The Speciation of Rap 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 BABA BRINKMAN Reading Charles Darwin’s dogma-killing 1859 book outlining his theory of 10 evolution, what always strikes me is how easily his arguments about the ori- 11 gins of biological form map onto the lives of individuals and their personal 12 struggles, and onto popular culture. For instance, here’s Darwin asking a typi- 13 cally tantalizing and impish question—one for which he was fully aware that 14 no person before him, ever, had anything but a shoulder-shrugging or woefully 15 inaccurate answer: 16 17 Who can explain why one species ranges widely and is very numer- 18 ous, and why another allied species has a narrow range and is rare? 19 Yet these relations are of the highest importance, for they deter- 20 mine the present welfare, and, as I believe, the future success and 21 modification of every inhabitant of this world.1 22 23 Previous attempts to answer this question could be paraphrased as “the Lord 24 works in mysterious ways,” which could itself be paraphrased as “I have no 25 idea” (and the naturalistic attempts, such as Lamarck’s, turned out to be wrong). 26 But here’s an equally interesting and mysterious question: who can say why 27 one genre of music ranges widely and is very popular, and why another very 28 similar genre of music has a narrow range of appeal and is very rare? Or, for 29 that matter, who can say why one particular artist is massively successful while 30 others labor in obscurity, and why these relative poles occasionally reverse when 31 the person dies, sometimes depending on how they die. Darwin’s statement 32 about the relevance of this question to the present welfare and future success 33 and modification of species is no less true of individuals in the performing 34 arts world. 35 The Notorious B.I.G. is widely (and justifiably) recognized as the greatest 36 rap artist of all time, and in many of his songs he takes a stab at just such an 37 explanation. The obvious example would be “You’re Nobody (’Til Somebody 38 Kills You),” but since that song—released shortly after his murder—helped to 39 make him massively famous, it stands more as an act of uncanny prescience 40 or self-actualization rather than an explanatory framework. On the other hand, 41 in one of his first hit songs, “Juicy,” he offers such naturalistic accounts of his 42 43 baba brinkman 119 SP_TER2_15_119-126.indd 119 1/17/11 11:39 AM 1 own success as “I let my tape rock ’til my tape popped” and formerly entertained—namely, that each spe- 2 “Now I’m in the limelight ’cause I rhyme tight.” However, cies has been independently created—is erro- 3 a Biggie skeptic might object that these are actually tau- neous. I am fully convinced that species are not 4 tological explanations, akin to saying that evolution works immutable; but that those belonging to what are 5 through “survival of the fittest” where “the fittest” is defined called the same genera are lineal descendants of 6 as “whatever survives.” Why did your tape pop? Because it some other and generally extinct species, in the 7 rocked. What’s the definition of a rockin’ tape? Whatever same manner as the acknowledged varieties of 8 pops. But what if there was a definition of tight rhyming any one species are the descendants of that spe- 9 that could be established independently of whatever happens cies. Furthermore, I am convinced that Natural 10 to be in the limelight? It would almost certainly be a con- Selection has been the main but not exclusive 11 text-dependent definition rather than an absolute one (for means of modification. (Origin, 98) 12 instance, can you judge the tightness of rhymes in a language 13 you don’t speak?), but a working definition of tight rhyming Strangely enough, both the erroneous view that Darwin 14 could be phrased: “if the audience has specific expectations effectively demolished in 1859 and its cultural analogue 15 a, then tightness is defined as b, whereas if the audience remain widespread, but it is the latter I wish to focus on 16 has specific expectations x, then tightness is defined as y.” here. 17 If that were possible, then we could actually begin to make In the music video for “Juicy,” there is an introduc- 18 testable predictions about who would be the next to blow tory sketch in which a journalist asks Biggie, “Who influ- 19 up and where, and Biggie’s statement that “I’m blowin’ up enced you as a rapper?” and his reply illustrates a form 20 