Stupid in yo’ area

I think I do a pretty good job at staying diplomatic in my coverage of the local hip hop scene, but I’ve been met with the backlash of being “too nice” to local artists, and of not wanting to offend them.
That’s hilarious because I don’t care who fuckin’ likes me as long as they’re not fake about it, and I have no reason to. It’s a small city, and most of us in it are pretty chill people. It’s diplomacy that allows me to manoeuvre through Montreal’s streets credibly and with mutual respect.
True, though, that it’s not okay to just give a pass to anyone trying to get over. But if I’ve been quietly concerned about fragility, it’s had less to do with some of the egos and hubris out here, and more to do with the nagging sensation that our scene feels like it could just as adequately be reported by the Doomsday Clock.

I think I do a pretty good job at staying diplomatic in my coverage of the local hip hop scene, but I’ve been met with the backlash of being “too nice” to local artists, and of not wanting to offend them.

That’s hilarious because I don’t care who fuckin’ likes me as long as they’re not fake about it, and I have no reason to. It’s a small city, and most of us in it are pretty chill people. It’s diplomacy that allows me to manoeuvre through Montreal’s streets credibly and with mutual respect.

True, though, that it’s not okay to just give a pass to anyone trying to get over. But if I’ve been quietly concerned about fragility, it’s had less to do with some of the egos and hubris out here, and more to do with the nagging sensation that our scene feels like it could just as adequately be reported by the Doomsday Clock.

And then along comes this. Local never-heard-uh-ya cheeseballs Nation Ruckus are out to make yet another mockery of Montreal hip hop’s potential with a video as shiny and new as the Xtreme-ly lame rentals bandied about in their Beastie Boys-defiling video, “Stupid in Yo Area.”

Mercifully, they aren’t overtly repping Montreal — or even hip hop, from what I can hear. And yeah, yeah, I’m “giving them more exposure” by calling them out and I’m sure I’ll be sarcastically “thanked” in some fashion. Featured vocalist Meryem Saci of Nomadic Massive can, and does, do way better, and that’s all I’ll say about that. Hopefully she got paid.

So why am I taking so public a dump so suddenly, you may ask? Mostly, it’s to give people a laugh and hopefully have a sigh of relief knowing that things could be worse. But it’s also to give pause to local artists caught up in the cycle.

There are so many talented minds out there walking down strange alleys, creatively, competitively and conceptually. So much time gets wasted chasing perceived obligations along an outdated map to elusive satisfaction, which whether trolled-after or pursued in earnest, remains a foggy road for Montreal’s hip hop communities to wander.

Meanwhile, clowns like this get mad grants and waste them on scooting around in RVs. Now, I know damn well there are many cats out there trying to live a certain way daily and I can’t judge that, because true artists struggle forever to define themselves as people, nevermind as poster children.

Whatever your profession, doesn’t it get you just a little irked when someone who has ignored the essentials then pulls a fast one on ’em, too? And there’s nothing Nation Ruckus did that the average bear can’t, so it’s not even worth bein’ mad at ‘em. Looks like they had fun.

This doesn’t prove anything about local talent one way or the other, but it does say something about getting things done despite adversity. Hopefully that seems like less of hurdle in the face of something as obviously forced as this dreck.

Now, if you wanna get really stupid in yo’ area, follow me.

Wednesday: G.O.O.D. Music-signed Yeezy protégé Big Sean’s MTL debut promises a venue for the post-frosh kids and club-hardened local playas to mix and mingle confusedly. (Olympia, 1004 Ste-Catherine E.)

Friday: Instead of getting stupid, Get Nice, with DJ Simahlak and all the fine people on the dance floor. Been a minute since I upped this wicked weekly and it still puts heads to bed way past curfew on the regular. (Blizzarts, 3956A St-Laurent)

Saturday: This is Funkadelic-Super-Stupid. Pete Rock is playing at Tokyo with D.R. One and DJ Psychology. For FIVE BUCKS. So actually, that’s smart. (3709 St-Laurent)

Sunday: Certain to be flat-out retarded is purple prophet A$AP Rocky, accompanied for the first time locally with his whole damn A$AP Mob and openers Danny Brown and Flatbush Zombies. (Metropolis, 59 Ste-Catherine E.)

Monday: If I made a stupid joke about Tech N9ne, I’d hafta keep one eye open forever after. The cult-legendary Kansas City chopper’s second Montreal appearance — whether or not you attended his first show here two springs back — would be dumb to miss for the loyal. (Club Soda, 1225 St-Laurent) ■

Play smart…shinecultmtl@gmail.com

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