Why Nicki Minaj Doesn't Matter

I wish people would stop dissing Nicki Minaj.  I don't say that because I am a fan or her music; I'm not. I am intrigued by the marketing magic that Minaj is using to sustain her success, but I don't see the colorfully wigged rapper as much of a threat to hip hop in the female form.  Minaj, good or bad is doing what a lot of 'still to be discovered' and even veteran rappers wish they could, finding a niche, riding that out and aspiring to be a millionaire pop artist.  Knowing that makes me less annoyed by her music.

I am a chronic complainer of mainstream hip hop music and have an increasingly ferocious appetite for mainstream female hip hop artistry.  I know there are several indie female artists out there using the internet to push their music, but as the testosterone driven mainstream hip hop culture would have it, none of these females have really risen to the top.  The mainstream will kick out cookie cutter female rappers with over compensatory sex appeal. 

Diss records are not uncommon.  Success often makes you more visible to be attacked and criticized, so Minaj, I HOPE, should expect to be picked apart.  But everyone who raps is not your competition.  Lil Kim made a mistake (although Black Friday was dope--IF she wrote it, but shit, it was still dope) by getting at Minaj. Minaj is a carbon copy of who Kim was back in the late 90's.  Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.  Bar for Bar I believe Kim would murder Minaj in a real rap battle (IF they write their own lyrics--seriously, I question that).  I don't believe Kim has to fight to keep any kind of crown.  Most consumers are gassed by hype and we believe that popularity is a sign of true skill, when really, it's just popularity.

Nicki Minaj has not filled the screaming void of mainstream female hip hop artistry.  I liken her to Fergie and even, as MC Lyte so appropriately analogized, Lady GaGa.  She is NOT Lauren Hill, Jean Grae or Bahamadia.  I don't see her as a lyricist or a MC.  She's an entertainer who is cornering the hip hop market in a unique way, and I'm not mad at that.  

If I were a female rap artist, I'd take notes from Minaj.  Before you attack, it's best to find out who your enemy really is.  It's best to find out who your real competitors are.  The CEO of Walgreens is probably not trying to find ways to bring down all the McDonald's franchises.  What would be the point?

I wish I could say all the hip hop rotating in my MP3 player is by females.  I wish I could say a fraction is. 

This is no diss to Nicki Minaj, I just think I understand her agenda better after observing her. 

But I will leave you with Lady Luck, who I believe is one of the most talented underground female rappers doing it right now.

Happy weekend and thangs.

...kind of where I am right now.

Shameless. And Other Shit That Has Been Going On...

We DO want people to know about even the smallest detail of our lives.  We're proud about our accomplishments and find ways to cover our blemishes. In part, that is why I have a blog.  I want people to read my opinion about shit, I want them to agree, and sometimes challenge what I say.  I want to charm people with my words and make them privy to my personal stories.  There are times I want sympathy and there are times I want to come out of my skin and show people my soul. Either way, I shamelessly do it here.

I haven't really been writing lately, because when I need to most, my words scatter around me, slippery and foreign.  That's normal.  It is only after I have achieved some clarity, some reprieve, that I am able to chronicle my findings.  I am weathering many storms right now and writing has not been on my agenda.  I have tried writing in an effort to deflect from what is really going on with me, but that isn't working out.

Without going into great detail, in the last two years I have had two breakups--the latter being the greatest disappointment.  I'm estranged from my parents and the list of people I can truly count on is shrinking phenomenally. I am having surgery (for the first time) in January and my fear of being alone during that time is shaping itself as a reality.  Where I have thought I have acted heroically, I have been more of the villain.  My decision to open my heart and take emotional risks has become cake on my face. I'm juggling a lot right now, and I am NO juggler.

I have a lot going on.

There are no easy solutions. For the moment, I am done taking risks.  At least when I do what it familiar to me, I know exactly what the outcome is going to be, and I am OK with that.