I haven't posted in a while, so here you go. I feel a little rusty, so if it reads a little forced, fuck off and keep your opinion to yourself. Keep in mind that I am an artist, and I'm sensitive about my shit (Badu voice). Let's get to it, shall we.
A tell-tale sign that you are getting old is when you recognize the names of majority of the nominees for the 2014 class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This year I have actually heard music from 11 out of the 16 nominees...damn I'm old.
Not all of the acts will make the cut. Nirvana, Deep Purple, and Kiss are clear cut favorites to make it into the 2014 class. With the committee inducting a hip-hop/rap act in each of the past two years (Public Enemy in 2013, and the Beastie Boys in 2012), I'm guess that trend will continue for the 2014 inductees.
What that means is that one spot will belong to either LL Cool J or N.W.A. On paper, that sounds like an epic battle, but in actuality, I believe there is no question who truly deserves the honor. The world's premier lip-licker, James Todd Smith a.k.a. Ladies Love Cool James, is hands down better than N.W.A.
Yeah I said it, the group that gave birth to Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube sucked. Let me explain.
Let me just clear the air before I begin my diatribe. When it comes time for Dre and Cube to be inducted into the hall of fame for their solo efforts, they will 100% deserve it, and I can't wait for that day to happen. Having said that, their work within N*ggaz With Attitudes was just so so for me.
First, they were only able to put together two albums of material as a FULL unit, and only one of those albums (1988's Straight Outta Compton), could be somewhat considered a classic. When I was in 4th or 5th grade, I enjoyed listening to N.W.A. basically for the shock value. I used to sneak and listen to Straight Outta Compton with my head phones or with the volume low with my ear to the speaker so I can hear words like fuck, dick, pussy, and shit with a musical backdrop. It was new to me, and I enjoyed waiting for the next swear word to come up. I could give two shits about what the song was about.
I supported N.W.A. because the mainstream media declared their work to be groundbreaking and applauded them for their graphic descriptions of what was considered to be "Black life" or "life in the hood." I have to admit, N.W.A. paired up with John Singleton's Boyz N The Hood had me a little scarred of the notion of driving through South-Central Los Angeles without proper protection.
Fuck The Police is considered to be a battle-cry in the fight against injustice, and it did somewhat bring attention to the problem of police brutality in the inner-city. In hindsight, did they bring to light a serious issue or did they just exploit it for their own monetary gain. Some, including me might agree with the latter part of that statement. In order for a side of a debate to be taken seriously, I believe that it needs to be brought up in the most articulate and intelligent way possible. Screaming fuck the police over and over again is the opposite of articulate.Listening to N.W.A. as adult, their music definitely has not stood the test of time. It almost sounds juvenile. In comparison to hip-hop and raps current Rock & Roll Hall of Fame representatives (Run DMC, the Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy), N.W.A. doesn't measure up. LL Cool J's catalog fits in seamlessly.
Controversy shouldn't be included in the equation when deciding to induct an artist or a group into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Should 2 Live Crew make it in before A Tribe Called Quest? Should Ice-T trump Wu-Tang Clan? Hell to the no, and N.W.A. should not get inducted before LL Cool J. Could you imagine DJ Yella having a plaque in Cleveland next to Kurt Cobain? Yuck. Vote Cool James in 2014. You're welcome.
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