Ok people...I have a bone to pick. Yeah, that's right – I'm gonna just put it out there. I have to speak up. Enough is enough. It is my duty as a fellow hip-hop head to bring this issue to the forefront and confront it. Since when did biting become acceptable in hip-hop?! Since when did it become cool to blatantly copy someone's style, fashion or business move?
Remember in middle school when you copped those new pair of sneakers and you rocked them on the first day of school? Couldn't nobody tell you nothin! You knew you were the freshest one in your class! What made it more special was that you were the only one with them, so naturally, people wanted to know where you got em. A week later, you see that same kid sporting the exact same shoes as you, same colors and all. Then they had the nerve to run to you saying, “Hey look, I got the same shoes! We can be twins!” Either that, or they wouldn't say anything all, rocking them as if they were the first ones with them. Regardless, didn't we consider those kids lame, then? Recently, rapper Consequence came out publicly and accused ex-labelmate Pusha T of biting a line of his on Pusha's song “My God”. Whether or not it is true is debatable, but part of me is happy for Consequence speaking up, if only because it lets me know what school of thought he comes from. There was a time up until about the early 2000's when copying someone's style was off-limits in hip-hop. It was the ultimate no-no. And if you did steal someone's style, you would get called out immediately and most times shunned away. The name of the game was originality. Sure, there is a difference between being inspired by someone and just flat out stealing – but where do we draw that line? Many people accuse Jay-Z of stealing lines earlier in his career. He has used lines from everyone ranging from Biggie to Slick Rick, but he considers it paying homage. Again, where do we draw the line?
I think the straw that broke the camel's back was hearing about Jazzy Pha jumping on the headphone bandwagon. Originally it was Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine's creation with the “Beats by Dr. Dre” headphones, then Diddy followed suit with “Diddy beats”...then 50 Cent with “Sheek”...now Jazzy Pha. C'MON SON. We've seen this time and time again – whether it be rappers starting clothing lines, coming out with alcohol brands, incorporating the song-a-week marketing scheme, using autotune, wearing pink, incorporating Bangledesh's “A Millie” snare breakdown in beats, etc. Where do we draw the line? 
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ReplyDeleteI wouldn't necessarily say that it's biting but rather capitalizing off of what's currently making money. I think it can be a positive showing folks that there's more than one way to make money in the game and that's to be an entrepreneur...making legit money. I would much rather rappers brag about their clothing lines is headphones than to talk about the drug game. I won't lie, if I saw my competition coming out with something that I feel I could successfully market, then I might cop that idea too.
ReplyDeleteAs far as lyrics, I think a lot of rappers copy lines so that the listener can recognize something familiar. I may not know all the words in the verse but if there's a line that I recognize, I'm gonna rap along with that line. Biting is a form of marketing.
I agree with Andy to some extent...there is a business side of hip hop and at the end of the day, it's a hustle, just like anything else. However, the artist in me sees a bit of a problem with this. The hustle is now taking the place of creativity, originality, and authenticity. Somewhere along the line, a line has to be drawn.
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