{"id":1184583,"date":"2021-07-02T15:02:19","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T12:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1184583"},"modified":"2021-07-02T15:02:19","modified_gmt":"2021-07-02T12:02:19","slug":"tyler-the-creator-doja-cat-and-what-it-means-to-be-a-real-rapper-in-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1184583","title":{"rendered":"Tyler, the Creator, Doja Cat, and What It Means to Be a \u201cReal\u201d Rapper in 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tyler, the Creator, Doja Cat, and What It Means to Be a \u201cReal\u201d Rapper in 2021<\/h1>\n
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Plus more highs and lows from the world of rap this week, including Chief Keef\u2019s latest enigmatic track and a retrospective look at Ice-T\u2019s best films.<\/div>\n
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By <\/span>Alphonse Pierre<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Graphic by Simon Abranowicz, photos via Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Pitchfork writer Alphonse Pierre\u2019s<\/em>rap column<\/em>covers songs, mixtapes, albums, Instagram freestyles, memes, weird tweets, fashion trends<\/em>\u2014and anything else that catches his attention.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Rap music can\u2014and should\u2014be more than one thing<\/h2>\n

Tyler, the Creator\u2019s new album Call Me If You Get Lost<\/em> has features from Lil Wayne and Lil Uzi, YoungBoy and 42 Dugg. There\u2019s sample flips and drum machines, and it even has DJ Drama screaming all over the record as if it\u2019s a mid-2000s Gangsta Grillz mixtape you could download on DatPiff. Tyler is also noticeably rapping in a way he hasn\u2019t in a while: hard, heavy on wordplay, talking shit\u2014more like his Funk Flex freestyle than anything on his last album, IGOR<\/em>. He even performed the grimy, Gravediggaz-sampling single \u201cLUMBERJACK\u201d at the BET Awards. His message could not be clearer: This is Tyler, the Creator\u2019s #RealRapAlbum.<\/p>\n

The move is especially interesting considering how, after winning the 2020 Grammy for Best Rap Album for IGOR<\/em>, Tyler said, \u201cWhenever we\u2014and I mean guys that look like me\u2014do anything that\u2019s genre-bending or anything, they always put it in a rap or urban category.\u201d Tyler felt IGOR<\/em> would have been better suited for the pop category. Later, he added, \u201cHalf of me feels like the rap nomination was a backhanded compliment.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t wrong. Institutions like the Grammys are notorious for othering Black artists to the rap and R&B categories, and thinking that\u2019s good enough. But his indignation at the idea of IGOR<\/em> being considered just<\/em> a rap album rubbed me the wrong way. There is in fact a good amount of rapping on the record, it\u2019s just that much of it is delivered through heavy effects, and surrounded by lilting hooks. In a way it felt like he was putting limits on what rap could be. So, with all of its traditional rap signifiers, it\u2019s almost as if Tyler is now giving us permission to consider Call Me If You Get Lost<\/em> rap because it operates within the confines he has placed on the style himself.<\/p>\n

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On the other side of the spectrum is Doja Cat, who wants to be seen as a rapper rather than a pop singer. \u201cAlmost every song I rap on, and I\u2019m giving them 16s or 8s,\u201d she recently said. \u201cI\u2019m a rapper.\u201d Her new album Planet Her<\/em> bears this out. She\u2019s spitting on every track, either in her standard rapid-fire flow, her sing-rap delivery, or her pitched-up alien voice (like on the chaotic track with Young Thug that sounds like it was made on the Death Star).<\/p>\n

Still, she\u2019s mostly spoken about as if she\u2019s a pop girl\u2014her hit single \u201cSay So,\u201d which has less rapping than most of her other tracks but still a fair amount, was nominated in the Best Pop Solo Performance category at this year\u2019s Grammys. It likely has to do with the double standard that makes women in rap have to do more to \u201cearn\u201d their right to be called a rapper, and how elements of her style\u2014lavish outfits, high-budget videos, theatrical live performances\u2014are considered pop star attributes (though that\u2019s somewhat dismissive to rap, which can have all of those things, too).<\/p>\n

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What Doja is fighting for on Planet Her<\/em> is almost what Tyler was fighting against on IGOR<\/em>. Tyler didn\u2019t need to flex his sample-flipping chops or recruit DJ Drama on Call Me If You Get Lost<\/em> to be considered a rapper\u2014he was one all along. He is a rapper. Doja Cat is a rapper. How closely they follow or don\u2019t follow tradition shouldn\u2019t make that any more or less true.<\/p>\n

