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Monday, November 26, 2012

History The Death of Hiphop Happiness

Posted by Charles Mudede on Mon, Nov 26, 2012 at 10:12 AM

I finally figured out the importance of Skee-Lo's "I Wish"...

It's the last truly happy hiphop record ever. Put more specifically, hiphop has not been this happy since 1995. Just listen to it: the beat is cheerful, the raps are laughter, the scratching has a big smile on its face. These days, hiphop happiness can not happen like this—so unguarded, so vulnerable, so simple.

I read somewhere that a human male can only get an erection when his mind is certain that the situation (the bedroom, the bush) is safe, when he is certain no danger is around for miles. But if he hears something unexpected (the bush move), the erection goes right down and the defenses go up. This is hiphop today. Our happiness only rises when we are sure of our safety. We are not like "I Wish"—a happiness with no sense of or concern for being (or playing it) safe.

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What about Paul Barman's 2000 album It's Very Stimulating, produced by Prince Paul?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmINoL0bV…

Posted by Dave Segal on November 26, 2012 at 11:50 AM

Paul Barman was, to use the words of Bjork, tragically happy.

Posted by Charles Mudede on November 26, 2012 at 1:18 PM

I think this song is a facade to how Skee-Lo actually feels. Yeah the flow and beat are happy, but I'm not sold. He wishes he was taller, he wishes he was taller, he wishes he had a girl who looked good so he could call her. I'm guessing Skee wasn't very happy at all.

Posted by Radjaw