*Disclaimer* If you’re looking for this to be a memorandum where I’m disrespecting individuals, you’ve come to the right spot. Sike, let me stop. These are just my thoughts. Enjoy
As I sit here listening to Kanye’s “Spaceship” instrumental and observe President Obama greet those that never thought they’d see a black man distribute the infamous State of the Union speech, I gripe with myself do I even need to voice what I’m about to say. I’ve been struggling with this decision the entire day. “Do I even waste my time?” “Who’s really going to pay attention to this post?”
The internet, in the past 24 months, has become a cesspool of material that I’ve honestly started to disregard due to the lack of sincerity from its distributors. I became engulfed and obsessed with the ways of the world wide web way before my blogging days at UHTN and BET.com. Back then, however, it wasn’t a necessity for me to log on and make sure I posted a piece of material that was just released. Instead, I employed the ways of the interenets as a form of entertainment. Something I could pass the time with.
But now, oh man now? Now it’s become my life and yours as well…no matter how much you want to deny it. I can’t fully disclose that I’m upset it’s taken that specific turn because it’s opened a plethora of doors for me to walk through. I’ve been able to feed myself and some of those around me. But things are spiraling out of control, at least from my perspective.
Before, it wasn’t about hits. It wasn’t about credit/props/respect or however you want to phrase it. For me, and this is just me speaking, it was fun. I LOVED getting up in the morning and posting one of my illegal possessions- tags and all. Remember the term “exclusive?” Yeah, I know you remember that shit. I know you remember my tags. That shit doesn’t exist anymore. NO ONE is exclusive. You may be first, but NO ONE is exclusive. And they never will be- I PROMISE YOU!
It was my pleasure to open up a UHTN post with a personal opinion or story that I was excited to share with my readers (all 200 of them lol). But in 2010, that feeling doesn’t exist and truthfully it scares me.
I remember the days when my counterparts and I would pray to the hip-hop heavens that people outside our realm could actually understand what we did- more specifically these record labels. And while today the majors have SOMEWHAT caught on, they’ve applied their own twist to this blogging game. I wouldn’t call it a manipulative factor, but they’ve figured out ways to pin us against each other for their benefit. Sit there with “Not me” face if you want, but if that “not me” sentiment makes it way in any part of your soul; I’m talking directly to you.
Now I know, it’s all about promoting the brand. I get it. And maybe since I’m im running on about two years in the game (officially) I’m starting to see how things really unfold. And to be honest, at times I wish I never saw that side of the fence because it’s altered my perception on certain folk. Will it change? Hell no. The internet is the way, baby. The internet births our next Grammy golden child. This is it. This is where we’ve conditioned the public to believe that if it ain’t the internet it’s nothing else. I’ll take partial responsibility for that one, too.
The artists? Ha, the artists have forgotten the true meaning of developing themselves into purified artists. Oh and that’s because of the internet as well. The internet doesn’t allow an artist to hear the true passion behind’s someone’s voice. They don’t hear, “You need more work on the X,Y,and Z.” All they see are views on video sites and believe they’re one step closer to a VMA or a Grammy.
They conditioned their own brains to believe a certain number of downloads will deliver them a phone call from a major label. Yeah, the internet did that. The actual hustle and struggle at becoming a legitimate artist has left the mind set of those burgeoning individuals. But what can you do? What can you say? Nothing.
I could go on and on about the things that have tickled me in a negative way about the internet. I could name names, list companies, point out artists, fire shots but then I’d only be fueling what the internet has become in the last 3 years- A MELTING POT FOR BULLSHIT. Now this isn’t my retirement letter or anything like that, so relax with the “Damn, LowKey is leaving the game,” rhetoric. But at times, when certain things occur, I like to release these thoughts in a more formulated structure instead of yapping my followers to death on Twitter. Bitter? Me? Nah, not really lol.
Who knows what the next 5 years holds for any of us with an IP address. Hell it might get worse. It might get so bad I might just walk the fuck away without warning and head to Laurel, MD to become a banker like my mother instructed me to if I hadn’t thought of UHTN (What up, Money Mcleod). I vow to bring the fun back into this shit. No longer will I be bothered by the meaningless bullshit my IP address allows me to see. Damn, how did I get to that point lol.
Take this memo how you want it. If you want to take it as me bitching and complaining, be my guest. But in the world wind of posting news, pictures and songs, I feel like a mindless robot without an opinion. I bet you do too. I bet you got some shit bottled up inside you right now that you want write in a post to your readers. I know you do. And if you don’t, then you’re in this game for the wrong fucking reasons, NIGGA.
Yeah, that’s it. 1
Sincerely
Low “Yeah, I said it” Key
