,
“I’m telling you Bangs is the truth,”
YOU LIE!!!
@sisanda, depends on where they getting locked up though. i’ll bet our worst thugs wouldn’t want to be locked up for even a day in some countries.
sh*t, 3rd world country prison just sounds like the last stop before hell.
@Panama Jackson, this is truth! i always tell my friends that yes, we have a homeless situation, but 1st world poor does not compare to 3rd world poor.
so yeah, his boys probably lost limbs that week.
aha!
@overit,
You know chick, you’re killing me with the Jada laugh….LMAO!
Carry on.
@overit,
LMFAO
Not a whole week! Thug life.
@overit, lmao yes! the AHA! killed me and i just had to rewatch those 5 seconds over and over again. i’m like how is this one line not the star of the song? it is to me.
AHA!
what the eff man! that ish was so horrible. i could have gone my whole life without being exposed to that and i would have been just fine. lol
on a serious note can you really blame dude? he’s emulating 83% of rappers on tv now.
@Tunde, i don’t blame him at all…in fact, that’s my point. he did what he thinks he’s supposed to do.
and in a strange way, to some extent, it worked. we’re talking about him right now.
man I don’t know who the hell bangs is, but if he is anything likethat dude that sings that song “on my momma, on my hood, I look fly, I look good” I completely agree….cause that shyt makes me incredible hulk angry…i mean one of my employees had it as a ringback tone and I swear I studied the handbook so I could fire her a.s.s for the verbal assault on my ears……
@shay-d-lady,
i mean one of my employees had it as a ringback tone and I swear I studied the handbook so I could fire her a.s.s for the verbal assault on my ears……
lmao!!
@shay-d-lady,
“but if he is anything likethat dude that sings that song “on my momma, on my hood, I look fly, I look good” I completely agree…”
Hey…hey…I have to defend Chalie Boy…that ish goes hard. He’s been grinding down here for more than a minute, that is just his first big song to go mainstream.
@miss t-lee,
Ummmm…now, T-Lee…we usually have similar taste in music and I’m taking into consideration that since you are in TX, this may be due to regional location, but that Chalie Boy…hot, steaming, flys flying around it, with maggots muching on it…mess.
I’ll give him props for his self-confidence, though, lol.
@AkShone,
You know I still loves you…we can’t agree on everything. Check the underground.
@miss t-lee,
I know you are in the H like I am, and I know Chalie Boy has been grinding for a minute, but I can’t support a lot of the music coming out of Texas. I guess it is because I am older now, but talking about girls, rims, chains and your clothes bores me to no end, especially when you got a dude like Z-Ro in the same state that is a beast on the microphone. Give me old chopped and screwed Chalie Boy any day.
@ComicBookGuy,
I’m not in the H, I’m in ATX.
You know that he has some good material because you know about the old S&C Chalie Boy…that’s alls I’m saying. I do agree with you that Z-Ro is a beast, as is Trae.
*I still like the song, it’s not his best work, but it knocks.
@miss t-lee,
My bad, darlin’, (shout out to ATX, on my list of many second homes) but you feel me on that old school Chalie Boy. Everyone knows Uncle Face is the godfather of Texas rap anyway. R.I.P. to Robert Davis!!!
lol Had to throw that in there.
@ComicBookGuy,
“R.I.P. to Robert Davis!!!”
Yessir. Awready!
@ComicBookGuy,
I’ll take old chopped and screwed anything. I feel you though…the stuff I’ve been hearing lately hasn’t been tantamount with the TX stuff I was used to. I miss that old Screw. OG Ron C still does his F*ck Action thing. Swishahouse gives me a little something every now and then. I haven’t heard anything from Beltway 8 in a minute. Half the SUC is dead already. Props to Chalie Boy but his song is tolerable for about 30 seconds and thats it.
@CPT Callamity,
Yes he does….I was listening to some Ledisi on FA 56 or 56.5 the other night…lol
Dayum I had completely forgotten about BW8.
@CPT Callamity,
It’s been a minute since I heard some BW8. Probably since before I graduated from PV 4 years ago. Just watching Screw doing his mixes on Youtube is crazy. I’m from Dallas, but a lot of my boys from college still got their old grey tapes.
@miss t-lee, your texas loyalty is somewhat amazing to me.
but that song is pretty damn terrible.
@Panama Jackson,
It runs deep. I can’t explain it.
You should hear the remix, you’ll probably hate it more than the original…lol
@miss t-lee,
I guess it’s all contextual. Maybe because I hear it when I’m out and about, I don’t think the song is terrible at all.
Not all songs are supposed to appeal to our consciousness and make us want to take action. Some songs are just party songs, and that’s it.
@ Sula,
“Not all songs are supposed to appeal to our consciousness and make us want to take action. Some songs are just party songs, and that’s it.”
Thank you. I keep telling folks that. Don’t look for the meaning…that is the meaning.
@miss t-lee and Sula,
as somebody who can appreciate a song that has zero meaning to it (i dont even have beef with most of the crap rap thats out there, as long as it entertains me), that song is still pretty bad. now, will i enjoy myself while its on in the club, surely. and i’ll do any accompanying dances too…still doesnt make it good. just entertaining.
@PJ
“and i’ll do any accompanying dances too”
Can you please record this?? And post it? Pretty please with a cherry on top. LMAO
@miss t-lee,
“Hey…hey…I have to defend Chalie Boy…that ish goes hard. He’s been grinding down here for more than a minute, that is just his first big song to go mainstream.”
Are you serious? If I don’t have to defend “it’s so cold in the D” you don’t have to defend that.
@Humble_One,
Y’all got some beasts out of the D. Royce Da 5’9 is one of my favorite rappers. RIP J. Dilla. The D brings out a lot more substantive hip hop.
@Humble_One,
As usual, we aren’t seeing eye to eye.
It’s all good though.
*snickering*
@miss t-lee,
I was about to get on it too!! Thanks for defending. Lol!
Must be the TX in me.
@Sula,
It get in your blood baby!!!!
You know I’ma stay on defense.
@Sula,
TX stand up!! lol
I really want to answer your question. But I just cant get over the video! Know who he reminds me of?? Namata. both of them need to quit. Yesterday. lol
OH, Namata’s video for those who ain’t know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yomQw30-To
@Selah,
These two dudes should start a super group…
They should call it “Namabang” and tour vacant warehouses for all 16 of there fans to experience the gleeful awfulness of their music.
The
BestWorst of Both World’s Tour@AkShone, LMAO @ namabang!
@AkShone, it could be the greatest spoof tour ever.
in fact, i’m still not completely convinced that Bangs isn’t one big ass practical joke.
@AkShone,
“Worst of both worlds tour”… LOL!
That’s not what roasting in the road. And I blame BET. (And Jim Jones, too, of course) lol
Bangs whose popularity comes from his ridiculousness doesn’t upset me half as much the looped playlist the radio plays.
A statement like “Bangs is what I always thought would happen if certain folks got ahold of rap music. And by certain folks I mean, pretty much non-Black Americans.” based on one joke of an artist is a HUUUUGE overview of hip hop artists that come from all different corners of the world as well as the many artists that are inspirations and muses to American hip hop being produced today. Some research on artists not named Bangs might allay your fears of hip hop “getting into the wrong hands”. Hip hop like most forms of art and expression is free and freeing. We as an audience don’t always have to like it or agree with it but its existence isn’t for us to deny.
