I am taking my love for music to another level. I want the world to know my views and educate others on different aspects of the industry. There is more to the music world than what we see on tv and I am making it my duty to let that be known.
So with the sudden burst of "Vanilla Vixens" or white girls that "rap", I've been more than hesitant to write on this subject. I ask myself is it even worth it but the more I come across this "Vanilla Rap" the more I have to give my two cents. First of all, in NO way am I saying that white girls CAN'T rap. This blog is not to bash white girls in any way, hell I'm half white, so let's make that clear now. What I am doing is giving my opinion on what I believe is KILLING the music business.
Photo courtesy of Google Images
Photo courtesy of Google Images
I'm taking DJ Traci Steele's "popcorn" catch phrase and relating it to "Vanilla Vixens". If you are white, hispanic, asian, indian or whatever and you CAN write your own music, rap without auto tune and make sense, then I encourage you to get in the booth and make it happen, but for so many of these "new age rappers" it's becoming a mockery of what Rap and Hip Hop once stood for. I KNOW there are talented white rappers, look at Eminem, he's killing it right now, but these chicks that are backed by major hip hop labels but come out sounding like pre-school rhymers kills me. V-Nasty, Lil' Debbie & Kreayshawn for example..... RAPPERS? NO SIR, entertainment? Could be for some but for me I think its garbage.
Amber Glass courtesy of www.facebook.com/amber.e.glass
Now there is a well known "Vanilla Vixen" from my hometown of Oklahoma City by the name of Amber Glass. Now I'm not knocking her hustle by any means, I support my hometown hustle and all it stands for, but in my opinion Amber Glass is eye candy. I can't stand firm and say her raps are original, self-written or that she sounds different from the rest, and that is the reason I can't get into her music. I respect her drive and effort, but when you have the credibility of those behind you to amp your product, climbing the charts on YouTube is effortless. After a long debate on FaceBook on the validity of these "white girls that rap", I wanted to see how many others there were, so I dug, listened to track after track, "mixtape" after "mixtape" and realized that this Vanilla Vixen movement is either a "wake-up" call to show real rappers/emcees/lyricists that Hip Hop is dead or everyone that believes that this shit is music is deaf, bottom line.
Chanel West Coast via Google Images
Gucci Mane backs V-Nasty, who in turns beefs with Soulja Boy? For real? White Girl Mob (V-Nasty, Lil' Debbie & Kreayshawn) are beefing because Lil' Debbie was kicked out.....but the music is wack, repetitive and everyone's voice sounds the same. Is that these chicks are really doing with themselves? I really wanna know if this is the style of music they prefer or are they simply being used as promos to bring in new fan bases and create a cross over for rappers. If you have ever watched Ridiculousness on MTV then I am sure you have heard of Chanel West Coast, I did not know this chick was a "rapper" that was signed to YMCMB until I seen an episode where she was asked to freestyle, which of course she couldn't do. So I looked her up as well and sure enough, she's a Vanilla Vixen Rapper.... but what I find myself asking, is who really listens to this music?
V-Nasty courtesy of Google Images
These chicks are no where near the female rappers/femcees that I grew up on, MC Lyte, Lady of Rage, Da Brat and with the exception of Riff Raff, they aren't touching Vanilla Ice or Eminem either. I mean I get it, music should have no boundaries, everyone is entitled to make the music of their choice and more power to them, but I don't think that's the case. I'm sure they feel like they're living it up, endless weed, all the lean you can drink, money (if they even really make any), celebrities and all that, but are they in it to make good music that people are going to remember? Is it for the fast life or because music is within them? I've said it plenty of times and I will take this to the grave, IF YOU ARE NOT PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING MUSIC, STOP MAKING A JOKE OUT OF MUSIC!!!!!! And that goes for "rappers" of ALL colors, races, nationalities, etc....
