Do you think it's impossible for any MC from anywhere outside the US to be 'authentic'?
i have heard a lot of weak rap from around the world - i do feel a bit sad when i watch MTV base and i see all these cats from nigeria, ghana etc who really are US.clones making rnb/hiphop/dancehall pop music.
But, I have to point out once again that for every Nas, 50 Cent, Common, Madlib (whatever your preference) there are 100,000 crap US cats just as bad as anything you'd hear anywhere else in the world.
Just because they have a multi-billion dollar industry brainwashing the rest of the world, it's easy to feel like they own the music market. You only have to live in london for a while to feel the sense of national pride and identity that comes through the music there. People love their local music because it reflects their own lives - they aren't striving to be Jay-Z or Eminem, they are doing their own thing. Critics might argue it's not as 'good' as what comes from the States, but they, like you, are missing the point. It's good because it's doing something US music can't do,,, it's talking to the local audience.
Don't tell me that ProKid wouldn't tear up a party in Soweto more than some unknown US rapper whose music we'd never heard before.
I'll admit that our local music is still suffering from a lack of access to studios and know-how - every hip hop movement has had to deal with this and we'll get there in the end. We're also suffering (like everywhere else in the world) from being a little too influenced by the US - this isn't such a big deal either,,, MCs are finding their own voices more and more every day.
US rappers are also influenced by certain individuals too. Just start trawling through any US web site where unreleased artists post their work - 99.9% is totally shite.
I'd rather listen to Anon, Kaptin, T.O.P, Hyphen, Otis, Konfab, Oracle Flow, Driemaanskaap, Trusenz, Pro Kid, Cashless, Second Son etc etc than *most* US hip hop.
