Perceiving Greatness in the 21st Century: An Exercise in Self-Promotion

Currying the favour of the masses has always been a strategic undertaking; balancing the necessary crowing of one’s achievements which today’s for public serves as almost an educating process without falling to the dismissive perils of over-exposure can be arduous at best. Sometimes, depending on the level of interest/scrutiny, one may even be held accountable to their boasts, but it seems only the least savvy of public figures get caught in an out right, un-spinnable lie. Nobody said ascendancy via self-promotion was easy.
And so follows the mantra within the music biz, which adheres to the same anti-meritocracy blueprint of its sister entertainment industries (with the same lack of accountability to its portrayal of topical truth for the sake of entertainment, itself). In particular, rap music’s current dependence on image has less and less to do with being fly and more to do with the generation of currency: there is now a generally accepted ethic within the industry and for its observers that one's worth as a rapper is directly correlated with the ability to capture the widest possible market share and thus accumulate the greatest amount of revenue for a given project. Even at the height of the Bad Boy Era, this was still a concept limited to subtext, not necessarily flaunted within the material. But now, the idea of selling out is a virtually impossible notion, as branding and cross-promotion are shunned by only the most subterranean of artists.

The ‘rapper’ who has benefited the most from this New World Order is one, who ironically enough, is somewhat struggling to hold the attention of the same masses responsible for co-signing the rise to his now tenuously seminal position. Jay-Z, the original business…man, is back on the scene in 2008, much to the chagrin, one would expect, of the majority Def Jam talent. Recently, he decided to bless the genre of dancehall by hopping on a remixed version of Movado’s contribution to the Mission Riddim. Funnily enough, while describing his beef with those that object to his position at the top of the industry over what was previously a conscious track, he removes any doubt of the validity of his words by having the track wheeled back in the studio and re-reciting his previously spit verse. Because why wait for crowd approval, when you can manipulate it directly yourself?

The look of a man who doesn’t need a DJ’s help.

Just last week, a Timbaland produced track called ‘Ain’t I’ was leaked, sounding possibly like something that should have been on the Blueprint 2 album ( I guess 250 don’t go as far as it used to…). I suppose fans will respond to this, if for nothing else, to embrace Jay’s flow but the true intention of putting a single like this out is to keep an adoring fan base engaged, in light of its slight deterioration since the unretirement. But it’s in times of uncertainty that loyalty must be tested, and Shawn is not only direct about questioning allegiance, he makes a chorus out of it.

Movado feat. Jay-Z – On the Rock Remix

Jay-Z feat. Timbaland – Ain’t I

Meanwhile, Andre Benjamin has joined his partner in rhyme, Big Boi in similarly releasing buzz singles for public consumption. While Three Stack’s future as a rapper was considered tenuous at best after the Love Below, Andre has come back with some strong lyrical cameos last year, cumulating on an Outkast reunion of sorts for the Art of Storytelling Part 4. Amazingly, an already introspective lyricist demonstrates more focus than ever by matter of factly breaking down his larger personal perspective within the context of everyday circumstance. There is no room for pandering or campaigning to the listener; the dopeness of the content is left for independent affirmation.
Perhaps more ambitious was 3000’s verse on the recently dropped Royal Flush, an alleged single off the soon to be released Big Boi solo project, featuring Raekwon the Chef. Over a bumping track and Isley sample, Andre follows Rae’s lawless musings with what amounts to an open discourse in the sociological functioning within urban communities existing in poverty. What is probably most striking of his time on the mic was the description of the generic crabs-in-a-barrel impulse of demonstrating resentment towards the achievement of others mired in similar surroundings. Specifically, how it didn’t degenerate into cries of ‘stop hating’ massaged by the enviable flaunting of material gain and marginalizing of others’ lack of acquisition. Needless to say, as it has been mentioned by others, but this sort of moment in hip hop can be considered nothing less than atypical.

Outkast feat. Marsha Ambrosius – The Art of Story Telling Part 4

Big Boi feat. Andre 3000 and Raekwon – Royal Flush

The audacity of dope: being it without mentioning the trap.

