R.eal A.nd P.ersonal
Here we have Exhibit C, AGAIN!
By: Deshair Foskey
Last updated February 16th , 2010

In the court of law, presenting evidence could mean the difference between freedom and incarceration, possibly death. Each piece of evidence stands on its own, yet comes together to recreate the scene of the crime. No two pieces of evidence are alike, nor can be duplicated to replace the original piece.

The current state of hip-hop has broken every rule spoken of, by way of the unofficial remixes. The point in an unofficial remix is to take a current song, and try to make it better, more importantly, make it your own. By making your name relevant with a song that is currently getting a push by the Mixtape world or a label, you are piggybacking the original. And whether you, as an artist, realize it or not, you are weighing down the record you've stolen from (yes, stolen).

The unofficial remix is a mudslide of, "I could do anything better than you." Even to the artists that see it as a show of respect to the original, you are taking steam away from it. I could become very 1st Grade Teacher-like and ask, "How would you feel if somebody did this to you?" But then I know your answer: I wouldn't care, that means I have a hit song. This is why I speak hip-hop Reform so often. The last time I talked to Chuck D, he talked about how emcees are trying to define what Hip-Hop is in their own minds, instead of looking to its history where the definition is in concrete.

Do you know who we could thank for this current trend? The man that flooded the mixtape market and rapped on beats that took people six months to realize that the tracks weren't originals: Lil' Wayne. Yea, I've said it. You could thank Lil' Wayne for taking the unofficial remix to a whole other galaxy. Whether the remix was good or not, doesn't matter. The unofficial remix is a selfish act, point-blank-period. At this moment, the two songs that lead in this category are 'I Wanna Rock' by Snoop Dogg and 'Exhibit C' by Jay Electronica. There are so many remixes for 'Exhibit C' that eventually some lowly underwhelming rapper will have to call his 'Exhibit AA'. Luckily for Jay, Snoop included, the originals are complete records. hip-hop Heads have stepped up on social networks to protest newer versions of a record that clearly wasn't broken to begin with. The unofficial remix must be stopped.

I propose hip-hop reform to put an end to the unofficial remix. That should be simple. All we would need is one of the elite artists to step up and say that jacking beats, melodies and hooks is so 1994. While the DJ's reach out to the labels to ensure that the music going on their project is legit. By doing so, the hard work between an emcee and their producer won't go unnoticed. Furthermore, the original work would have the opportunity to go beyond regional allure to national status. Yes, I know, by going through with this would be a smack in the face to what has been done for years in the industry. All I have to say is, just because it has been done for years, doesn't make it right. Ask John Edwards!

[Tags] Hip Hop, Rap

Recent Related Articles