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Throwback Rapper Movie Corner: Ice-T in 1994\u2019s Surviving the Game<\/em><\/h2>\n

Cinematographer Ernest Dickerson shot every one of Spike Lee\u2019s full-length movies from 1986\u2019s She\u2019s Gotta Have It<\/em> to 1992\u2019s Malcolm X<\/em>. Eventually, Dickerson ventured out on his own and made the 1992 classic Juice<\/em>. The split makes sense once you see Juice<\/em>: Dickerson was much more interested in making genre movies\u2014horror flicks and thrillers\u2014than Spike was. Another thing they differed on was using rappers as actors. In the Spike biography That\u2019s My Story and I\u2019m Sticking to It<\/em>, the director speaks carefully about the trend of movies starring rappers, but you can tell he\u2019s lukewarm on the idea. On the other hand, Dickerson came out the gates with two movies starring rappers: Tupac in Juice<\/em> and Ice-T in Surviving the Game<\/em>.<\/p>\n

You might agree with Spike after watching Ice-T in the 1994 film, a twist on the classic short story \u201cThe Most Dangerous Game.\u201d Ice plays a homeless Seattle man named Jack Mason (Ice-T does not look like a Jack Mason) who is offered a job as a hunting guide by a sketchy businessman. But it turns out the job actually involves Ice being hunted down and killed for sport by an all-star roster of character actors including Rutger Hauer, Gary Busey, Charles S. Dutton, F. Murray Abraham, and John C. McGinley.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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This requires Ice-T to be in distress for a large chunk of the movie. There is one problem, though: He only can express one facial reaction. You know the one\u2014slightly annoyed, like he wants to suck his teeth. Even so, Dickerson still manages to deliver a movie that\u2019s tense and fun. The best scene involves Gary Busey and Ice-T fighting outside of a cabin that\u2019s on fire. \u201cI like my meat rare,\u201d says Busey as he burns Ice-T\u2019s back against the sizzling cabin wall. Then Ice-T tosses Busey into the fire and replies, \u201cTry well-done, bitch!\u201d Now that\u2019s acting!<\/p>\n

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While we\u2019re here\u2026 a list of the Top 5 movies starring Ice-T<\/h2>\n
5) Johnny Mnemonic<\/em><\/div>\n

It\u2019s sort of bad, but it has three very important \u201990s touchstones: Keanu Reeves, Dolph Lundgren, and a terrible understanding of technology. Crucially, Ice-T plays a rebel named J-Bone.<\/p>\n

4) Ricochet<\/em><\/div>\n

Ice-T doesn\u2019t contribute much to the movie, which features Denzel Washington as a powerful district attorney who is being hunted by a criminal he previously imprisoned. But in the final death scene the camera pans to him for an important comment: \u201cAw shit.\u201d<\/p>\n

3) New Jack City<\/em><\/div>\n

Ice-T\u2019s portrayal of a cop in this one is not believable in the slightest\u2014which makes the fact that he went on to play a cop on Law and Order<\/em> for decades even more insane.<\/p>\n

2) Surviving the Game<\/em><\/div>\n

Just look at it:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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1) Trespass<\/em><\/div>\n

This 1992 comedic thriller finds Bill Paxton and William Sadler looking for gold in an abandoned St. Louis building that happens to be the territory of a gang run by Ice-T and Ice Cube. Ice-T has the worst perm you\u2019ve ever seen and carries around a shotgun. It\u2019s wild.<\/p>\n

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Chief Keef: \u201cHadouken\u201d<\/h2>\n
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Chief Keef exists in his own bubble. He could show up in Atlanta and have his pick of beats by the most in-demand producers in rap right now. But, of course, he\u2019s not going to do that. He would much rather talk tough over his own chaotic beats or remix a random Southern rap single from the 2000s, and just throw the result on YouTube in the middle of the night with nothing more than an Instagram post to alert fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cHadouken\u201d is simply Keef rapping his heart out over the DJ Paul and Juicy J beat for Young Buck\u2019s 2004 track \u201cStomp\u201d; it won\u2019t go viral or land on any chart. Yet Keef\u2019s privacy adds a layer of intrigue to his lyrics\u2014every time he says something, I want to know more. \u201cI just bought a Taurus in case I got a horoscope,\u201d he raps. Is Keef driving around Hollywood in a Ford Taurus? \u201cYou\u2019s a fuckin\u2019 cheerleader, nigga bring it on.\u201d Is there any way we can get a Keef review of Bring It On<\/em>? I\u2019ll never get these answers, and that\u2019s OK. It\u2019s part of the Keef experience.<\/p>\n

