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Every generation gets the stars it deserves.
Rudeness, egotism, and bottomless irony are threaded in the roots of this society.
Whats growing as a result should surprise no one.
Tekashi 6ix9ineis a natural-born Instagram-generation superstar because hes crude, brutal, funny, and colorful.
(Rap also has a low barrier of entry, low overhead, and quick turnaround times right now.
You cant up and start acting or painting and have a hit in a week.
Youcanbark your way into internet renown for a verse you wrote in half an hour.)
They resonate because they dare to say and do what most of us cant or wont.
The music is an extension of the videos.
It pops because its wild, flagrant, and disrespectful.
Really, Gummo and the like are cartoonish comedy performances.
6ix9ines court cases present a very postmodern conundrum.
Does it matter what Tekashis thinking is if it instigated real violence?
6ix9ines debut studio albumDummy Boyis light on answers.
The difference here is window dressing.
Nicki Minaj packs so much personality into Fefe that its easy to forget whose single it is.
Nicki and Kanye West run off with Mama.
Dummy Boyisnt a total wash. Itisamateurish and two-dimensional.
Tekashi does best when he applies himself.
The Gunna collaboration Feefa gets both rappers thinking about mortality over a beautifully somber guitar lick.
Thats how we consume rap now.
Were like spectators bottlenecking around a highway accident.
Stop, stare, advance.
Small wonder that the major-label rap music of the streaming era is going the same route as the listenership.
They get away with everything were willing to put up with, though.
Thats the story here, isnt it?
