We Won. But Did We Win?
What does it mean to Hip-Hop that the Three 6 Mafia just won an Oscar?
Wait... let's forget about the larger picture for a moment. I haven't really let it sink in that the Three 6 Mafia... WON... a FUCKING... OSCAR!
I'm not a fan. I don't hate them though. I just think they're average, holding my interest with only a handful of their songs over their long career. And that Oscar pretty much assures the survival of that career for the rest of their lives if they keep working at it (I know them to have a strong work ethic, so it's all good).
But "suprised" doesn't really encapsulate my sentiments. Even among their fans, I found this contributor to The Village Voice who not only felt suprised at the nomination itself, but also at how Singleton and Brewer had tapped them for the "Hustle & Flow" sountrack to begin with (even though it makes perfect sense considering where the movie takes place).
Now that the Mafia got theirs, what does that mean in the grand scheme of all things in this culture? It's a question we won't know the answer to until we allow enough time to pass - a few years, I say with a shrug.
Perhaps we can look back to what effect Eminem's Oscar win had on Hip-Hop in general, and rap in particular. Initially, it may be dificult to describe those changes in detail, but to realize it was Hip-Hop's first Oscar win begins to bring that picture into focus.
You have a great movie. You have an already critically acclaimed emcee starring in it. You have his song headlining the soundtrack. Then Hollywood recognizes that song and rewards it. What I'm trying to get across makes sense if you start to think about what would happen if "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp" had made history first. With Eminem, the Academy had honored a PREMIERE lyricist; an emcee of the HIGHEST caliber. The first Hip-Hop Oscar had gone to one of the greatest, instead of someone not so great. I don't mean the Mafia disrespect, but when you compare them to Em... I'm sorry, but they're average.
Em's win made a first step, though a small one, in the rap industry. It raised the ante. It sent a message that talent DOES get rewarded, and not just record sales that affirm a label's belief behind their marketing engine.
You place something like that on a pedestal and then aspire to it because it represents your best. When a weaker model occupies that pedestal, and rappers follow that lead, then you'll get a lot of wack rappers. That's what I fear will happen.
Wait... let's forget about the larger picture for a moment. I haven't really let it sink in that the Three 6 Mafia... WON... a FUCKING... OSCAR!
I'm not a fan. I don't hate them though. I just think they're average, holding my interest with only a handful of their songs over their long career. And that Oscar pretty much assures the survival of that career for the rest of their lives if they keep working at it (I know them to have a strong work ethic, so it's all good).
But "suprised" doesn't really encapsulate my sentiments. Even among their fans, I found this contributor to The Village Voice who not only felt suprised at the nomination itself, but also at how Singleton and Brewer had tapped them for the "Hustle & Flow" sountrack to begin with (even though it makes perfect sense considering where the movie takes place).
Now that the Mafia got theirs, what does that mean in the grand scheme of all things in this culture? It's a question we won't know the answer to until we allow enough time to pass - a few years, I say with a shrug.
Perhaps we can look back to what effect Eminem's Oscar win had on Hip-Hop in general, and rap in particular. Initially, it may be dificult to describe those changes in detail, but to realize it was Hip-Hop's first Oscar win begins to bring that picture into focus.
You have a great movie. You have an already critically acclaimed emcee starring in it. You have his song headlining the soundtrack. Then Hollywood recognizes that song and rewards it. What I'm trying to get across makes sense if you start to think about what would happen if "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp" had made history first. With Eminem, the Academy had honored a PREMIERE lyricist; an emcee of the HIGHEST caliber. The first Hip-Hop Oscar had gone to one of the greatest, instead of someone not so great. I don't mean the Mafia disrespect, but when you compare them to Em... I'm sorry, but they're average.
Em's win made a first step, though a small one, in the rap industry. It raised the ante. It sent a message that talent DOES get rewarded, and not just record sales that affirm a label's belief behind their marketing engine.
You place something like that on a pedestal and then aspire to it because it represents your best. When a weaker model occupies that pedestal, and rappers follow that lead, then you'll get a lot of wack rappers. That's what I fear will happen.
posted by Omar at 12:54 AM
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