Hundreds of miles removed, Summer Jam wasn’t of much consequence for me. But with no major fireworks or expected controversies slated like previous years, it was hard to even feign attention. If you want them, you’ll be bombarded with them across the net (or you could just make your way to Cipha Sounds Youtube page).

Let’s just hit the highlight, which would be T-Pain making his way on stage as Jay-Z performs “D.O.A.”

1. Jay’s song was not revolutionary. It’s what the listening public has been clamoring for.

2. As the one who originally rode the current wave of Auto Tuning to fame, Pain gets a pass, even appearing on stage (minus his “Big Ass Chain” which would’ve been a highlight for me). “You rappers singing too much/ Get back to rap, you T-Pain-ing too much/ I’m a multi-millionaire/ So how am I the hardest nigga here?”

What “D.O.A.” did on Friday was end yet another small era in rap. And it left me thinking: Does Jay officially usher in/exit out every trend in rap? Read the rest of this entry »

Words By David D.

Pic By The Warfare Collective

Like all popular music, Hip-Hop is all about trends and fads. All trends, though, come to an end and it takes a certain benchmark moment to kill these fads.

Back in the day the ultimate trend killer was, well, white people. When Black culture assimilated into the White American psyche, Black folks moved on to something else. I remember getting rid of my Wu Wear shirts when I saw a group of white people rocking the same brand. With the increased cross over appeal of Hip-Hop, White people have been able to keep their fingers on the pulse of what’s going on in the culture. I can’t just look to my White friends anymore to tell me when something has run its course. I have to rely on other signs that a fad has run its course. Ladies and gents, let’s look at some fad killers.

Oprah

When Oprah introduces something on her show, it’s a wrap. I remember coming home from school and my mom showing me some new dance she learned on Oprah. Oprah has single-handedly given many moms across the country the liberty to induce their children’s gag reflexes by shaking their tailfeathers or Chicken Noodle Souping. Remember when her show would open with the studio audience raising the roof in, like, 2002? Exactly. Read the rest of this entry »