Let’s look at Bangs deeper than the surface. Mos Def’s Fear Not of Man is a good analysis of what hip hop is/does
“Me, you, everybody, we are Hip-Hop
So Hip-Hop is goin where we goin
So the next time you ask yourself where Hip-Hop is goin
ask yourself.. where am I goin? How am I doin?
Til you get a clear idea
So.. if Hip-Hop is about the people
and the.. Hip-Hop won’t get better until the people get better”
@Root,
“Me, you, everybody, we are Hip-Hop
So Hip-Hop is goin where we goin
So the next time you ask yourself where Hip-Hop is goin
ask yourself.. where am I goin? How am I doin?
Til you get a clear idea
So.. if Hip-Hop is about the people
and the.. Hip-Hop won’t get better until the people get better”
I dropped a tear at that quote 1) Because it soooo true 2) I can’t listen to Mos Def’s music after Black on Both Sides (maybe it’s a cultural thing)
@sisanda, Why can’t you listen to Mos anymore? It’s a shame, he’s still putting out good music.
@Root,
We definitely have to be honest with ourselves…..I wouldn’t even be mad at Bangs if her had delivery!! But her was even on the proper time count and his vocals made me wanna shoot myself.
Hip-Hop should have standards, just like other music. We (connoiseurs of Hip-Hop) can’t continue to endorse garbage. The only positive thing about this is that he’s not exploiting women and the subject matter is light. Can anyone say DISNEY CHANNEL?
But honestly, I’ll take some gangsta Jeezy before this ish…..”they say who dat?”……
@Root, that’s fair. and to be upfront, i’m more than well aware of plenty of foreign hip-hop that isn’t on a Bangs level. i can’t say i care too much for most of it, but i’m aware it isn’t all a caricature of American hip-hop, though i do tend to think that a lot of is still based upon a certain view of American hip-hop.
look, folks are more than free to do whatever they want to do. however, once you put it out for public consumption, i’m more than free to criticize it. lol.
Bangs is on deck. but i have already taken to task enough of my American brethren, seems like its only right to skip continents.
@Panama Jackson,
i have already taken to task enough of my American brethren
Must have been when I was crazy busy… cause I seem to have missed it.
@Sula, i guess so.
@Panama Jackson, In some ways I think hip-hop in other countries (especially African countries) is far more honest and reminiscent of early American hip-hop…where it was a mostly underground method of expression that stemmed from a frustration over poor social conditions.
I think it’s absolutely fine and even encouraged to voice your opinion about music and hip hop & but for as many artists (pains me to call him that) like this Bangs character, there are artists who are overlooked and have created something worthy and inspirational when hip hop feel into their hands. Hip hop songs from African countries aren’t always in english, they don’t always sounds like Jeezy. They are a combination of the traditional and the new. They sound like themselves and that’s a good thing. I don’t want to say all this and not leave you with an example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CkXhtw7UNk
You don’t have to like it, but you can’t deny it
@Root,
A statement like “Bangs is what I always thought would happen if certain folks got ahold of rap music. And by certain folks I mean, pretty much non-Black Americans.” based on one joke of an artist is a HUUUUGE overview of hip hop artists that come from all different corners of the world as well as the many artists that are inspirations and muses to American hip hop being produced today
Thanks for stating clearly what my whole train of thought about this post was…
That may very well be the worst thing my ears have ever had the displeasure of hearing.
But for some odd reason I can’t turn it off…
Ahhhh!!!
@Help! My ears are bleeding!, i know right…(even though it’s off)
it’s really catchy.
@Help! My ears are bleeding!, i think we need remix with Plies and Gucci Mane though…
…that might take it to that next level.
@Panama Jackson, keeping it classy I see!
I can see it now:
“Party, party, party, let’s all go to the movies!”
“Gimme that popcorn!”
Oh lawd.
Oh Panamanian One, your generosity overwhelms and inspires me…for I had been denied until now. I’m gonna tell every chick I know, “You Need Bangs in Ya Life, You Need Bangs in Ya Life…And you need some Bangs, and you need some Bangs, and you need some Bangs… Headed to the studio NOW>>>
I blame Akon for laying the blueprint,
I blame Karl Kani for styling the outfit,
I blame Proactiv for getting his skin camera ready,
I blame the success of his email scam for funding “production” costs,
And lastly, I blame the movie Amistad for Givin’ Us Free. Ignorance is bliss…
@bittersweet’s baby,
I blame Akon for laying the blueprint,
I blame Karl Kani for styling the outfit,
I blame Proactiv for getting his skin camera ready,
I blame the success of his email scam for funding “production” costs,
And lastly, I blame the movie Amistad for Givin’ Us Free. Ignorance is bliss…
^^for this I may call out *dead* to work today. LMAO
@AngelicNastyness,
Too funny!
I’m mad he used a green screen for the MOVIE THEATER!! There’s no movie theater where he shot this? How expensive could a permit be for 35 seconds?
@AngelicNastyness, you callin out the wrong country for the scams. i’m just sayin…africa aint a country! lol. let me break it down:
somalis-pirates
egyptians-bamas
-nigerians-e-mail scams
ethiopians-self described kangs and queens lol
any other africans wanna add on? lol
@overit, nope…we don’t like helping enforce the stereotypes.
@overit,
apparently, sudanese = bad rappers.
@bittersweet’s baby,
“And lastly, I blame the movie Amistad for Givin’ Us Free”
that is not funny….just slightly amusing maybe .
@bittersweet’s baby, em ok.
@bittersweet’s baby, I blame the success of his email scam for funding “production” costs,
THAT RIGHT THERE KILT ME!!!?!?!?!!!&@*&
not the African prince email scam!!!!
ok, can i go back and add that to the “ten things that we’ve willingly seen that we need not see again” list? that was friggin horrible. that’s right up there with reh dogg and “why must i cry”. i would listen to soulja boy tellem over this mess (and anyone who knows me knows that is the absolute worst torture i can think of. playing soulja boy is far worse than any torture they came up with at abu ghraib, in my opinion.)
the unforturnate part is this is what our beloved hip hop/rap has come to. there is no struggle to write about anymore–originally this was our means of telling our various stories block to block and hood to hood. now it’s become an industrial means to an end–the products being pumped out right now are about as well put together as a dollar store fashion doll that was made in china (ya’ll know what i’m talking about…the plastic is all thin, the clothes are made out of polyester and if you look at them crosseyed, they’ll burn…). the generation coming up now doesn’t recognize the beauty the verbal spar–it spoke to it’s author”s virility and wealth, but also showcased the rapper’s intelligence and wit. it’s not like that now–anyone, ANYONE can make a rap song and as long as there’s a catchy hook and a dumb a(s+s) dance to go with it, there will be an audience. no need to think and don’t bother with any impressive vocab, just talk about some dark liquor and the chick workin’ the pole in your basement and you have a song.
how did we get here?!
