$1,000,000,000 vs. 171,476

Today my friend & colleauge AntBoogie posed an observation & question that I couldn't resist to repost and try to answer:

"Hip Hop- A large part of it was built and excelled from composition and battling. I noticed after Jay-Z lost a very big battle to Nas., he has not entered the battle scene the real way since. What I wonder is. IF you make millions or have great bodies of work over the years. Does that excuse you from battling? Since when does making tons of money make you better then the art? ...I love Jay-Z music but I Iove the Culture more, BUT if OG Bboys in their 40's can still get down in battles, what [puts] Rappers above that?"

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A sound observation and very valid question, I'd say.

Well, Ant, I could never speak for Sean "Jay-Z" Carter, but I will say this: from my perspective, I think part of the answer lies in numbers, hence my titling this blog $1,000,000,000 vs. 171,476. Per my research, right now the Oxford English dictionary contains roughly 171,746 words with full definitions and references. As hip-hop is originally an art form all about wordplay, poetics, and sentence structure, it's interesting that the art form has been able to create so much out of such a finite number of words; this is, of course, to say nothing of the slang and colloquialisms that hip-hop culture has bred and incorporated into its content. Still, 6 figures is not alot to work with, at least from an aesthetic standpoint. Now let's call into play the other number: $1,000,000,000.

This 1 billion I speak of refers to the potential net worth in US Dollars of Mr. Carter's empire in the next few years (so they say, so he raps about). It is certainly true that through his music, fashion, entertainment, and media enterprises, Jay has managed to amass a nearly staggering amount of wealth. He has recently created Roc Nation, a media/management/music company & partnership with Live Nation, which claims - among its many services - to be birthing a new wave of artists and entrepreneurs for the younger generations. His marriage to Beyonce Knowles has sky-rocketed his buying power as well as his mass appeal so as to be able to further his business expansion. And while all of this is clearly due to his keen eye for success and scrupulous (albeit questionable) practices, he would still say that it all started with rap. Hip-hop. The culture which you, Ant, now say he may now be somewhat abandoning due to these facts & figures, as well as the Nas beef.

The point of these observations is to put forth the idea that it is highly possible that Sean Carter may very well believe that in light of all this success (which now includes a very formidable body of work in "The BluePrint III") there is little to no point in having to prove anything to anyone about his art, being that [he claims] it was his art that helped elevate his status to it's current level. To be honest, part of me agrees with that. All of us who deal with the arts have to at some point be confident enough in our talent to ascertain two truths: 1.) That we can be successful and happy with what we love to do, & 2.) While there will certainly be people out there better than us, we are still pretty damn good. This second truth may hold the key to your questioning: why battle, why go through a gauntlet through which you've already gone multiple times just to prove to yourself and others that what you do is something to be revered, especially if your rich resume and work has long since spoken to that effect? It seems almost useless.

I should think that Jay-Z the rapper knows that in a battle with some of the very best of his contemporaries (major label, indie, or otherwise), he may very well lose. Not because he's not good at what he does, but simply because there are rappers out there who are obviously better than him; it's circumstance, I'm not hating. I also believe that his "I will not lose" attitude and branding may prohibit him from entering into an arena where that can happen. Here is where the $1,000,000,000 vs. 171,476 theory really comes into play. Is anyone who has gotten to the point where a 10-figure financial benchmark is within reach willing to risk that $1,000,000,000 of success in entertainment for 171,476 words and their subsequent hip-hop permutations in the pursuit of fine art? Let us never forget and always remind ourselves that 'Hova' started out as a hustler, and was coaxed into working on music; it's almost as if the drive for prosperity is ingrained in his being, thanks to his beginnings and background, so I'm not sure if "not entering the battle scene" can be held against him.

I recently attended a concert in NYC starring Common with special guests Q-Tip & Queen Latifah. It was so refreshing and good to see these living legends rap, freestyle & battle on stage. It is what the culture is all about. But I think it's safe to say that someone like Common will most likely not touch the level of wealth that Jay-Z has...and I think he's OK with that, because he understands that what he does is part of a higher calling, and so money & fame only are a means to an end for someone like him.

So NO, Antboogie, I don't think that success excuses one from competition in hip-hop, I feel that choices are made in the best interest of one's well being. NO, money will never be better than the art, but I'm sure that Jay-Z and those like him know that. And NO, rappers should never be above testing their skills, but Jay-Z isn't just a rapper anymore; he never was just a rapper, and he never will be just a rapper.

The art will always be there, and the right people will step up to the plate to battle, test, and perpetuate the importance of hip-hop's true qualities.