The question running around these days is whether or not true Hip Hop is dead. A child of the 70's and 80's, I've seen Hip Hop go through many phases, from party fun lines, to political expression, to personal attacks, and now this huge influx of southern booty rap appears rampant. So when my son showed an interest in being an MC, I wanted to know what angle he'd take.
He was very interested in the categories I call from rapper to poet. The lowest level being a rapper (Bow Wow) who hopes to ascend to an MC (Ludacris/TI), who with skill becomes a lyricist (Jay Z/Nas), and with time and experience, hopefully becomes a poet(Mos Def, Talib Kweli, & Common). My son said he wanted to become a poet. I cautioned him, saying, the poets in hip hop don't always get signed, rarely have clips on MTV Cribs, but always hold the respect of their peers.
So what did my husband and I do? We immersed our son and his cousin into the roots of hip hop, drenching them in the higher classes and now they are on their way. At times they are tempted to dummy down their lyrics and styles to fit the norm, but we warm them that makes them just like everyone else.
And as for other Native rappers, Canada is the beholder of some gem stones. Check out Rez Official, a slammin' collective of hard hitting MCs and lyricists. My favorite is Drezus. War Party also has much heat.
In the mean time, check out The Thobacks, who include my son, Yung 1 and his cousins Tonio and Dj AmBooGie at:
www.myspace.com/thobackmuzik
In addition to something different, you'll find Drezus on their top.