(sorry about the rant…i’m done)
@cam1ll3, the generation coming up now doesn’t recognize the beauty the verbal spar–it spoke to it’s author”s virility and wealth, but also showcased the rapper’s intelligence and wit. it’s not like that now–anyone, ANYONE can make a rap song
you know, i hate to be all technical with it since there have been times when i was the one making that same statement, but the fact is, today’s rap scene really does mirror the rap scene of the 80s and early 90s. the videos and production is just much more glossy. hell, in the 80s ANY AND EVERYBODY was making hiphop. kurtis blow wasn’t exactly spitting that knowledge. or groove b. chill, or any of a million terrible rappers that existed back then. but much like with anything, the cream rises to the top and remains at the forefront of history. kid ‘n play were HORRIBLE rappers whose sole purpose was to make dance music.
it wasn’t all virility and wit and intelligence. the stuff we just laud from then was. and it just happened to be some of that was the good stuff. difference now is there are so many lanes for any body with 800 bucks and pro tools rig can possibly make it b/c labels are damn near unnecessary.
i guess my point was, everybody wasn’t a lyricist back then either. and Guru sucks.
@Panama Jackson,
I agree but, you left out the balance issue. Nobody complained about Groove B. Chill and others because there were KRS-1′s and other that got equal burn. When I listen to some of the music fro the 80s and 90s that got radio play back then I’m shocked. If you hear a song on the radio now with lyrics it’s almost like seeing porn on broadcast television.
@Humble_One, that is true. and i think its the cash money impact b/c i remember in the late 90s hearing songs like “nas is like” and “skillz” on the radio. but i was speaking more in a general sense, not merely whats on the radio and video. i didn’t grow up in NY or anythign so don’t know what the radio was like during hip-hop’s heyday there but i imagine it would be different than every else too. thing is, we can blame radio and stuff if we want to, but let’s be real, at this point, folks get as much music info from the ‘net as they do the MTV and BET’s of the world. but i do agree, the balance is off.
speaking of pr0n on broadcast television, the other day, the 6 o’clock local news did a segment on breast cancer and were showing breasts all up and thru the segment. now, i know it was medical (like medical marijuana) but i just couldn’t wrap my mind around all the boobs being show in living rooms at 615pm.
@Humble_One,
excellent observation (where the balance is concerned)…for every gimmicky piece of crap that was pressed into vinyl, you had something that sparked thought on the other end of the spectrum. that isn’t so common now. i’m just tired of hearing a$$ songs all day. radio stations are at fault as well for not even making an attempt to diversify the format…it’s ridiculous that you hear the same lil wayne song 3 times in a half hour–i love weezy like the next chick but damn…can i hear something else, please? as i mentioned before, there doesn’t appear to be a love for the art anymore–folk see a means to make money and where i can appreciate a good hustle, i still miss the art.
@Panama Jackson,
Haha! Guru does suck, but I i’ll listen to him ryhme over a Premier Beat…I Manifest.
@TiP,
Clifford Harris??!?!?!?! Is that you??? When did they let you out???? LMAO
@cam1ll3,
“anyone, ANYONE can make a rap song and as long as there’s a catchy hook and a dumb a(s+s) dance to go with it, there will be an audience.”
Right. Mainstream hip-hop has become a stimulus package for ninjas that couldn’t make it in professional sports and don’t want to go to school.
@Humble_One,
Mainstream hip-hop has become a stimulus package for ninjas that couldn’t make it in professional sports and don’t want to go to school.
And pray tell what exactly is wrong with that?
By last account, those who went to school are not faring that much better either.
@Sula,
“And pray tell what exactly is wrong with that?
By last account, those who went to school are not faring that much better either. ”
Co-sign.
People act like Soulja Boy is the worst thing to ever happen in life. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I respect his hustle!!!
and his verse on LOL smiley face is my favorite. I’d take a young boy making music in his basement over him slangin in the streets any day of the week.@V Renee, i think thats part of the problem though, we assume that those are the only options. now, i’m with you, i find it hard to hate soulja boy though i am surprised he’s actually managed to create a career – i dont think anybody saw that coming. thing is, young DeAndre dropped out of school in like the 9th grade. so soulja boy isn’t this huge problem, he’s just proof positive that the hip-hop folks hold onto no longer exists. thing is i dont’ know if it ever did. i think a lot of people often confuse mainstream and think that folks like the fresh prince were mainstream and they weren’t. they weren’t all over radio and videos like that until later. they were just like the other cats initially. all underground.
i think the problem with the soulja boys is that it created this forget everything else, search for that one hit mentality that has more or less watered down a lot of music. most stuff sounds the same nowadays. its an understandable frustration.
i lost my point. lol.
@Panama Jackson,
i lost my point. lol.
You shole did…. a long time ago.
@Sula,
I think Humble_One is basically talking about the stereotype that some ninjas turn to hip hop and professional sports for fast money, instead of going down the delayed gratification route. (ex. going to school, pushing a 9-5, developing a skill or profession.)
To a certain degree your right. Soulja Boy doesn’t have a college degree and he’s doing better than most who are college-educated. But, does that mean that me and other black men should just quit school and put out songs like “Crank That Soulja Boy” or “Booty Meat?”
@Sula,
“And pray tell what exactly is wrong with that?
By last account, those who went to school are not faring that much better either.”
The problem is not making money by making music. The problem is bastardizing an artform for a dollar. These guys arent artist. Their heart isn’t in it. They copy whatever is the flavor of the month and hope to get paid. In the meanwhile the artform is the casualty. They aren’t looking to make a career out of it they are looking to make a quick buck.
@Humble_One,
“They aren’t looking to make a career out of it they are looking to make a quick buck. ”
Isn’t this what MANY people
including myselfdo with regular 9-5 jobs? I know people say you should have a passion for whatever career/job you choose, but let’s be real, many people do not LOVE what they do. In the words of Office Space “Well, I generally come in at least fifteen minutes late, I use the side door. That way Lumbergh can’t see me. After that I just sorta space out for about an hour…I just stare at my desk; but it looks like I’m working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch, too. I’d say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work” Basically do enough work not to get fired. lolAnd I would even argue that hip hop in general (in my opinion) is not the casualty. Rather those who seek “real” music are not yelling loud enough to be heard over those chanting for Bangs (his name cracks me up) and Souljah Boy tell ‘em. And let’s be real, music companies are out here strictly for the mighty mighty dollar. They put out WHAT SELLS! And like it or not, Souljah Boy and others are selling. If anything ,the internet has become a platform for “real” hip hop lovers to seek the music they desire.
@V Renee,
Humble_One said what i guess i’ve been getting winded attempting to say.
where i understand that some of these grass roots artists simply flipping their hustle into huge money aaaaand there is a market salivating for their product aaaaaaaand yes i can, as a consumer decide not to purchase said product. it just makes me sad that we accept mediocre work and are willing to use the money we get from our cruddy jobs to support kats and kittens that are living high off of their half butt crap. we should want more. we should demand more.
Wow…OMG…the hell?! But real talk I had to take a second look cause he looks like my cousin!
@KadeBoteh, welcome and sh*t
if he is, can you please hand him a 3rd grade English book and just say the word: syntax.
Hmmmm… don’t you think you are stereotyping a whole genre of “non-black american” interpretation of rap? The same stereoptyping that you inherently say is done to you as a proud black american… Sounds a tad bit hypocritical…
There exists very good and very bad non-black american rap, as there is very good and very bad black american rap. Good rap and bad rap exists, regardless of where it comes from. And language ie your ability to speak english does not determine quality.
But, yea… he’s is a tad bit shyte.
