Rappers Crying
Yesterday, Lil B the Based God dropped a legendary music video. In this video, he sheds tears. Tears of positivity and love. In a pet shop.
(3:00 for Based Tears)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6-V7J5S-0
This moment of honesty and love led me to think about all the other rappers who have cried publicly throughout hip-hop history. Using quotes from the genius blogger, Big Ghost, I have found there to be two types of rapper tears:
Category A: Manly Tears, which “roll down the inside of the cheeks."
Category B: Lotion Tears, which Drake, "catches off broads faces with his pinky” and which The Game “drowns in a pool of estrogen with.”
Let us uncover and judge the tears of the following
Soulja Boy
During the BET Awards, there was an emotional Whitney Houston tribute. Soulja Boy cried. During the same segment, both Beyonce and Kanye had Category A tears (pensive inside crying). The combination of Soulja’s puppy eyes, runny nose, overall frog-like appearance, and the fact that Whitney’s prime was before Soulja was even born results in.
Category BLupe Fiasco
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjGGMUspJ7w In an interview on RapFix Live, Sway presented Lupe with a video from 2006 called “My Block Chicago,” where Lupe gave MTV a tour of his neighborhood. At the end of the video, Lupe was crying full fledged tears. After collecting himself, he explained that some of his friends in the video had passed away, calling them “ghosts.” He also explains his feelings of hopelessness, as he has built his career on trying to change the environment and ideas of where he came, but it has only stayed the same. Although these tears may not be outwardly manly, they are justified, honest and caring about his community.
Category AYoung Buck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl0y6R6uYSg G-Unit, the self-proclaimed gangsters, have had the most high-school drama in hip-hop history. In this scenario, ex-Gossip-Unit member Young Buck calls 50 cent to apologize. Through muffled tears, he manages to suck up to 50, repeating the phrase, “I’m so confuuussed.” Like the bitchy head of the clique he is, 50 recorded the phone conversation and put it on the internet. O-M-G. Clearly, this is a case of,
Category BThe Game
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6gt54_the-game-rapper-crying-because-of-c_music#.UO9N7qFU4oY Sean Bell was shot 51 times by three policemen, the day before his wedding. After a trial, the policemen were acquitted with no charges. The Game was rightfully upset by this incident, and wanted to gather a bunch of rappers together to speak out against the corrupt police. Unfortunately, nobody hopped on the song with the Game, leading to these tears. One has to wonder, did the rappers he asked really not want to support Sean Bell, or did they just not want to hop on another posse track with The Game? In any case, he makes some good points in the video, and although his threats of retirement were hollow, his tears were justified.
Category AMaino
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BicdwhqwTHg It seems like police brutality and rapper’s tears really go hand-in-hand. Maino’s best friend, 80, was shot in the back by policemen and is paralyzed for the rest of his life. After finding this unfortunate news out on tour, Maino dedicated his performance of his single, “All the Above” to his friend. Pretty inspirational and emotional stuff.
Category ABig Sean
http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshh8Kd6iNEm8nCD7Z7m Big Sean really likes being famous. In every song, it seems there is a reference to “finally making it.” When he was confronted by a group of loyal fans in Toronto, he began to cry. For repetitive subject matter and a limited emotional range, Big Sean is rewarded with a
Category BDMX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GszIUgkqWIM DMX never had a relationship with his mom. On a TV show
called “Couples Therapy,” the rugged hustler showed his softer side. For acknowledging that his life is still blessed even without a mother, and for having the most original and hilarious sounding cry, DMX earns himself a,
Category AKanye West
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6bgSITBrVQ Such a dick move by Jay Leno.
Category ALil' Mama
(around 19:15)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDYkd4dEqws During an interview with the Breakfast Club, Charlamagne and DJ Envy continuously railed Lil Mama about the incident where she hopped on stage during Jay-Z and Alicia’s performance of “Empire State of Mind.” Although I do admit, that was a wack move, her tears were actually elicited from talking about her mother’s cancer. Surprisingly, she keeps it all the way real and calls out Charlamagne for his bullshit.
Category ADrake
http://flight-city.tumblr.com/post/15412005433 Pure Lotion
Category B
So, what have we learned from the tears of these rappers? In my opinion, hip-hop is progressing, and a social experiment like Lil B proves that hip-hop is making it cool to be emotional again. Ten years ago, mainstream rappers were prototypes, equipped with violence and misogyny. Now, there is more of a balance. Shit, as the hottest gangsta rapper right now, Future’s style IS crying. Sure, there is an influx of “soft” rappers who are capitalizing off the weak emotions of pre-teens and drunk people. But for every Drake, there is a Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Danny Brown, or Blu, who balance emotion with introspection to create a deeper message in their music. So cry on rappers, cry on. And if hip-hop doesn’t accept you afterwards, at least the Based God still loves you.
Peace,
-Frak
