"I Got NOW, I Don't Care Who Got NEXT!"

 

I know you've heard 'em say, "So and so, he's the next So and So" and the cats being compared to the big current artist take it as a compliment.....Technically, if I'm an upcoming artist and a radio personality tells me I'm the next Jay-Z, hell yeah, I'm gonna be all flattered and such, but being the next just doesn't appear good enough.

For example, when Asher Roth sprung upon the scene, who did they say he was the next? 

Eminem....it's kinda easy to tell why.....White rappers stick out like "Green hats with orange bills".

White rappers aren't my focus right now though....the spotlight is on ALL rappers, NOBODY is safe....

I took a hiatus from the radio twice. One from August-November 2008. When I came back to the 101.1 The WIZ, EVERYBODY was using Auto-Tune, so much so, T-Pain on the "Can't Believe It(Remix)" informed his fans, "Start signin' them papers, people, Auto-Tune is on its way out!"

I then took another hiatus from January 2009-a few days ago. What is everybody talkin' about now? The bread and butter, THE CLUB.

Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol, blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-a-a-alcohol......

Do the Stanky Leg!!!!!

.....this is the shit I tried to escape......don't get me wrong, it wouldn't be on the radio if it didn't sound good, but the repetition is annoying, the subject matter is wack......Not very many folks are rapping anymore...

Nobody raps on the radio anymore. I wasn't in the know in the '90's music wise, but I'm sure Mobb Deep was on the radio....Mobb Deep raps.....What changed?

Well, Hip-Hop went from being a lifestyle/music, to a business.

It's not about the fun and expression of self anymore.....it's about expression of persona, swag and about getting money.

Admittingly, not EVERYBODY's life story is exciting, so not everybody being truthful would be as entertaining, but M.T. Bag, over here, we rap about what we know, and it's the best music I've heard in a while........that's not me being biased, with me being in the group, that's me as a music connoisseur judging a good sound.

When Skeem was in the band, he told us about folks who said we sound like A Tribe Called Quest...we didn't make our music like that, it's a coincidence anybody thought we sounded like them...

When I think of M.T. Bag, I don't think we sound like ANYBODY else....which doesn't qualify us for, "You sound like...."

The WIZ is taking submissions of local music for them to play on the station....I've been told, some of our stuff sounds like radio material.....we'll definitely consider it, in order to be a real band, you gotta get heard....just not yet.....We gotta improve our sound first....

M.T. Bag doesn't want next, we want a lane for ourselves to establish longevity.

If I could put a finger on what people may say we sound like, it would probably go as follows:

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony- because of Ace Boogie and how much faster he raps than us...I recently wrote a verse that's gonna require a little tongue flipping, good luck....

The Cool Kids-maybe it's the subject matter, I don't think so, but Boogie used to say we were Hipster...psssh, I'm too old to be rappin' about bicycles and tight pants....

A Tribe Called Quest- I can hear it, the samples, and subject matter...

Lupe Fiasco- at school, kids used to say we rap like him...

So, what's up with these rappers not rapping?

Simple, people are afraid to be different....well, not all of them....There are folks who establish the current cannon, and then the rest follow.

T-Pain with his Thr33 Ringz, he brought Auto-Tune back and then EVERYBODY followed suit.

A fad in the rap music right now is getting a rock band to do your bidding. It started with Jay-Z and Kanye West doing tracks with Chris Martin, and Collision Course, too, I guess. Now Lil Wayne with his "Prom Queen", Lupe Fiasco with Japanese Cartoons, and Kanye West and The Fray....

I know you hear it, the drum pattern( the rapid ti, ti, ti, ti, ti snare) at the end of the fourth bar, or the synths EVERYBODY has their hands on....I can't stand it.

Amongst the hot garbage out, it's not difficult to stand out....That's where we'll come into play....

Hey, rap game......you've just been Czeched!

When M.T.  Bag appears on XXL Magazine and sells a milli in one day, it'll be Czech-Mate!!!

 

(long sigh)........ that'll be the day!

P.E.A.C.E