@kmplx,
Touche
@kmplx, i wrote what i wrote intentionally…without the qualifier of acknowledging that all non-Black American rap wasn’t like Bangs.
and while you are right, good rap and bad rap exists, no matter where it comes from and despite your command of the English language (quite a few “good” rappers here seem to suck at English), however, in my humble opinion, the majority of non-American rap period seems to be some emulation of their American counterparts. all the stuff that i’ve heard (and no, i haven’t heard it all so spare me that generality) has sounded largely derivative. which makes sense, American hiphop is the blueprint…for hiphop anyway. which is why i’m saying that folks like Bangs are probably more the norm than they aren’t b/c thats what folks see now.
so while everybody is not like Bangs, given the myriad convos i’ve had with my many African friends about their perceptions of Black Americans, i’m not surprised by an artist like Bangs. and that was my point. its like viewing yourself through the eyes of the world.
hypocrite? hmm…i’ll be that. while i recognize that Bangs aint every non-American rapper, he’s probably not so far off the average.
@Panama Jackson, thanks for the qualifier.
I would still
praysay he’s way left of the bell curve that is rap/hiphop, regardless of where he comes from.However, i too love
LOL smiley facegood hip-pop.@kmplx,
Pretty much.
@Sula, i see somebody took it personal. i’m enjoying your comments today.
@Panama Jackson,
Not personal, darling. It’s never personal.
It’s just that blanketing can only go so far..
I still gots loads of love for you, Pan-pan!
*Bowing, then continueng to shake head in disbelief*
You’ve just confirmed my worst fear on how American-Blacks perceive N0n-American Blacks to perceive them (10 s of that video has long lasting effects on your grammer, and ability to make sense, just bear with me)
Bangs is …unbeleivable.
all i can say is…I’m sorry.
@sisanda,
I just hope Bill O’Reilly doesn’t get hold of this, i can imagine him saying some sh*t like ” Look Hip Hop, look at the monster you’ve created…look at the poor famine striken African child, who now has a malnutrisioned vocab to add to his list of problems…are you proud of yourself?”
@sisanda, oh its okay. Black Americans got so much worth apologizing for its only right that a Bangs comes along every so often.
got to shake things up.
jim jones and bangs though could make some beautiful music.
I’ve been waiting for someone to actually write about Bangs. My very soul has been in an upheaval ever since I laid eyes on him. There’s no way I could have lived the same after the “Bangs Experience”.
Bangs is confirmation of what I’ve thought for many years: Thanks to all that is wrong in hip-hop nowadays, the entire WORLD sees us as buffoons. It pisses me off that so many of these “artists” refuse to take seriously the role they play in our representation to the world.
We ain’t the only ones watching B.E.T.
@PBG Returns…,
relax…relax…we don’t think you’re all Bufoons. but those gangsta grills, 22 inch rims, Huge ass chains, music videos outside of Fried Chicken joints, Baby Mammas getting their Eagle/Stanky lEg on kinda weighs heavy on our supply of “Benefit of doubt”, I’m sorry.
Look at it this way, atleast the whole world doesn’t look at you in awe when they see you fully dressed, and clap when they here you put together a congruent sentence (“Thank G*d for those 1820 missionaries, otherwise who know what you might have turned out to be”)….Juss sayin
@sisanda, guess the point here is that folks of African descent or of Africa just seem to have it bad all the way around.
basically, everybody’s surprised when any of us can read.
@sisanda,
This made me shuckle.
Welcome to another episode of “That African Guy…who speaks so well”:
You guys (read Africans raised in America) will never fully grasp the impact Gangster Rap has had on African Youth. I’m talking right down to the cuffed and creased Kakhi Dickies apparel, accompanied by a pair of All-Star’s. Gangsta rap represented a lifestyle, which we as the viewers, classified as being a thorough “African American” (or Ni**a as it was soo affectionately called).
Gangsta Rap moulded most of our perception of what Hip Hop was and wasn’t, and we sometimes copied it right down to the T. Some of us grew up thinking Hit’ Em Up was the epitomy of true Hip Hop, not even really getting the gist of the “Thug Life”.
So you have kids like Bangs, who can’t really seperate what they see on T.V from reality. Bangs right now is like a retarded kid holding an ice cube to the sun, he really tinks his on to something….and all the people around him who are cheering on and clapping, aren’t really helping the situation, if you get what i mean.
Through my interaction wit folks from other countries, I’ve earnt that the media really tends to sensationalise things, and at the end of the day “Middle class” lifestyles are just the same (just different ratios of the population occupying it for diff countries). But for th everage joe living in the “hood” here in Africa, Rick Ross is the Boss and Plies is quite the crooner.
I’m out!
@sisanda,
“Bangs right now is like a retarded kid holding an ice cube to the sun,”
I’m stealing this…lmao
@sisanda, i think thats part of my point…we should be seeing more Bangs out there in general b/c, well, that’s what’s hot in the streets.
its no wonder 50 cent is so popular in Africa.
@Panama Jackson,
its no wonder 50 cent is so popular in Africa.
About the same amount of popularity he has here as well… so yeah.
@Panama Jackson,
No my man, 50 cent is F**kn huge in Africa (and other Non-American countries)…I’ll be the first to admit, i like Get Rich or Die trieng (Dre beats facinate me). I’ll go on a limb and say…his probably bigger than Jay-Z here (don’t let him here that though, he might use that as amo).
Here’s another aspect: last week i went looking for a CD i couldn’t find Little Brother, Elzhi, Shibuya,Master Ace, Blackmilk, Slaughterhouse, EMC, Foreign Exchange, Kent Star, Skyzoo Cd anywhere…But right there in the glittering section of the front window was Tripe C’s new album. Availability plays a huge role in the African kids palate
Juss sayin
I had been hearing about this Bangs kat, and I had been sleeping on actually listening to him, kind of how I do alot of new artists these days –I see ya Wale , J. Cole, Nicki Minaj *snickering*.
Ya’ll remember back in the day (dayum I’m old) there was a shop in the mall where you could pick out a song and make your own video to it? That’s what I felt like I was watching. Best of luck to you sir Bangs.
You asked
“is he our worst fears confirmed about hip-hop and its reach?”
No–I don’t think so. He’s not THE worst kat out there, but it definitely shows how global hip-hop is (not that we didn’t know that already). I like listening to world hip hop also. Other countries definitely have their take on things and can bring a fresh perspective, that is if they are actually talking about something to begin with.
@miss t-lee,
“Ya’ll remember back in the day (dayum I’m old) there was a shop in the mall where you could pick out a song and make your own video to it?”
THIS! This is what he did! YES! I refuse to believe he made this video through any other means. Perfect. lol
@Cheekie, i definitely made a video or two.
i’m pretty sure i was diddy in the “mo money, mo problems” version me and my boys did.
@Cheekie,
I know there’s one of me and my cousins rapping and dancing to a Salt n’ Pepa/ Oaktown 357 track somewhere. I hope it got ruined in a fire or something…lmao
This dude is TERRIBLE. I’ve heard hip-hop from Europe and Africa and it was decent. The difference was that the music I heard was about their life and struggles. I think this is a perfect example of what has happened to hip-hop since the shiny suit/no-limit era. I am surprised of what younger people or even people my age call good hip-hop. There use to be standards in hip-hop. Now the only standard is what gets you paid. Now music that is meant for the clubs is hip-hop. I can see how people overseas may view rap artists or African Americans as buffoons. The artist that are actually making good music aren’t on the radio here so you know in places outside of Europe they aren’t hearing them. I see this stuff first hand in Detroit. I hear these cats making songs about cars, money, and women and I don’t get it. Are we in the same city? The city has an unemployment rate of 30%, an illiteracy rate of 50%, and this is what you rap about? Not to say I want to hear doom and gloom all the time. I guess this is what happens when an art becomes a product.
