What's up everyone? I'm Ben Risko and I'm a freshman at the University of South Carolina. I often get weird looks about the music I listen to and enjoy. Growing up in a white, church going family, rap was definitely not the music of choice for the household, except for the occasional radio edited song on the FMs. I started really listening to hip-hop in middle school, memorizing and reciting Lil Wayne and Eminem songs 24/7. High school was a great time for me to make new connections and network, and with that I was exposed to a lot more music. Childish Gambino, J Cole, and Drake were among the "mainstream" artists that I bumped to with my crew in senior high. Around junior year, I started getting exposed to really talented rappers who were on the rise, like G-Eazy, Kyle, and Logic. At this point in high school, many of my peers were getting into the "rap game." This really helped my understanding of the importance of beats and instrumentals behind the actual lyrics. My friends started exposing me to underground and upcoming artists ranging from Pouya and the Buffet Boys (who I'm listening to as I type) in Miami to Chris Travis to $UICIDEBOY$. I still crank all of these artists, regardless of the comments some of my college friends say about the new stuff. I think it's vital to have a wide range of material that you enjoy or at least can talk about.
Rap is extremely interesting, from it's roots to the ways today's artists continuously make new material that gives the listener a deeper appreciation for the genre. I specifically chose rap as the centerpiece of this blog because I know this genre holds so much emotional value from what the artists are conveying and from the instrumentals that they flow to. My outright intent is to review albums and mixtapes from the past few years and bring about a greater understanding and appreciation for the variation in todays hip hop and R&B. There are so many artist out there today that are bringing new and exciting things for the genre as a whole. I'm talking Kauai by Childish G, Oxymoron by Schoolboy Q, and maybe even Graduation by Kanye. I hope to share my honest opinions on here, and if you all find something intriguing here, feel free to add a comment. Hip Hop is a community of passionate people all dedicated to speaking out about the things going on in society or in their lives. This active community will not only add to the audience's role in hip hop, but it will also encourage the next generation of young rappers AND music readers/writers to get out there and produce some quality work. I think rap sets an example that everyone can learn from, in terms of expressing our desires and/or struggles in life. This comes from what everyone interprets from a track, an album, or an artist. Take Mr. West for example (I know, I know, Kanye Kanye Kanye), but for real, is his attitude and the way he carries himself a reflection of how he doesn't need other people's opinions to be successful, or is he just a dick? Does that reflect upon his music? To an extent, it most likely does. I think he just does his thing, and to be perfectly honest, it works. Yeezus circulates, ends up on commercials, the whole deal.
To be successful, you have to be yourself and stick to what you know works and works well. If that isn't producing, you adjust. That's how the hip hop market works, and we, the listeners, reap the benefits in so many ways. Yeah, a lot of modern rappers do what they do for the money, and that's cool, because we listen anyways, whether we know it or not: on the radio, in movies, on your Pandora or Spotify playlist, or maybe even from a younger sibling who you caught blasting Nicki Minaj or Jay Z throughout the house when no one else was home. It's happened. Hip Hop has become a culture, and it's merged into everyday society, even if a lot of grandpas- er, people, don't like it. There is a subconscious appreciation for the style and I firmly believe that we, the audience, have a responsibility to repost, tweet, Facebook, or whatever, to share the quality of the genre. Rap's been integrated and I think it's time for it to be translated. So here we are: Rap and R&B from RiskyB.