like you thought I would” might approach the status of a of “cultural creationism” that pervades the performing arts 21 hypothesis empirically confirmed, the elusive holy grail of world. He says Ain’t nobody really influenced me, you know 22 the social sciences. Music mavens and talent scouts trade in what I’m sayin’?2 Then in the song he goes on to rap the 23 this currency on a daily basis, but the anthropic principle opening bars: “It was all a dream, I used to read Word-Up 24 (winners appear predestined because losers are invisible) is magazine / Salt-n-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine.” 25 at work in the music industry no less than everywhere else. As tough as it might be to prove empirically that Biggie 26 Everyone who predicted that Biggie would never succeed did indeed have influences (perhaps he had an identical 27 promptly shut up when he did, and those who predicted his twin who never listened to rap?), I can entertain no doubt, 28 imminent ascent soon loudly proclaimed their pioneering after the most deliberate study and dispassionate judgment 29 early-adopter status and demanded their due props. of which I am capable, that the view which most artists 30 Of course, Darwin posed his pseudo-rhetorical ques- entertain, namely, that their works are independently cre- 31 tion with a well-formulated answer in mind, or at least an ated, is erroneous. Rather, I contend that all musical and 32 explanatory framework, one that has become the generally cultural genres, including rap, are the lineal descendants of 33 accepted foundation of modern biology (and is now threat- some other and usually temporally extinct cultural forebear. 34 ening to theoretically infiltrate the rest of the humanities, at Furthermore, I am convinced that a cultural analogue of 35 least when it comes to explanations rather than critiques). natural selection has been the main but not the exclusive 36 Darwin drops his bombshell thus: means of modification. 37 And what deliberate study and dispassionate judgment 38 Although much remains obscure, and will long can I boast of that matches Darwin’s? None so rigorous 39 remain obscure, I can entertain no doubt, after I’m afraid, but it is true that hip-hop culture has been my 40 the most deliberate study and dispassionate main obsession since I was old enough to know or care 41 judgment of which I am capable, that the view about what it means to be obsessed with something. As a 42 which most naturalists entertain, and which I result, I can say that I’ve been a lifelong student of hip-hop, 43 120 pop culture SP_TER2_15_119-126.indd 120 1/17/11 11:39 AM both as an observer and consumer of hip-hop culture and 1 also as a participant, someone who makes a living rapping, 2 performing, recording, and releasing rap records. 3 But if you saw me walking down the street tomor- 4 row and didn’t recognize me (which you almost certainly 5 wouldn’t since I’m not very famous), I guarantee you would 6 not think to yourself “there goes a rapper.” My style of dress 7 is not particularly hip-hop, nor are my mannerisms or vocal 8 inflections. I’m a white, freckle-faced, thirty-one-year-old 9 Canadian, a former tree-planter with a master’s in English 10 literature, so you might say I’m not your typical rap artist. 11 Of course, for me to even make this prediction about 12 what you would think if you saw me, I’m assuming you, 13 the reader, have a picture in your mind right now of what 14 it means to be “hip-hop,” perhaps an image of brightly 15 colored, ill-fitting sports paraphernalia, oversized jeans worn 16 well below the waistline, perhaps adorned with sparkling 17 jewelry and posing in front of a conspicuously expensive 18 vehicle with elaborately ornamented hubcaps. Fifteen years 19 ago I would also have predicted that the person you are 20 picturing is ethnically black, but since Paul Wall, Bubba 21 Sparxxx, Brother Ali, R.A. the Rugged Man, Everlast, and 22 especially Eminem hit the scene, the idea of a white rap- 23 per has lost some of its absurdity. Also, depending on your 24 level of familiarity with hip-hop culture, you may or may 25 not recognize this general description of hip-hop fashion Figure 1. Baba spreading Darwin’s memes. 26 as a played-out cliché, and you may or may not be able 27 to confidently say whether the expression “played-out” is 28 itself played-out (Biggie was fond of it, but it’s used a lot successful and widely imitated rappers in the game declare 29 less lately).