@Humble_One, ” The city has an unemployment rate of 30%, an illiteracy rate of 50%”
Detroit has a literacy rate of 50%??? Learn something new everyday.
@IVR,
You get those type of statistics when the people who can read move to the south, east, and west coasts.
@Humble_One, I hear these cats making songs about cars, money, and women and I don’t get it.
ill take that over Baby D 12 days a week though, pal.
@Panama Jackson,
It would be tolerable if it was good. If you are going to be wack at least be wack with substance.
::Sigh::
Just making Africans look bad. Oh well, we have to accept/claim Souljah Boy and Dipset… I think they can handle him. The sad part is that I have seen much worse from our own home grown folk. Just when K’naan is making progress this fool is taking the shine… so sad.
Well here is something to hopefully make yall ears feel better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FvWn5oCQ_I
@Buxxy, while i enjoyed it, DipSet might have been one of the worst things to happen to Black American culture in at least the last 20 years.
@Panama Jackson,
Damn, son. You are on it today. That is a bold but hilarious statement.
He was one of the few rappers (NORE, Lil Cease, Madd Rapper) who may have a career because of how bad they are. Everyone likes him because he is terrible. Like so terrible it becomes amusing. Maybe he knew he was terrible. I’d buy his album b/c its so terrible.
PS Soulja Boy has a place in hip hop. He’s what happens if Will Smith talked about s3x.
@Peysonic Temple,
“He was one of the few rappers (NORE, Lil Cease, Madd Rapper) who may have a career because of how bad they are. Everyone likes him because he is terrible. Like so terrible it becomes amusing.”
that’s how I feel about Gucci Mane–I still don’t like him, but I think that’s why everyone else does. And I can accept that. LMAO
@Reecie, much like all those other rappers, Gucci Mane shares in his ability to snag a good beat.
you cant tell me that Wasted doesn’t go hard in the paint. he knows what songs to get on.
@Panama Jackson, you’re right. first time I heard it was my HS reunion. everyone was hype. it def goes hard. I was one of two that had never heard the song. its def my jam now. that, Freaky Girl, and Go ‘Head are the extent of my Gucci likeables. LOL
@Peysonic Temple,
PS Soulja Boy has a place in hip hop. He’s what happens if Will Smith talked about s3x.
Thanks!
People are romanticizing their pasts and trying to make their era’s hip hop artists all that AND a bag of chips.
Errr, there has always been bad artists and bad rappers. It’s not a time-based thing… The sooner this generation of “we-hate-skinny-jeans but can’t remember that we actually had salt-n-peppa hairstyles” realizes that they are no longer the trend and taste makers and the sooner they accept that they are now OLD and should be concerned with other things, the better we’ll all be.
and the more compelling VSB topics might be.And yes, I am part of that generation as well.
@Sula, . and the more compelling VSB topics might be.
i feel you…panama always be on that BS. he don’t even know what he talking about.
@Panama Jackson,
compelling = requiring urgent attention.
Does that translate to “he don’t even know what he talking about”? Are we speaking in “Bangs” now? Lol!
@Sula, i’m confused…are you defending Bangs? i’m african, and i can see what Panama is saying. i love the reach hip-hop has, but i can’t say that i like seeing african repping thug life and the worst elements born out of the culture, it’s a caricature, and offensive.
i’m not trippin off of bangs, but i know he can at LEAST give a shoutout to his fallen comrades in south sudan, we know what their conflict is about, instead he’s rapping about parties and rockstar lifestyles where he might don’t make it. it’s a caricature…entertaining, but only when you don’t look too deeply.
@overit,
“i’m african, and i can see what Panama is saying. i love the reach hip-hop has, but i can’t say that i like seeing african repping thug life and the worst elements born out of the culture, it’s a caricature, and offensive”…I honestly hate hearing African rap music (especially the ones that emulate the rap music in the States), its just a reminder that we have adopted a part of the western culture that….ugh I’ll stop there.
I guess Bangs saw that you don’t need to make much sense (or make good music) to make money in the music industry here. If he rapped about the plight of folks in South Sudan, would people here take him seriously or even give his music a second look…I’m not so sure.
@overit,
I am talking about the statement about Souldja Boy. Not even defending (or knowing) who Bangs is. I haven’t listened to his song yet (no youtube at work)… so I have no opinions on Bangs whatsoever.
What I am saying on the other hand, is that like most generations before us, we (the majority of VSB-ers)are starting to become less relevant as far as music/taste/fashion is concerned… and like other generations before us, we have a hard time dealing with it. We should just let go and let the kids enjioy their Souljah Boy and skinny jeans.
This particular reply has not much to do with Bangs really…
And for the record, I am not African. I am Ivorian.
@Peysonic Temple,
Confusing a dope lyricist like Will Smith with Soulja Boy, HIM OF ALL PEOPLE, is an injustice that will not stand.
Listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdK0XPUonUw
and then this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yfNzvNd4PA and then tell me who has vocab.
Great post. I feel the intensity/passion/humour.
maybe nobody bought Wale’s song because…. he was just telling us his name all thrugh the song????
Wale, baby, we know your name is Wale…. we don’t need to buy your record to know that your name is Wale.
Come on Bangs isn’t the worse. What about Chamillionaire?? Souljaboy??
@Roro, what’s wrong with Chamillionaire? he can actually rap. he just looks like hell.
i kind of view soulja boy and bangs on the same level. though for some reason, soulja boy has garnered respect and had one great verse (marco polo with bow wow…that verse was great, “last night your girl’s forehead was on my abs” that’s just poetry). i mean hell, he’s producing WITH KANYE WEST and writing songs for Rihanna. lol. the f*ck just happened to common sense?
@Roro,
“Come on Bangs isn’t the worse. What about Chamillionaire?? Souljaboy??”
I’ll give you Souljaboy. But Chamillionare? I’m not into him like that but he is not wack. Chamillionare is eons better than Bangs.
@Humble_One,
That is blasphemy! Chamillionaire is over both of their heads and is actually a competent MCee!!!!
@Humble_One,
He’s no where close to Bangs.
Wait. Did we agree on something?
@Roro
Check his stuff with the Color Changin’ Click, if you’re not into his more commercial new stuff.
@miss t-lee,
Classic Chamillionaire is the sh*t.
@ComicBookGuy,
Remember that Homer Pimpson?
*memories*
@miss t-lee,
What about that Before the Kappa?
“Lucky I stomp with him when I’m up in the Comfort Inn, comfortable twins sharing nothing but comfortable skin.”
Chamillionaire was a fool back then.
@ComicBookGuy,
“What about that Before the Kappa?”
YES!!!! I’ma hafta go dig out my oldies when I get home today…lmao
or what about 5000 with the Straight to The Room series?
tee-hee
This is the worst thing I have ever seen in my life.
If this guy or song continues to get popular and actually blows up, then I will lose hope in the American people.
Then again, we let William Hung actually release a CD.
@SouthernCharm, I was just about to say he’s likeW Hung but in hip hop…..
Well, I have found a reason to get on my hip hop soapbox so here it comes.
