i was thinkin the other day that its amazing the power of perception. depending where you are on which side of that coin, it can be healthy or down right deadly. for the dudes in the rap game, its absolutely necessary that they see themselves in a particular light. cause if the get exposed under another light, you bound to see some stains that you never noticed before.
so i started thinkin that maybe a portion of that has to do where they're plugged into the Matrix. yes another Matrix reference. fuck you. but its appropriate. i mean seriously, wherever people are plugged into is how they perceive themselves. just like the movie. its not really real.
lets take Ross, for a minute. the baw, who was once a corrections officer, is really sold on the idea of being a big drug kingpin. and somewhere it computes in his brain that its true. or that its nearly true at least. Wayne too. they both got a song out now called "9 piece", which anybody on the streets knows is a quarter key. thats a respectable place to be in the game. its somewhere between large and past the niggas you started out wit. in Ricky's case, we can say that he is also responsible for a lot of people takin more notice to lyrics from the baws on that side. they used to get a pass, till dudes like him, Wayne and OGs Bun B and MJG showed that dudes from that side could put it together. he even put on Meek Mill and Wale to kind of seal that whole idea of the spit team. but his emphasis isnt this. his emphasis is the fantasy, and at every turn her wants to further solidify it in your brain that he is from a place that he is not. the Matrix baby.
then take dudes like Common and Immortal Technique who obviously pulled they plugs out long ago. they go back into the Matrix to conduct business and do dealings, but we always get the understanding that they are apart from it.
who the fuck knows where Nikki Minaj is plugged in at. it has to be a greater accomplishment being a woman and being able to unplug because of all the admitted confusion (read:"prerogative") that women SAY they are programed with. i salute the Mystics and (young) Lauryn Hills and Jill Scotts who have seemingly chose the red pill.
in each case, each has to believe that their place is where it is. they have to reinforce it to themselves in order to be effective with the rest of the world. if u dont believe that ur "that guy", then no one else will. this is also a problem with the 'swag' generation. they believe that they're that guy with no adequate reinforcement outside of themselves. in other words, it aint real unless we all see it. thats why they stay amongst themselves, and anyone outside of that is a 'hater'. might as well call 'em a 'squiddy'. cause in their mind they're comin to try to destroy them. and all said person is tryin to point out is what can make them BETTER. they even wear bright cartoon colors and plastic things to further ingrain the unreal notion of themselves. they just might as well start wearing Batman "BLAM!" tshirts. shit, i might start sellin 'em. operator, i need a clean line. i'm goin back in....
i guess thats where we come in. this apostate belief, this bboy cult. this belief that style is infinite and that the brave claim glory in it. that the competition of this style is not destructive; it is the only way for the style to grow. that following a perspective based on individual identity, and not the identity of the crowd is key to growth of the market, the style, the form. the ART. we believe in the beauty of craftsmanship, and are not afraid to give acknowledgement to those that deserve it.
AND we look dam good doin it. get unplugged.
get fresh.
bboy fresh.
bboy cult.
