Hip-Hop, Ya Don't Stop?

One of the challenges I'm facing in coming up with ideas for the book is how to talk about hip-hop. The time period that the book covers is essentially the entire life span of hip-hop. However, I'm struggling to find unique angles that haven't already been put forth in the many great books about rap music and its surrounding culture.


I've been turning to my favorite rappers for inspiration and had a few random thoughts. It could be that MF Doom has succumbed to the fantastical dementia that his lyrics hint at. The greatest strengths of his musical conception is that it creates a whole alternate universe for listeners to visit. But, it's been three years since his lat album and I worry that he will have totally squandered the groundswell of attention and goodwill sparked by the DangerDoom project. Is this a case of reclusive genius or an MC too caught up in his own hype? (And, yes, I know about the health problems but the question still remains valid.)

On the other hand, Doom's former running buddy MF Grimm seems to be garnering accolades for Sentences, his first graphic novel. I wrote about it here. After re-reading it, I realized that if Sentences was a song, or more appropriately, an album, I don’t know that I’d be that enthused by it.


The unapologetic sentiment of the book's early chapters would've been hard to pull off in a rap lanscape where harder-than-you is still the order of the day. (Exceptions only seem to made for Ghostface, and God knows he earns 'em. All that we need is YOU, Tony Starks.) Something about the art on Sentences reminds me of graffiti, too, with its emphasis of elasticity and the way it eschews figurative literalness.

Sentences mostly triumphs by presenting some of the best aspects of hip-hop in a non-musical form. That strikes me as ironic in an age where rap music is the weakest selling point of hip-hop culture.

All this has got me thinking about the way hip-hop creates a worldview for its faithful. Nowadays, it seems like MCs act like hip-hop owes them something. Straight out the gate, they carp about being hated on. MF'ers (no pun intended) need to realize that you're gonna get hated on; after all, no one gave rap a free pass when it started to bubble up from the streets. There's a real dearth of what I call “just happy to be here” rap. Dave turned me on to Blu and Exile's CD and the thing that grabs me is that dude just sounds like he's having fun. When did that become such a rarity?


So, let's look at this particular moment with regard to the two aforementioned MCs: one seemingly trapped in a world he made and the other possibly escaping boundaries by re-inventing the very thing that took away his mobility. We could be talking about either MF, right? There's gotta be somethere I can use...

Black Machismo

Meet my new favorite wrestler. Jay Lethal works the ropes for TNA and he's the current champ of their lightweight X Division. I got flown down for the federation's announcement of their first-ever video game, which coincided with their Bound for Glory pay-per-view event.

Jay's a big nerd and we were going back and forth quoting lines from Frisky Dingo
before the night was over. He loves Gears of War but sadly, I didn't get his gamertag.


The best thing about Mr. Lethal is that he's currently working a Black Machismo gimmick that has him doing a spot-on imitation of the great Macho Man Randy Savage.



Sheer brilliance.

Halo, is it me you're looking for?

My piece for GameDaily (fka AOL Video Games) about other publishers trying to counter-program Halo 3 went live late on Thursday. It was kind of a logistical pain-in-the-ass, to be honest, and someone really needs to teach game developers how to give good quote.

Somewhere, the bells of the Apocalypse are getting ready to toll...

because someone went and found Larry Stroman. CBR's got the scoop.

It's funny because dude has created this air of mystery by his very absence, kind of like how people used to wonder about whatever happened to Sly Stone. Maybe Mr. Stroman was inspired by Sly's recent Grammy appearance and Vanity Fair article?

Stroman's popularity wasn't all mystery and hype, though. Dude could put serious burn on the page. Honed by early work as a caricaturist (if I'm remembering correctly), his style's never been really imitated or aped. Hell, even his influences are hard to track, though I'd guess that he studied some Michael Golden and/or Marshall Rogers back in the day. He always applied interesting layouts to both individual panels and whole pages, and used strong constrasts and sharp design sense to make even older characters seem fresh.


I first encountered him on Alien Legion from It always seemed like his work held a special significance for black nerds like me, because one could suspect--based from certain anatomical, er, proclivities--that the guy drawing Peter David's mid-90s run on X-Factor was a brother. Say what you will about essentializing conclusions with regard to artistic technique, but he knew how to draw curves on women in a way that differed from the more egregious T&A art. People who read his independent book Tribe know what I mean.

Well, I liked the Rise & Fall of the Shiar Empire, Brubaker's intial arc on Uncanny X-Men, so Stroman's art will give me another reason to pick this up.

Haitian Sensation interviews Asian Persuasion

My profile on cartoonist Adrian Tomine runs in the latest issue of Time Out New York. It was way long when I turned it in but, despite the cuts, I think it turned out pretty well.

Halo, can anybody hear me?

For your viewing pleasure, Mr. Scott Jones and I hold forth on Microsoft's rampaging juggernaut way too early on a Monday morning. (I'd like to think that I at least bend the rule--if not break it outright--that says no one can look cool while being filmed playing a video game. You readers--who are an admittedly harsh lot--can be the judges.)




Eventually, the Halo frenzy will lead to this:

My sister gave it to me...

so, y'know, blame her. The part about cleverly placing it on the inside of the door so it's already too late by the time you see it? All me.