Bangs is a perfect example of, what many on the post have mentioned, of non-American Blacks think out blacks in America and hip hop culture. He identifies hip hop with image and that’s it. That guy has no skills and probably doesn’t know what skills are when it comes to hip hop. The radio sucks so much that I had to buy satellite radio, which is so sad that in order to hear good music, I have to pay for it, but I get to hear the majority of the good stuff out there. Plus I don’t have to worry about hearing that same song over and over on different stations. This just shows that people in general don’t take hip hop seriously anymore. Instead of it being a vehicle of change, inspiration and empowerment, it’s used to ridicule our people, how greedy we are, and really how stupid we can be when we don’t come to the table on our sh*t because hip hop artists get r*ped by the music industry more than any other artist. Artists are wondering why they are losing money from downloads over the past decade. Here’s a reason: No one makes a good, complete album worth buying anymore. Okay, there are the ones that actually do nowadays and they are the only ones I spend money on. No one really respects the craft anymore. I could rant on this subject for days because it angers how bad hip hop has gotten in all aspects that when I bump some Tribe, Cube, anything by J. Dilla, old Outkast, I realize 1. that I sound like my parents when it comes to music and I am just 27 and 2. that most classic hip hop artists were lovers of music, not just black music, or rap music. Music period.
Glad I stopped myself before I got too serious. I love how this blog creates interesting dialogue with intelligent folk.
@ComicBookGuy, where real hip hop is concerned I’m a bit of a snob myself and I strongly agree with your comment, esp sounding like our parents, cause this second generation in hip hop SMH but then I have to rememebr like I heard X from Brand Nubians said this genre is still in its infancy when you really think about and compare it to other older genres of music …….. btw listen to or revisit Nocturnal by Heltah Skeltah in its entirety, young truly a most slept work before its time, dare I say a most classic masterpiece of crankin ass proportions( lyrics, beats& production), dayum that thing knock…. nuccas need therapy!!!
@Orange*,
I feel you. I am definitely a snob when it comes to hip hop. The albums actually paid money for this year, whether it was a CD or on iTunes are: …Only Built for Cuban Linx II (excellent from beginning to end), Blueprint 3, Kid Cudi, Slaughterhouse, UGK and MF DOOM. Keep in mind, I am a guy from Texas, but I listen to a lot of East Coast stuff. Hip Hop has a lot of growing to do and I hope this era needs to happen to make the next generation wise up and get back to the essence.
@ComicBookGuy, 2. that most classic hip hop artists were lovers of music, not just black music, or rap music. Music period.
i think thats probably the biggest point out of all of it. a lot of these cats nowadays just view it as a means to an end. they figured out how to get in the game and make money. very few are in it for the music, in my opinion. as a music snob and insane music lover, that often bothers me, but at the same time, it is what it is.
so i just enjoy it. that makes Bangs tolerable for me.
he Bangs he Bangs.
@Panama Jackson,
maybe i should have just sent you my rants and let you condense them for me.
i’m cosigning
I hear you Panama. I think this dude is the new Biz Markee Rappin Duke. Rap parodies of old got in the mix. It was fun. So did battling & if ole boy wants to get taken seriously well, he’s going to get ROCKED. He’s like that Will Hung guy. So be it. I just for his sake hope he doesn’t think he’s the illest. Knohmean?.!
@WuDaMan, wait…Bangs isn’t the illest???
@Panama Jackson, woe now. I ain’t even say that shulbit. I’m saying maybe he’s something like d.j. reh dog’s smarter long lost cousin only smarter (slightly)…
Okay scratch the smarter.
I wasn’t goin to respond but, I just couldn’t resist, I haven’tseen bangs video
But I heard about it and…smh, lmao. And I actually think he’s knows everyone is laughing at him. But if it gets him paid or popularity than he probably doesn’t mind at all.
But what really makes me sad is how people can’t wait to hate on new hip hop, but the minute artist
Of substance comes along (wale, j.cole) nobody got nothing good to say or write. It’s sad.
Cause when they don’t sell, the label heads and corporations( the real reason for the change in “quality” hip hop)
Assume that’s not what people want to hear, thus we are bomb barded with the “bangs” of the world.
@collegebunni, while i’m not in disagreement with you, i think that a lot of times those artists (Wale j.Cole, etc) get credit for what they’re not as much as for that what they are. they’re not jeezy or ti or chalie boy or tum tum and they speak like they read so they’re substance.
Walé has referred to random women as bitches on his own album. used the term interchangeably with women…has mentioned some of the same cliche shit other rappers talk about. they all do. i think its the same upnorth vs down south argument.
they say the same sh*t, they sound more articulate doing it over beats that aren’t all just synth based. so its more substance. Wale tries, somewhat though. i’ll give him that.
@collegebunni,
But what really makes me sad is how people can’t wait to hate on new hip hop, but the minute artist
Of substance comes along (wale, j.cole) nobody got nothing good to say or write. It’s sad.
Exactly!!!!
I couldn’t watch it more than I did the first time. I grew up listening to lyrical giants. I can’t get down with this.
As for Wale, J.Cole and Dom Kennedy are eons beyond him so why waste time with 2nd rate?
@Stank-0, you know, this is like the 3rd time somebody’s mentioned j.cole. he’s alright…but i really dont get excited by him one way or another. he’s just another in a line of uninteresting cats who can rap.
LOL. I just saw that video like a week ago. It made my belly hurt from laughter.
“So what do you all think, is Bangs just more fun and games or is he our worst fears confirmed about hip-hop and its reach?”
Please, for the love of everything that is Rapper’s Delight, let it be the former. I mean, are there really niccas out there taking this cat seriously? I’m hoping this is the kind of thing where folks are laughing at him rather than with him. Then again, if laughing equals “actually paying for his songs whether digitally or physically” then he’s the one laughing. And I’m laughing at both him AND them for buying it. I mean, I admit the song is silly and catchy but I wish I would actually shell out even 99cents (or 1.29…eff you iTunes…though I have a feeling this song can’t possibly be included in the price increase and would probably still be 99cents) or hell, even a food stamp for this mofo’s song.
On the real though, are there people out there that genuinely think he is the dopeness?
@Cheekie, Bangs is the third greatest rapper in history. he’s right behind Diddy and Sean Kingston.
@Panama Jackson,
Noted.
@Panama Jackson,
and you forgot masta percy. business man, musician, athlete, and all around ren-oh-sants man.
‘When I was in undergrad, me and my boy went out to eat with one our FOB African homegirls’
What’s FOB, Fresh Off The Boat? LOL funny…
You know what? There are certain Black Americans that have no business getting a hold of this rap music either (I’m looking at you Afroman)
And then there are certain folk (non-Black Americans) that are as legit as they come ( I see you Marshall Mathers)
Wack rappers are wack rappers whereever they are and should be removed immediately from the public so as to avoid having their wackness spread beyond their bedrooms.
Let’s not encourage this sh*t! Who influenced this dude? Choppa? Gucci Mane? That stuff should not be out there, let’s push for more Talib Kweli and Immortal Technique types to get some shine and show what hip hop should truly be. One
@Da Iceman,
Co-sign. Just because you feel like rap is the only way for you get out of the hood doesn’t mean you are good at it. Find something else to do.
@Da Iceman, Choppa couldnt have influenced him…he dont even have his suit game up.
oh wait, did you mean the OTHER choppa ???
lol. only in hiphop would there be guys actually named Choppa.
@Panama Jackson, its Choppa, then Chopper–who then became Young City. LMAO. iDie that I know this crap. I used to dance my tail off to Choppa Style back in the day–hand chop move and all. *hangs head*
@Reecie,
Used to? If it comes on right now, I’m gettin’ down.
