Have you ever liked a certain musician and couldn’t figure out why? You really like their sound but there’s something off-putting about the lure of the artist. I often listen to many MCs and wonder, “I like this guy but there’s something wrong.” In a conversation between me and hurryupnbuy the other day, I finally came up with a label to attach to such a situation. Ari “40 oz. Gold” in 2010 is coining the phrase, “The comfort rapper.”
You’re already thinking to yourself, “what the hell is a comfort rapper?” Well think of it this way, you know what comfort food is right? The same rules apply to such a rapper. The food can be anywhere from decent to good and it’s extremely familiar. Take macaroni and cheese for example. That’s comfort food. It’s something you enjoy and isn’t necessarily a huge risk when making/ordering the dish. How would this apply to a rapper you ask? Well, the person should resemble another artist that you enjoy and share a similar style with. Let’s take Sene for example, who just recently released that was entirely produced by Blu. While listening to Sene, I began to list a number qualities that classify him as a “comfort rapper.” He’s a fairly talented MC that reminds me of Blu and doesn’t do anything that extraordinary in his music. Being given such a title isn’t really a bad thing, it just gives more clarity to reasons why I like a certain artist.
If you haven’t noticed, people tend to be attracted to the familiar. That’s why specific groups of people hang out with each other rather than those different from them. The same applies to music. Many artists sound like duplicates of each other and saturate the industry. This does pose as a problem because people will still listen to them
because the artists remind them of a predecessor or someone they like. I’m just as guilty as the rest of you in this scenario. I like a lot of rappers that sound parallel with each other and although it certainly is an unconscious bias, I later realize my reasons. I guess the same could be said about certain producers who tend to follow their formula of beatmaking. Have you ever noticed that many DJ Premier beats sound similar? Sure, he does it on purpose so that the listener knows it’s him but he follows his formula because he knows it works. But that’s a different discussion for a different day.
What other rappers do I consider to be a “comfort rappers”? People like Jay Electronica, Chip The Ripper, Funk Doobiest, or Shyne really remind me of some other known artists (can you figure them out?). It’s not really a bad thing to be a comfort rapper. We all need and enjoy these people’s creative work. In fact, sometimes you just don’t want to listen to the abstract like Madlib or MF Doom. Sometimes, you just want to relax and listen to something that doesn’t require any profound thoughts or involvement. I get those cravings especially when I’m in a stressed or irregular emotional state. I don’t really want to listen to Talib Kweli after a really hard day’s work. This is why you don’t see many construction workers blasting Kweli’s Manifesto while lifting heavy objects. They’re playing Lil’ Wayne or Drake to keep they’re motivation up and energy high.
I’m going to be using this term a lot more in 2010, so watch out! It would be kind of cool if others picked it up and began to use it. Although I do think many rappers will be offended for being compared to someone else or just simply categorized. But it’s all opinions, right? We all love mac & cheese, so why would a restaurant be offended
if people said they serve “comfort food”? Some establishments are proud to say they serve the public this country’s favorite food to stabilize one’s well-being. Same applies to the Sene’s of the world. They give the public something they can listen to, enjoy and have it feel familiar.
Browse Timeline
- « American Apparel: The Search for Butts
- » Throwback of the Day: A Tribe Called Quest – Can I Kick It (Video)