Comparing Andre’s recent work in light of the standard barer, S Dot, and considering the equivalent time both have spent as an artists with the relatable amounts of critical and public fanfare each have enjoyed, the topical disparity is somewhat surprising. When viewed in terms of the accepted industry norm, 3000 output is nothing short of remarkable, as it indicates an artist neither motivated by nor necessarily appealing to more desirable consumer demographics. Hardly the description of someone with elite status in the rap game. But then again, maybe it’s not that hard to imagine a throwback embraced as top dog: if for no other reason, it’s because there’s always the hope for better.

It’s a Problem When Jose Calderon is your Best Option…to Coach.

I’ll say preface my return from hiatus with this statement: if the Raps lose to the Knicks tonight, Sam should immediately resign following the game, taking his sparkly, S-Curl enabled locks with him; with just the memory of a glittery head attached to a lanky silhouette striding up and down the home coaching box at the ACC, barking only the vaguest of directions to his wayward players.

As the Toronto media jumps on the latest dramatic Raptor storyline of the day, fueling the fire for the T.J. versus Jose non-feud feud, a fundamental point seems to be missed amongst the portrayal of ‘Spanish Jose’ as the paradigm of selflessness and team sacrifice: isn’t it the coach’s job to tinker the line-up to induce the necessary on court chemistry? If these stories are true, why would Sam need prompting from a player to make basic rotation decisions?

Just two of the many faces of 'Ocho': the real brains behind the S-Curl?

Admittedly, I have been always critical of Sam’s tactical acumen and even his bench coaching hasn’t exactly drawn comparisons to the Popovichs and (COUGH) Jacksons of the world. But all the Mitchell apologists have held fast to the idea of Sam as a nurturer, a developer, someone who knows how to handle players and get the best out of them. ‘We have a young team’, they say, ‘we need a player’s coach.’

Unfortunately for us, Sam has been the benefactor of some smoke and mirrors coaching, doggedly employing a rudderless high-screen offense, avoiding avoiding the commitments of X's and O's. It just so happens that he’s left virtually all decision-making to a developing, shoot-first, penetration-oriented point buoyed with the option of handing the ball over to perhaps the best ball-handling, least turnover-prone guard in the League while surrounding them with some consummate pros such as ‘Jaundice’ Parker and (when healthy) Garbajosa to keep up the non-scripted ball movement. Sure, this could be a workable scenario, as proven in the past, but that leaves you as a slave to the natural ups and downs a roster will go through with regards to injuries, slumps, groupie-maintenance and whatnot. And really, if it’s the players who seem solely responsible for making this work, is a coach really maximizing said players’ potential. I mean, is this the only way to maximize Bosh’s skill set on the offensive end?

Sure, Sam’s offensive sets lack structure and derive very little in the sense of premeditated looks for players; it spelled the end of MoPete’s career in Toronto. But for all the on-the-fly decision making that a pick-and-roll dominated offense entails, what happens when a player goes rogue like T.J. on the Raps most recent, disastrous West Coast adventure? Is there any way to rein him in within the context of a play-less play book? Is sitting a player the default option when you cannot impose structure?

But this is where handling personnel comes in, Sam's alleged strength. Clearly, as Wednesday’s win against a Rip-less Detroit indicated, T.J. loses much of his effectiveness coming off the bench; his production as a sub is hit or miss at best. Jose is not limited in this way. So is it impossible for them to co-exist on a roster as many would suggest (financial constraints and T.J.'s rumoured temperamentality aside)? I feel it would not be too far-fetched to find a coach who could have the team thrive with two starting point guards on the roster, a concept that once made the Raps the envy of the League: to wit, while Sam has tried playing both guards at the same time, he refuses to instruct Calderon to be the primary ball-handler, allowing T.J. shot first mentality to take over as the shot clock winds down, the way the roster’s non-existent slashing small forward normally would. Instead, we have Jose waiting on the wings for T.J. to belatedly initiate the offense, virtually nullifying his ability as a distributor. In the end, this coexistence amounts to wasted minutes (and extended time for two guards on the court who are not exactly known as defensive stoppers).

While I am reticent to use the cliché of the imperative, a loss tonight against the Knicks would virtually guarantee the end game to the Raps' current free-falling ways; a 1^st round series match up against the 1^st or 2^nd seed, leading to a possible sweep and a demoralized team heading into an uncertain off season. Building off the sort of win that was exacted against Detroit will require leadership, and fingers seem to be always pointed, for better or for worse, at the players. It’s time for the man who occupies the coaching box to step up his game as well.