A Cyberspace Odyssey
“The
most important thing about a technology is how it changes people.”
- Jaron Lanier
The
jerk craze was my first exposure to internet rap. Absolutely
nothing about these bright colors and correspondingly suitable dance
moves such as the Spongebob in no way emitted the odor that this was
the shape of rap to come. The year was 2009 and excitement could not
even blind what would have been a leap larger than the gap of faith.
Calling jerkin outlandish was tantamount to o libel against the
outlands. Tough litigation, better the think inwards
The
entire premise to this day does not even seem remotely fun. Their is
nothing innately pleasurable about acting a fool. In public. Even if
this did coincidentally happen alongside my first appreciation for
Bay Area hip-hop music - Mac Dre, Andre Nickatina, Misah FAB, Keak Da
Sneak, Too $hort...and must importantly, The Pack. Thank you Based
God, but I incorrectly thought Stunnaman would be the break out
artists. Forward looking thizz teachers I had.
And
thanks to Myspace, Pitchfork, and NYU the rest is history. The based
movement lives. Sewn together with remaining fringy fabrics in a
society of false beliefs, these ofspring live and toil peacefully and
online. Worlds all their own: there is nothing to stop these legions
of Basedheads but sudden lack of self-determination. To isolate a
single group, however, is mighty unfair. Egotistical and downright
pretentious, an act that only je justly judged by pillory and fresh
flying produce. Consider the lyrics:
Main Attrakionz "In My Life" - "I learned a whole
lotta game in my life, in my life / Cause computers, boy, they
changed my life, my life" from “Diamonds of God [EP]”
Shady Blaze "W.A.R." - "Using computers to take away
the knowledge and use it ourselves" from The 5th Chapter
Mondre M.A.N. "laptop" - "Weed on my laptop (2x) / I
made a couple g's from my laptop" from MC Illin- Chapt 2
All
related but different group altogether. But is the hero Green Ova
Underground or the internet? Bandcamp or the idea of self
distribution? If San Francisco Lil B came to fame on Myspace, Odd
Future via Tumblr, Chance the Rapper with DatPiff,
and the as of yet Amanda Bynes debut via Twitter, then surely Oakland
Main Attrakionz and the like are indebted Bandcamp. Not ideal by
Jaron Lanier's standards – whom, if I understand correctly, would
much prefer payment per byte consumed as opposed to a fixed price –
but the admirable intention in present. Why give a product away for
free when a niche fanbase can be cultivated and sustained with
carefully executed releases. Free to try but requiring money to buy:
the internet has begun he downfall of record labels.
Anecdotaly.
If I were a more ambitious man I would put strenuous thought into
justifying my claims. Too heavy for a mere introduction, though. Yet
attention towards the internet music scene, particularly rap, is well
worth the risk. Resident Cyber Shaman, and sometimes Layne Staley
v.2, Khalil Nova even has an ongoing series of songs titled “Internet
Muzik” (01-03 so far).
It is alarmingly
easy to fall for the trap of past music's storied past. Legendary
lore of unlimited and literally lascivious behavior. Possessing a
respectable rank is only the result of time. Any musician having
recorded prior to the year 2000 enjoys the inevitable advantage of
having the fans who came to age with the sounds already creating
little fans of their own. The older the style the greater the
advantage and timelessness. What it royal even out of the womb?
Methinks not.
It is also highly
offensive to compare the music of the present with the music of the
past. Standards that apply to one genre need to apply to any other.
Classical v. jazz. Rock v. Rap. Bagpipes v. the world. These are all
form of music digested different;y. The 1960s and 1970s saw the era
specific advantage of a resurgent interest in long forgotten “roots”
music and new electric tool through which to create an
interpretation. To find like-minded folks who happened to have
instruments was half the fun; reaching an identity separate from the
individuals through a group and its sound was the payoff.
The important
thing to remember in all of this is that the Y2K bug was
always...always...more virus
than bacteria; never living, always present. The 1990s saw the end of
the Cold War, but the new millennium introduced a generation of
people who had grown up ten years without the ever looming reddish
threat with a money scent. Borders become increasingly abstract and
communication more miraculous than ever. Forum boards and Internet
Relay Chat give way to social media. As people's consciousnesses of
the world grows closer together humans grow further apart. More
isolated and incessantly insistent on individuality, the weirdness
comes out: the internet is the optimal medium with which to spread
it. Computers are the new tools of kids who just want to make music
from the immediate past or which has not been created yet. And unlike
classic reverberations from stereos past, these waves have yet to
complete a narrative tapping into an idea of transcending the real
world by viewing it in any other light. Internet rap singularity in
the works.
Anecdotaly, But
remember, technology, it changes people.
Jonathan
Cohen is a recovering college radio DJ, discover-er of Jimmy Hoffa
Tourettes, and once lauded expert on shrubbery. You can follow him on
Twitter at the handle @BoggleUrNoggle
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