Dear Jay-Z (and the rest of rap)

November 03, 2009 / Ev

Okay, by now, people heads probably think I hate you, just by sheer volume of material I have covering you and decisions I found questionable. Even so, I actually can stand the Blueprint 3. It grew on me, as does most material that's CONSTANTLY in rotation. But I see the lyricism and musical value of your work over the past year.

That said, I was semi-looking forward to watching the video for 'Empire State of Mind'. I didn't watch the previews or behind-the-scenes videos, so the official joint would be completely new. What I waited so long for turned out to be boring, unimaginative and extra-regular. I'll say it now, for the world to hear: RAP VIDEOS SUCK NOW. Where is the innovation, ingenuity and creativity? Where are the plots? Where are the random explosions and near-movie quality stunts? Where are the new ways to blow our money lavishly? Where is anything? All I saw in your video, Jay, and see in any video today is dudes standing around in different places (clubs, colored sets, parking lots), doing some stupid dance in a club, or hood shots (ie: crack houses, projects etc.).

What's worse, is that this was a New York video. NYC hip-hop fans know what I'm talking about; the videos that show random shots of streets and people in the city. Your video is no different. It has the varied montages of life on the NYC 'streets' complete with a Times Square shot for Alicia Keys and numerous other landmarks. Sure, it's a tried and true formula. But at some point, where do artists start to get tired of shooting the same videos? Jay, I know for a fact that you wanted the video drop to coincide with your performance at the World Series. I just wish the video was half as inspiring as the performance (the Yankees BEASTED that game). I suppose this 'new' rap video is a sign of the times, with the recession and all. But, I thought you were the best rapper alive? Certainly the top dog, and the rap king of New York, would be able to dole out some presidents for a music video about New York? If that weren't the case, I'd have no reason to write this letter to Jay, or to the rest of the rap game. In fact, maybe you guys should get a recap some of the crap you've been tossing on MTV and BET lately...

Breast I Ever Had?