Hip-Hop Thread Genre • Page 809

You make some good points. I don’t have the answers. I also don’t really care anymore tbh. I’m increasingly retreating back into my own niche. That’s probably bad but it is what is.

I do want to point out that “forced” is a stronger word than I would use. I think it mostly happens on a more subconscious level now. I’m definitely not suggesting that people were coerced into putting or not putting something on their list lol

I was considering writing pre-2016 Kanye lol

 

I only heard 1481 so far because of Evidence, but based on that I’m looking forward to checking out the tape

 

I agree that overall the part that is annoying isn't specifically "what the end of the year lists have on them" but rather the fact that there seems to be no effort to try to be a part of this community. It's so easy just to hang in this thread, ask questions, talk about the music, even if it's not on your end of the year lists.

 

I’m sorry for bringing this up, but what was the drama surrounding NF? I didn’t know about this. Just that they put him on the eoty list, and it was discussed in this thread. Didn’t know there was a back and forth on another thread.

 

I've causually listened to DOOM playlists a few times before but always have been a bit overwhelmed to really dive in. Certainly feels like now is the time to fix that, going way back and starting with KMD - Mr. Hood. Halfway into this album and it's really damn good. Production gives me the same vibes as stuff like Handsome Boy Modeling School. Also, reading up about the album, never knew about his brother. How tragic.

 

We definitely talked about the NF album in here. And when I say “talked”, it was more laughing at the ridiculousness of it being near any kind of best of list.

 

I hadn’t actually heard of NF until he was included on the list, so I blame the staff completely for making me aware he existed.

 

2 (I think) staffers had the NF album on their individual lists last year, and it wound up on the aggregate staff list. People (some who weren’t even fucking regulars in this thread or other hip hop threads) got up in arms over it making the list over other albums/the lack of hip hop in general and caused a fuss in the 19 EOTY thread. It lead to weeks of mockery from a group of users on the site and the eventual resignation of a staff member of color because of how embarrassed and uncomfortable they were about the entire thing. It was lame

 

Ironically, I’ve seen more talk about NF from my own students than I have about the Uzi tape, lol. That came and went pretty quick in Philly

 

It also caused Jason to create a new aggregate system for how to rank the staff end of the year lists, he made a long post about it and posted a new 2019 aggregate list which then had NF knocked much further down the list

 

I never hear about NF other than this site, which is weird because I know that they are extremely popular

 

He’s come up a handful of times when I do music projects with my students. No shot that I’ll ever check him out but I’m not gonna hate on the kids for liking him

 

Nah, I think I speak for every person on this site, you should bully those kids

 

I’m happy to report I still have no idea who (or what) NF is.

 

Idk. The older I get, the more I realize no one wants to listen to a 30 year old white dude talk about hip hop. It’s why I haven’t posted as much in here unless it’s something I’m super into, and then it’s probably just a link. I’m still listening, and still picking up recs, but I really don’t think my voice is needed.

Inviting staff in here is fine, maybe it’ll help and someone will find something they like. At the same time though, it’s hard enough to get the regs in here to check out something you fuck with if there’s not a lot of buzz around it. I’ve been talking about Fahim and Lord Jah Monte for a year now and not really getting anywhere. Not trying to come off as bitter or anything, it is what it is. I check shit out on a whim depending on my mood like everyone else. I’m just willing to bet you’d wind up with maybe Uzi on the list due to popularity? And then what, we get bitter and say they have 2 token albums instead of 1, haha? And if a staffer lurks the thread, had RTJ on their list because they genuinely liked it, and came in here and saw people mocking it...I wouldn’t wanna post.

I fought the good fight for years. The staff members I interact with are good people who are looking to expand their taste. I think Jason has done a better job over here than AP in terms of diversifying staff/lists. We’re moving in the right direction, I still just genuinely think the problem is with lack of engagement in general, not just with hip hop. Most of the site will not check out an album if they haven’t heard of the artist before. That’s why specific artists have 30k replies in a thread and others have the same 2 posters.

 

The NF thing was such a shit show because of how clearly in bad faith it was. I don’t know anyone IRL (outside of a few kids) or on here who fucks with the dude enough to listen. Who cares if 2 staffers fucked with the album? If it was just making fun of the white christian rapper for sucking, I’m on board. But posters (again, who aren’t ever in here) tried to turn it into a racism/accountability issue. It’s a slippery slope when you start to conflate making fun of someone’s taste with calling them a racist. That’s the reason the person left, not because everyone agrees NF sucks

 

nf is apparently extremely therapeutic for a lot of his fans, and makes them all feel seen and understood. that gives me some qualms for shitting on him or harassing those who like him. if he really has that much of a profoundly positive effect on large swaths of people who need it, then on many levels that’s likely more important than if i or someone else thinks his shits trash

 

And the staffer who left said that, as did Jason, and yet the “careful” joke continues

 

careful

 

Feel like I should mention that the albums that make our lists aren't like the only albums we listened to this year, either. I listened to Uzi, it was fine. I listened to Armand Hammer, which was a lot more my speed and just barely fell below my Top 25. I should do better and hang out in here more for sure. But it's not like everyone on staff only listened to RTJ this year lol

 

I didn’t understand the context of the careful joke in the 2020 chorus members thread when I asked about NF.

 

I gotcha, I figured

 

Yeah this is a great point. Some (if not most) of the people contributing to these lists are clocking hundreds of albums a year. My personal one was /50, had by far the most hip hop, and still only included a fraction of the stuff I liked this year, let alone listened to at all

 

Craig coming through

 

Honestly this is where I’ve been at the past few years. Some of the most hyped rock records on here from the past few years I think are hot trash, but if people find meaning or solace in them, I’m not gonna rain on their parade. Idk unless they’re propping up bad people or pushing a hateful agenda I get absolutely nothing out of shitting on things.

EDIT: I should note here that I think there is a valuable difference between shitting on some thing and thoughtful criticism