Check out this video of Watsky. He's a 24 year old rapper from San Francisco who became a viral sensation after appearing on Russel Simmon's HBO program Def Poetry in 2007. Since that time, he has successfully launched an album on itunes, appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show and has made the rounds on college campuses. Besides being so entertaining to watch, Watsky is extremely talented with his word play and delivery, challenging the likes of Eminem, Outkast and Busta Rhymes with the speed of his rapping.
What I find most interesting about Watsky, however, is the way he challenges general perceptions or stereotypes of rappers. For one, he's white, doesn't live the typical rapper lifestyle, or even really rap about the same topics as mainstream rappers. He's received a lot of mixed feedback, with many people attacking him as a wanna-be, or even saying that he is mocking other artists. If you break rap music down to its purest, truest form, though, and think of it as spoken word with musical accompaniment, Watsky hits the nail right on the head. How much does an artist need to stay within certain thematic boundaries, live a certain lifestyle, or look a certain way to be considered an "authentic" rapper? Is rap just as much about the music as it is about the cultural and social values which it professes?
Damn! This article got me hooked. I'll preface that I am not a huge fan of the current state of rap and hip/hop music. It's become bastardized much like pop music, country music, etc. It's refreshing to hear that their is someone out there challenging the status quo. I hope this kid gets some more acknowledgment. I know for sure that he just gained one new listener (at least a one time listener). New movements in genres of music can only be good for the music industry and art.
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