Skills vs. Swag

The Thoughtful 1 here once again to share my 2 cents about things. Today's observation is brought to you by the letter S. Skill as defined in the dictionary is "competent excellence in performance". Swag (as according to Urban Dictionary) means "the way one carries their self". Ironically, the actual definition of the word swag is "to cause to sway, sink, or sag" but I'll come back to that later.

So swag seems to be the new "thing" that every rapper must possess in order to win the masses over. Technically I guess it was always the "it" thing that it took but now it has an actual definition. Yet it seems that swag is confused for skill when it comes to emcees. True enough that making a hit record does take a certain "skill" to make it happen but when it comes to actual show and proving on the mic, swag is NOT the same thing as skill.

Here's an example. Rick Ross. When you break down his lyrics, what he says in his verses are not particularly thought-provoking. Yet HOW he delivers his lyrics (or the way he carries himself over the music) seems to have an appeal for people to really enjoy his music. Another example, Souljah Boy. To date, I have heard ONE song by Souljah Boy that I was actually impressed by what he spit. Yet he is doing quite successful despite the fact that his music isn't very skillfully written. Why? Because whether you will admit it or not, they have swag.

On the converse, artists like Joell Ortiz, Lupe Fiasco or J. Cole are very skillful when it comes to their delivery of their verses. When you listen to them (and obviously this is just my opinion, the comment box below is your chance to give your perspective) you seriously have to pay attention to what they are saying. The metaphors and similes that artists of their caliber employ are at times complex and cause the listener to really dissect the verse and analyze whats being said.

Now let me be clear, I am in no reason downgrading artists who don't give off a skillful delivery, I am just coming to understand their place in the game. In life your going to have those who are successful because they are truly legitimate in their ability to do what they do best (aka skill) and then there are people who are successful because they have the ability to handle themselves in any situation regardless of actual know how (aka a demeanor of carrying oneself aka swag). Hence the reason why both artists like Jay-Z or Lupe are successful in their own rights as are artists like Plies, Roscoe Dash, and a myriad of other combinations of artists.

Whether you admit it or not, even though the artists who don't have skill necessarily but the swagger to pull their verses off, the music they make isn't half bad. You may want to hate or say that such and such artist shouldn't have a record deal but guess what? They DO. And the reason they do is because they seem to have a knack for making music that is semi-aesthetically pleasing to the ear. I can't say I will support some of these "swag" artists, but I at least have come to terms with how it is that they are making it happen.

Now as I stated earlier, the funny thing about the true definition of swag (meaning to cause to sway, sink, or sag) it seems that with the influx of "swag" artists into the game comes the swaying away from the traditional definition of what Hip-Hop really is. I can't say that Hip-Hop is dead... Actually, it is alive and well world wide in ways that nobody could ever have imagined. BUT it has changed. Yet it wouldn't be the real world if things didn't change or evolve. It seems that we Hip-Hop purists have turned into what we always said we wouldn't be. Critics. Just like our parents were.

The Thoughtful 1 has spoken

Eminem Recovers Rare First Week Numbers

For as long as I can remember, record sales have always been a very big deal. So much buzz went with seeing how many albums an artist could sell in their first week of sales, everyone wanted a platinum plaque (a million records sold). What wasn't so apparent back then is that the livelihood of the artists and the labels that promote them rested on these sales.

Enter now a time where selling 300k out the first week is commendable. Dreams of going GOLD are a stretch for new artists and shockingly even a task for veteran artists. Man have things changed.

In case you haven't heard already, Mr. Mathers sold shy of 750k albums in his first week sales for his newest album Recovery. Applause is certainly due given the dismal nature of the record industry. Even with the most stellar buzz, Drake couldn't go gold his first week out.True first week sales are not the end all be all, but usually the first week sets the tone for overall album sales. If you bomb the first week, chances are the remainder of the time will result in poor sales as well.

This brings things into perspective that despite all the love an artist may receive (with Drake being the most popular of the new school artists), consumers simply cannot be depended on to BUY music anymore. Oh they will "support" your movement but actually buying into it? Fuggidaboudit

What is it about Eminem? Is it the fact that he has a real life survivor story? Or maybe its the fact that he's one of the most revered lyricist in Hip-Hop bar none? Many may speculate but in my honest opinion, I think it goes back to a pre-blog era of music that such genuine support was fostered.

Before blogs ruled the world, new music was a treat bestowed upon us consumers. Thus those of us who were lucky enough to be of age and to be aware of this now extinct luxury, we tend to be loyal and support the heavyweights who were doing it major back then. It's a sort of comfort that we have that says yesterday is not that far gone away. We do what we can to keep those reminders present in the new age. Unfortunately it seems that this only happens for the big timers of the past.

Jay-Z was thriving before the new era fully took off (and by new era I mean the new marketing model that many artists come under i.e. viral marketing through YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and so on and so forth), so was Eminem and other staple artists like Kanye West. They are all that is left of the event album phase where when these artists drop albums, and major stir is created and pushes consumers to actually support these artists with not only their ears but their money as well. I truly believe that this is because they represent a nostalgia of sorts that they continue to receive huge volumes of support. They made their mark and people remember that.

Many of the newcomers are forced to prove that they are worthy of our attention. No longer do they leverage to the consumer. We have options. We decide if you are going to blow up. There is new music being released every few hours so we don't HAVE to listen to your music. We have developed musical ADD and thus we cannot dedicate our time and money to just anyone. We have to know that what we're going to get is something worth splurging for. With the aforementioned artists (and there are several other examples that fall under this notion, just using them as primary examples), the consumer has the assurance to know they will deliver. So anyone else who hasn't already solidified this trust, good luck.

A friend asked me what is it about Eminem that drives people to the stores over Drake? Well there you have it.

The Thoughtful 1 has spoken