V-Nasty courtesy of Google Images
Rap/Hip Hop has become a joke, from the Love & Hip Hop series, to the Vanilla movement, to the lame drama that surrounds local artists. It seems that music is more so about what looks good versus what sounds good and for that reason, I rather pick up what kids these days call "old school" rap a.k.a Tupac, and put it on repeat before buying anything that is available today. At the end of the day, this is just my opinion but I've stood firm that my passion is MUSIC. For those who say I'm hating, not in the least. I chose to stop recording music because the industry has created a gimmick and that is one I choose not to follow. My first love has been writing, I WRITE MY OWN material, so at the end of the day, I'll end my life with what I started it with, writing.
Below are links to all of the females I mentioned above and if nothing else, I just gave them all FREE promo....
Chanel West Coast
Amber Glass
V-Nasty w/ Gucci Mane
Til' next time, this is O-City's Own, Misses S.A.M, Signing OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want to first say that my absence has not been in vain. I struggle daily with myself on if I want to continue to pursue anything that even deals with music. Over the years I have seen my own decline in regard to the one thing that I have always loved. MUSIC. No matter what or how I was feeling, I could always count on music to get me through it. I could turn on the radio, my cd player, pull up some songs on the Internet or sit down and write til my heart's content....but slowly that started to change. TUPAC always was and always will be my favorite ARTIST of all time. I had moments of "idolizing" Master P's No Limit Records and when I say, I had every single poster of every single artist ever signed to No Limit taped, stapled and glued to my wall, along side other artists like Tupac, of course, Nelly and Scarface.
At 15, my room looked like that of a teenage boy that lived and breathed music and some of those posters even followed me into my adulthood. I remember sending my ex pictures of "our" apartment during his bid and being laughed at because Nelly and Tupac hung up on the walls. Yeah, I was 20 years old and still had posters in my room, but little did he know, those posters motivated me to write music.Music started to lose it's meaning, it's purpose and with the downward spiral of music itself came the lack of passion I once had for it. All I ever wanted in life was to be the first female rapper on someones record label. While
I remember sitting at my computer, playing with whatever software was popular back then and making my very first beat. I was so excited. Without thinking I posted it online to one of the little underground websites I was a part of and started my journey on being a producer. I still wrote music and even recorded a bit, but my joy was in making beats. Not long after that all of my equipment was stolen, my exes keyboard, my computer, ALL of MY music.... I felt like I had lost everything and in a way I did. I turned my back on music and started focusing on other things, so it came as no surprise when I picked up a Lloyd Banks cd and a familiar beat. Most people hear their creations and get ecstatic. Not me, I knew I was took. Not realizing that uploading my beat without the proper copyrights/trademarks, etc opened me up to losing what turned out to be a major hit for Lloyd Banks. His track Cake.....that beat....that exact beat...... yeah, that was me. That was the moment I learned one shady side of the music business, the thievery.
Fast forward to present day...music is trash now days. I had a conversation about how producers are so disposable that they will use the same one for a few years and then toss to them background to live off royalties. Not saying that they are talented enough, but it seems as though the music business isn't big enough for more than one popular person at a time. Lil' John, Pharrell, DJ Khaled (who seemed to last the shortest amount of time) and now Mike Will Made It.... I know everyone has their time, but this is why music sounds the same, it all has the same theme, and dies out too fast. Its too repetitive. Thus comes my struggle with dealing with and even writing about music.
I'm tired of writing about the same lame ass artists who are on ALL of the same songs with each other. Not one of them can make a decent solo record because they are all on each other's albums doing the same type of songs over and over and over. How much weed smoking, purp drinking, ass shaking, j wearing can there really be? Yes, I get it, it's entertainment, but it's not entertaining anymore......I miss real music. The classics and drama every now and then is ok, but why does every damn rap album have to come with a damn award show fight? Why can't the slutty R&B singers be ho's together? Do they really have to fight to out ho each other?
With that being said, I've decided that GOD blessed me with a talent for music and just because this world has turned the music into something I can't tolerate doesn't mean I should turn my back on the 2 things that have never done me wrong. 1. GOD & 2. MUSIC..... so I am choosing to continue to write, about what I want and I pray that you all receive it the same way you would receive anything else that has been posted on this blog thus far. Thanks for all of your support, your shares, your reviews and ideas, My return will be with much purpose! YOU GOT MY WORD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