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1100 Himself: \u201ciKarly\u201d<\/h2>\n
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1100 Himself\u2019s raps sound like stories told via voicemail. His clear narratives are part of why his three-part action thriller with fellow Oakland rapper Mitchell is so good. Though his latest, the Mitchell-produced \u201ciKarly,\u201d is slightly different. Every bar feels like the start of its own tale, but he doesn\u2019t complete the narrative; it\u2019s as if he pieced together all the future opening lines he had written in his Notes app. There\u2019s one where he and Mitchell show up at a house party and try to run shit for no reason other than they love conflict. Another one features a heated argument with his girlfriend. There\u2019s even one where he looks back at his first case in middle school. They may eventually turn into full stories complete with complex characters and twist endings, but for now we can only imagine what will happen next.<\/p>\n

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French soccer star Paul Pogba revives The Woah<\/h2>\n
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Maybe it\u2019s a good thing France was upset by Switzerland in the knockout phase of Euro 2020 because what dance-rap relic would Pogba have revived the next time he scored? The Whip?! The Shiggy dance?! The Lil B cooking dance?! OK, the cooking dance would have been cool.<\/p>\n

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Evvls: \u201cTrust Issues\u201d<\/h2>\n
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Brooklyn rapper Evvls\u2019 appeal lies in the contrast between his volatile emotions and the plainness of his vocals. On a song like \u201chighschool,\u201d he shrugs off his inability to commit through soft and apathetic croons; it\u2019s what I imagine Lucki would sound like if he were more melodic. Yet the mood of his newest song, \u201cTrust Issues,\u201d is different. In the high-energy first half, he\u2019s so annoyed at the thought of giving anyone the time of day that he chants a clich\u00e9 (\u201cI can\u2019t fuck with hoes\u201d). As the song becomes airier in the second half, his annoyance turns to frustration that he didn\u2019t live by his words: \u201cShawty fuckin\u2019 with my head I\u2019m not gon\u2019 lie.\u201d All of this happens in a song that barely clocks in at over a minute.<\/p>\n

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Headline of the week: \u201cYoung Thug Starring In New Musical Dramedy With Tiffany Haddish\u201d<\/h2>\n

Please, Thug, we need to end Lin-Manuel Miranda\u2019s stranglehold on the rap musical.<\/p>\n

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G.T.: \u201cBig Body\u201d [ft. Veeze]<\/h2>\n
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On G.T.\u2019s new album Motion<\/em>, the stalwart of Michigan\u2019s rap scene continues to branch out. There\u2019s a beat from L.A.\u2019s Ron-Ron, another one from the Atlanta-based Hoodrich Keem, and a guest appearance by South Florida rapper Jackboy. Still, sprinkled throughout G.T.\u2019s project are songs that embrace his Detroit roots, especially \u201cBig Body,\u201d where he raps alongside fellow local Veeze. Over a brooding piano melody, the two laid-back rappers punch in their usual blend of wise words, apathy, and stunting. \u201cI\u2019m workin\u2019 like ain\u2019t got one dollar, but I\u2019m really up,\u201d raps G.T., and Veeze follows this up with, \u201cThat lil shit you doing we don\u2019t call that bragging.\u201d It\u2019s a refreshing throwback in the midst of change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Source URL: https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/thepitch\/tyler-the-creator-doja-cat-and-what-it-means-to-be-a-real-rapper-in-2021\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Columns Tyler, the Creator, Doja Cat, and What It Means to Be a \u201cReal\u201d Rapper in 2021 Plus more highs and lows from the world of rap this week, including Chief Keef\u2019s latest enigmatic track and a retrospective look at Ice-T\u2019s best films. By Alphonse Pierre July 2, 2021 Graphic by Simon Abranowicz, photos via […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1184584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[54],"class_list":["post-1184583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-pitchfork-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1184583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1184583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1184583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1184584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1184583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1184583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1184583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}