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Juneteenth special: Mr. Blakes’ State of Texas Hip-Hop Address
On the heels of his recent State of Texas Hip-Hop showcase at Antone’s, Mr. Blakes delivers the State of Texas Hip-Hop address. With no further ado, Almost Urban proudly presents a guest entry from Mr. Blakes:
My fellow Texan hip-hoppers and rap music lovers:
Texas hip-hop has reached a crucial point, where we are heavily recognized in the mainstream but light in what is normally our strongest area: the underground. The Slim Thugs, Chamillionaires and Paul Walls from the Lone Star cashed in on the celebrity status they earned as underground heroes. While most rappers were trying to be better than each other, these men were making cash by being marketable and making profits BEFORE the major deal. Arguably none of them needed a record deal, and their only reason for taking one was they’d achieved nearly as much as possible as independents.
Hip-hop culture and rap music have always been based on independent spirits giving a voice to the voiceless and bringing light to their own style, way of life, culture or point of view. Texas artists need to stop city-tripping and embrace the unique combination of size and wide-open opportunity our region offers. We artists shouldn’t sit in our respective cities moping, criticizing and pointing fingers. As artists we must face the challenge of making ourselves useful to music lovers via consistency and accountability. As fans we must challenge artists to be persistent instead of complacent, always giving us new, improved product and a bonafide stage show instead of trite, self-glorifying rapaoke.
The coming months will separate the real from the fakers because, as always, work is measurable while hot air blows in the wind.
Sincerely,
Mr. Blakes
Photos from the State of Texas Hip-Hop showcase.
Comments
By ddoldschool
June 20, 2006 11:33 AM | Link to this
In an attempt to bring all the rappers in Texas together, Mr Blakes alienates himself as an individual by attacking “every other Texas artist than himself.” Unfortunatly Mr. Blakes your no better than the other rappers, we can measure the hot air coming from you on one web entry. ddoldschool