@miss t-lee, yeah, i can’t lie…me too
@miss t-lee,
Same here. New Orleans bounce music is the sh*t.
@ComicBookGuy ,
See …you know what’s up. LOL
I’m going to Baton Rouge next month for Christmas, can’t wait to go out so I can hear some new stuff.
@miss t-lee, me too…haven’t heard it in awhile though.
@Da Iceman,
chuch. talib, mos, common…i’ll even keep raekwon, kanye and weezy.
110% cosign.
This blog has exposed me to soo many things that I would otherwise have never heard of…2G1C, Vulva pendants, and now Bangs! WTF? I quit.
Seriously though, Bangs harkens us back to the innocent days of rap – akin to the days when Will Smith rapped about parents simply not being very understanding (Damn, Will Smith used to rap?!). Instead of using his lyrical stylings to perpetuate the notion of women as bitches and hoes, or bragging about the all the lovin he gets from said B’s & H’s, he humbly uses a more gentlemanly approach to male/female interaction by offering to show a lady a good time through inviting her to a theatrical viewing.
Instead of using sexual imagery to entice us to continue watching, he shows us shiny things that we all could aspire to possess. And what ninja doesn’t like shiny things? He shows that these things are even attainable through clean rap!
Bangs opts not to tell us how hot he is because he is fly or how you ain’t because you’re not, but instead returns us to the old school days of politeness, and chooses to do so in a rap that dares to be mostly grammatically correct. Bangs has made an effort to show us the difference that positive lyrics in rap can make. He is an ambassador from the motherland here to return us to our true and humble roots. Too bad this shit is terrible!!!
I add this to my list of things I willing saw and wish I could unsee.
@Caballeroso, He is an ambassador from the motherland here to return us to our true and humble roots
yeah…um…you should hear his snippest, which includes, take you 2 da motel, and pretty much every other cliche song about women in a not so great light.
Wow!!! This is bad. This is just bad…among the worst African rappers I have listened to.
I used to HATE (and still do) when “rappers” from my side of the world make their songs similar to what they see on BET et al. The best African rap songs I have heard are the ones that are not an imitation (but like everyone has said, they feel like they have to include all the trappings to be a success just like Soulja boy).
On to how the rest of the world views Black Americans….its simply what is in the media (thankfully some people know not to believe all they see). Its the same way you think I live in one-ness with the Lions, Tigers and Zebras (meanwhile I have never been to a zoo and live chickens, dogs and cats make me very nervous).
Over on another website that I frequent, they have been buzzing about this video all week. At first I was like, this is horrible and wack. It was worst than Reh-Dogg whom I hope many of you look up and view for a quick chuckle.
Even though I think hiphop nowadays is geared towards retarded 5th graders, I think that this song is actually “good” in the sense of he is bringing an innocence back to the genre. First off, even though he dresses in “urban” fashion, obviously emulating American style, this Sudanese cat is having fun on the track. As horrible as it is, it is catchy, he isn’t faking like a gangsta (i.e. he’s having fun) and is talking to a girl without being derogatory. I even gave him props for having a band behind him in the live clip (they rocked!) and he passed out popcorn to the audience! That’s fockin showmanship. So let him ride out his 15 minutes because hey…we actually need a little something to laugh at every now and again.
@CPT Callamity,
BTW for all those that chimed in for yesterdays Gift Giving post, the knock off Snuggie is actually called a Slanket. Carry-on…
*chuckle* Slanket…
@CPT Callamity,
Slanket?! Bwahhahahah
That’s some bootleg ish for that azz.
@miss t-lee,
*dead* @ “slanket”
It sounds like a Snuggie for slores.
@Cheekie, *dead* slanket really sent me, but for slores? hahahaha
@Cheekie,
A “Slanket” is not what’s piping on the parkway.
@CPT Callamity,
*gasp* the slanket isn’t a knock off!! it’s better!! it has big a$$ pockets for your feeties and a front pocket to hide weed in!! that’s good stuff. wait did i say weed? i meant a front pocket to hold my bible…
@CPT Callamity, once again, you should check his website and listen to his snippets. all that “goodness” will be undone quickly. this is clearly his “radio” record.
@Panama Jackson,
I’m certain he’s good n turrible, but one thing I can’t do is stop the viral sensation that he is. He is the William Hung of hiphop right now. I wouldn’t buy or bump his shyt. However, I would show his video around a bunch of intoxicated friends for entertainment. Even if we here at VSB think he’s awful, there are 2520s that will keep this going and propel him into gold territory. Besides…the kid is 19. By the time he is 21 no one will remember him…
@CPT Callamity, i dont want to stop his viralness. i’m quite enjoying it. i can’t even lie. i took pride in being up on bangs last month before he hit the big time. lol.
he bangs.
Its been a long time but im back like cooked crack, whats up VSB people?
Ummm, im gonna go in for a second.
Hip-Hop as Chuck D. put it at ONE POINT was the CNN for the hood. Hip-Hop told the hood stories from angles the news couldnt or simply wouldnt cover (for whatever reasons they had{ratings being the usual one}).
Slightly before and for a brief time after you had the aformentioned era their was a period where Hip-Hop was both things. The lyrical heavy weights told hood stories from their own experience and just what they saw in the street. By no means was this an indictment of the hood or black people, but the only way for a story to be genuine is simply for it to be borne of your own experience or someone close to you so there is actual emotional content. The first OutKast album vs say Illmatic. Neither album was better or worse in my opinion, just different. Andre and Big Boi spoke to their experiences in the same way NaS spoke to his. This was an amazing period for the artistry of Hip-Hop, while we still cared that the beats were fresh, they mattered less than the rhymes. Simple and plain.
THEN we reach the point of other folks realizing that Hip-Hop was profitable. Hip-Hop in some ways then de-evolves from something like a gigantic movement where people were engaged and interested to lets get paid! The industry itself drove a wedge between artistry and profitibility in the music. You can either be a “starving artist” or you can live the rock star life style with all the extras named in “successful”. Some artist went left and said im gonna keep this as art because its my passion and ect ect. Others said efff the art im trying to get PAID baby!
im not calling anyone out for this really because in the end, both stand points while we may not agree as individuals are valid. Thats when we have what I like to call the Jay-Z problem. How do I stay popular but still keep this artistic and above the mosh pit of music that the gucci mane’s, shawaty lo’ws, souljaboys live in?
(Jada is a great example, dope rhymes, tight beats and limted commercial success.)
If any one knows the answer, throw it into the ring. I think we all want to know…
@ESQuared, every rapper should wish to have the Jay-Z problem. backpackers to trapstars rock to Jay. he’s one of the few out there (lil wayne, kanye, and 50) who get that kind of love….
no clue how to make it work for others…
@ESQuared,
“If any one knows the answer, throw it into the ring. I think we all want to know…”
I don’t know. To me the best example of the balance would be how loud records was back in the 90s.
check this out…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yomQw30-To
Terrible.
I would argue he’s better than Plies (hah!). Plus, even though he’s wack and he doesn’t have mastery of the English language his flow (or lack there of) is something innocent and harmless. Who doesn’t like the movies, mayne? He ain’t screaming “Gimmee dat Becky!”
Plus, this example doesn’t make me outraged or lament the abuse, killing, or potential bastardization of hip hop culture (oh, and I have been there, where I feared for my beloved hip hop) . I see this as harmless as William Hung singing Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” . Now if this cat wins a grammy, then I might be salty.
@legitimate_soul, i cant lie…i’d vote for him a grammy. lol.
@Panama Jackson,
*channeling my best Florida Evans when James died*
Watching this reminded me of the movie Brown Sugar when Taye Diggs was trying to sign those “rappers”. One was black and the other was white, I can’t remember what they called themselves in the movie. Anyway, the bad singing on the hook and the equally bad lyrics are similar to the movie.
@Deeds, “One was black and the other was white, I can’t remember what they called themselves in the movie.”
Weren’t they the Rap Dalmatians?? *the h*e is miiiiiiiiine*
@IVR,
Rin and Tin.
@miss t-lee,
I’m first in liiiiiiiinnnnne.
@Deeds,
The Hip Hop Dalmations!
*sad that I would delurk just to answer this triumphantly*
@Deeds, the Hip-Hop Dalmations were my sh*t.
that movie had more entertainment value than it gets credit for. to bad taye diggs and sanaa lathan were the least entertaining parts of an enjoyable movie.
Didn’t know VSB was that heavily populated with serious Hip-Hop heads.
That video is type-silly. The Cadillac Cien doesn’t even exist here, let alone is Australia or Sudan. And why does duke have pics of US dollars behind him at one point. He’s a disgrace to the Sudanese. They’re getting slaughtered by Ay-rabbs for him to bring forth that atrocity. Luol Deng is balling in the NBA to pay for him to make vids like that? Why couldn’t have he just walked the Melbourne streets or stood in front of a theatre?
Did anyone else detect him saying “girl” in a Scottish affectation?
But hell, as much as we feel rap is being butchered, there’s probably some white kids in Seattle or Orange County listening to some foreign rock band thinking they’re butchering the music they like.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
I stand on my credentials. I prolly instituted a schism among the hip hop set in undergrad with a Canibus vs. Nas riff that blew outta proportion. It’s an apples to oranges deal, honestly.
Maybe he’s tryin to take it back when hip hop was light, but uh, those days are gone. The new wave has to uphold the standard.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
“The Cadillac Cien doesn’t even exist here, let alone is Australia or Sudan.”
You noticed that too? I just figured he played it like all these rappers and talk about how they get cars 2-3 years beofre they come out. (Which is complete BS. I am an engineer from Detroit. No rapper or drug dealer gets cars like that)
@ Panama
My comment = I’m a Bangs fan?
@SnijanaFleur, naw, but its fun to say that. Bangs fans!
I can’t see the video, so I’ll have to peep Bang’s later on tonight. I feel like I’m not missing much though.
@V Renee,
You like to torture yourself huh?
@V Renee,
NO! This is worse than 2girls1cup!!
*giggle*
@Cheekie,
I guess I’ma have to be hard headed like you Cheekie. Lord knows you did not listen to the advice given to you. Curiosity, I tell ya…..it’s hard to refuse temptation. LMAO!
@V Renee,
Yup. Hard-headedness for the win!
lol
Still, though…FML for letting curiosity get the best of me.
If Lil’ Wayne and that damn OJ “Aye Aye” The Juiceman can have careers, thrown this moron in there too.
I think by listening to this, I’ve reached my stupidity threshold for the day. Where is my EPMD Greatest Hits CD? I need to listen to some good hip hop now.
BTW yall need to get on Oprah b-4 she calls it quits. Write the book already. lol jk but Kinda not
@VSB,
GeniusKahn said, “hey everybody & Liz I love you”
@WuDaMan, he also said happy T-day. I guess he gonna be eatin roasted tofu
The discussion of Texas rap made me thing about Yungstar and “Knockin Pictures Off The Wall”. It’s guilty pleasure I enjoy.
@legitimate_soul,
Don’t feel guilty. That is a classic.
@legitimate_soul,
Oh snap!!!!!!! Now I’m over here humming that beat.
*True Story, my BFF got married in June. What song did the happy couple and wedding party (including yours truly) play to stroll into the recption hall?
June 27th.
Why? That was the date of their wedding and they’re both from the H, it was classic!!!
@miss t-lee,
I ain’t mad!.. and thanks ComicBookGuy for letting me off the hook. That joint knocks and it’s in my iPod. I love local or regional rap joints and finding out which ones will get the hometown crowd hype. I know in Cali we got our fair share of those.
@legitimate_soul,
*head nod*
@legitimate_soul,
I like the stuff coming out of Cali now. I caught Pac Div when they came to House of Blues in Houston. After listening to Slaughterhouse, I am now a big Crooked I fan.
@ComicBookGuy,
I haven’t even heard all of Pac Div….but I know “The Mayor” song and video was in my head for a minute…. I gotta see what’s up on that DJ Quik and Korupt album too! I’m late.
@miss t-lee,
You have got to be kidding me. Did they play all 35 minutes of it?
“Sitting sideways, boys in the daze, on a Sunday night I might bang me some Maze. Maybe O’Jays.” -Big Pokey
You put that on at any club in the H, at any party at PV and TSU and watch it go bananas.
@ComicBookGuy,
Oh no! Not the the 35 min version, it was mostly the part of the free style with Moe singing/rapping…lol
@legitimate_soul,
Yungstar and “Knockin Pictures Off The Wall”
Songs like that have their place on the repertoire! And that joint goes hard!!
They had Bangs on Shade 45 and the callers were NOT NICE! My personal favorite is at 3:15. The DJ’s reaction is Classic! “He wasn’t really felling it Bangs….he threatened you.”
http://tinyurl.com/yhpxlp3
It is sad that he doesn’t realize that people are laughing AT him and not WITH him.
In his defense, dude only learned English 6 years ago.
@Yonnie3k,
“In his defense, dude only learned English 6 years ago.”
^Agreed. He knows more English than I know of Nubian, Arabic, or any of the other languages besides English spoken in the Sudan.
sad about the lack of commerial success wale is having
his album is great… i think if he looked more like drake he would have blown up…smh
as for this bangs guy, i.just.cant.
“awoahhh”
I love the way he says that, like he rapped so badly it made him dizzy.
awoooaaaahhhhh
^
annnnnndddd whhhhhoooo arrrrreeeee yooouuuu
how you gonna be “grill cheese”
Grills don’t have cheese,homie.
gone viral with his ridiculousness…lmao
Panama…sir.. that was 4:02 of my life i just can’t get back.
Man y’all should be happy for him, this man came from a COUNTRY that is for 25 years of Civil War now is an American Rapper, and that is really good thing to see him going from all the WAR shit to be American Rapper, BANGS keep up the good work man.
While I agree with most of what this guy says, I disagree on the Hip Hop concept. Some of his songs are pretty autobiographical and actually talk about staying away from drugs and out of gangs, etc. I thought I’d listen to see if he was just another caricature being exploited by white people, and i have to tell you, while his rhymes are most certainly subpar – I’d rather hear him rap in his native language than listen to this ABC crap – they aren’t stereotypical. They’re honest, no matter how undeveloped they are in terms of delivery and sophistication, and I think that is what draws people to Bangs. If he worked on that he’d definitely be a contender.I do worry that he’s just a Jimmy Fallon of rap music, and that – being Afrikan myself – I, alike many, are concerned that he’s being exploited in ways he isn’t aware. Hopefully, he’ll cool down and work on his skills; he is better than Reh Dogg, at least.
Instead of Jimmy Fallon, i meant William Hung.