A Tribe Called Quest reuniting, the last Wu-Tang Clan show with all of the nine original members, and Supernatural breaking the Guinness Book of World Records for longest freestyle (over nine hours) all have one thing in common: they represent moments in Hip-Hop when the audience was invited to participate in history.After ushering in the ten year anniversary of the death of Tupac, the genre seems more focused on repeating the past than creating new historic moments. A decade ago, Hip-Hop lost Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. to gun violence. After those tragic events, the next couple of years were marked by artists from the East and West Coast coming together to stress the importance of peace, understanding, and making sure grievances stayed on the records. Despite such cautionary measures, the Hip-Hop community has experienced more violence than ever. Over the last year, the Hip-Hop community has lost D12’s Proof, Houston legend Big Hawk, Israel Ramirez(Busta Rhymes’ bodyguard and close friend), and has had a number of other artists and related personalities fatally injured or involved in gun violence.
Who is to blame for the rise of this dangerous trend? Is it the DJs, MCs, record labels, or even the fans? In order to gain an insiders perspective, JIVE Magazine recently had a chance to catch up with DJ Revolution of the World Famous Wake Up Show. As a member of the longest internationally syndicated commercial Hip-Hop radio show, DJ Revolution understands the importance of keeping Hip-Hop pure and the problems that arise when it is misrepresented, mislabeled, and mistreated. From the “beef” that is currently taking place in Hip-Hop to issues of authenticity and fragility, DJ Revolution offers a wake up call to artists and fans alike.
JIVE MAGAZINE: The Wake Up Show is one of the few platforms that encourages freestyling and battling, yet unlike other stations that encourages MCs to come up into the studio and rhyme, your show doesn’t produce the violent altercations other shows have encountered. Are these violent altercations a reflection of the radio station/program or better yet a reflection of the commercial aspect of this culture as a whole?
DJ Revolution: If by "altercations" you mean people gettin' shot, stabbed, and beat within inches of their lives, I think that is a reflection of the people involved and the absolute lack of respect they have for the culture and wherever the incidents take place. If artists had actual respect for the DJ's and stations they visited, they’d leave all that bullsh*t outside or back in the street, so they can be artists talking to DJs in the business of music (i use the term DJ very loosely here). While "beef" between artists has always existed and is healthy for Hip-Hop, what is happening now is not "beef". We promote the art of putting your skills on the line in a battle if you have some kind of "beef" or just think you are the shi*t and everyone else isn’t. You must prove it through your use of mic skills or whatever other skills you possess. Well, if you have no skills, then we simply won’t let you on the show, or you are afraid to come on our show because we will expose your lack of skill to the world. That’s why you shoot people, or talk about other people or show off lots of jewelry instead. The artists that you are referring to do not come to the Wake Up Show because the our show is REAL HIP-HOP not TV Hip-Hop or magazine Hip-Hop or Hip-Hop that is created solely out of street problems. We love music and we are all about that. The reason these stations run into problems is because they aren’t about music anymore. They are about something else. Case and point: Jay Z and Nas had a heated battle but no real violence. Two skilled Hip-Hop dudes who live and breathe the culture of Hip-Hop but came from a violent background. They respect life and the music that brought them their new lives, so they leave it on the records.
JIVE MAGAZINE: On Hip-Hop is dead, Nas appears to placing some of the blame on Radio DJs for the current state of Hip-Hop. What do you think of this assessment and is Hip-Hop dead?
DJ Revolution: No it’s not dead yet, but it’s on its death bed with terminal heart disease. There is no fixing it or curing it and personally I cant wait till it dies cuz right now its your suffering old grandfather in so much pain he can barely stand it. It is better off dead. It’s up to us that still care to move on and rebuild something new in its monument. Yes, radio DJ's helped and are still helping to kill it and deserve the most blame. They are supposed to be the ones sayin’ "nah man. That hit is wack. I’m not playin’ that. You need to come with something better, and then ill support it." but they got so caught up with themselves being stars and getting that money that they don’t give a sh*t anymore. Artists, labels, and DJs all play their parts in its destruction.
JIVE MAGAZINE: A decade after Hip-Hop lost two of its biggest artists, it would have appeared that more would have been done to promote peace. Do you think the consistent and possible increased violence is just a reflection of our society as a whole or is it because the labels and radio stations know that violence sells?
DJ Revolution: Well, there you have to blame the audience as well. Violence sells only because people are programmed to buy it. Violence has always sold in some sort of packaged media: Movies, games, books, video games and music. If people didn’t love it, no one would promote it through the music. Generally, labels and TV/radio stations will promote whatever trend is selling or whatever trend is selling best for them. It just so happens that artists make it easy. They create a scandal around themselves by doing stupid sh*t. They have no soul, mind, or morals. They are cash machines that care nothing about what they promote. As long as people will buy, they will make it.
JIVE MAGAZINE: A decade ago the media added a great deal of fuel to the East Coast West Coast fire. Do you feel that the media is having a similar impact with the beef that is taking place today?
DJ Revolution: No. That’s what the American media does. It fuels fires. It’s no different than any other story that would incite controversy to boost ratings or magazine sales or what have you.
JIVE MAGAZINE: Over the last year, the Hip-Hop community has lost a number of artists to violence. What would you say is the biggest reason for this taking place?
DJ Revolution: Stupidity due to lack of proper education and the governments being irresponsible in taking care of its own citizens. When you grow up with violence, drugs, guns, and a poor education, you can’t just leave that behind cuz you got a record deal. It took a lifetime to build that "street rep" if it’s real. You can’t leave it cuz you got a few dollars because that’s still your mentality. You still got ties that will most likely never be broken. The aim of the government has not changed since slavery. It still breaks down to divide and conquer. The sh*t that’s going on in Hip-Hop is f*cked up....real fucked up. But it’s not Hip-Hop and everyone knows it. That’s real f*ckin' street life spilling over into pop music, and we eat that sh*t up. JIVE MAGAZINE: Would you say jealous is one the biggest reasons violence occurs?
DJ Revolution: Yes. However, the jealousy is occurring for bigger reasons that people are ignoring or are being led to ignore. This is exactly what the system we have in place is built for. Divide your poor and separate them into classes and neighborhoods. Give some people more money or power or special treatment than others to make them jealous, so they will fight amongst themselves to the death to keep what little they have instead of fighting the oppressor or uniting as a movement. Hip-Hop and urban lifestyle perpetuates this because it comes from that struggle.
JIVE MAGAZINE: Recently DJ Will of the Core DJs was attacked by Young Buck for playing a track by the Game. Since that time, the DJs have banned playing his records. What is your reaction to this incident and how do you think it will impact artists and how they interact with DJs in the future?
DJ Revolution: Well I didn’t know about that. That’s some bullsh*t. They shouldn’t play his records and this is exactly what I’m saying: divide and conquer. I’m so glad I don’t live in that world. I live Hip-Hop and that right there isn’t Hip-Hop; no matter what a muthf*cka on TV or radio is tellin’ you. That is the exact opposite of Hip-Hop. That’s what happens when people let artists no talent or no history of the culture get put on. Herc and Bambaata and his peoples started this sh*t in order for people to get away from that mentality to be productive instead of destructive. While you cant just drop a lifestyle you've lived for 20 years (allegedly), that doesn’t exempt you from not actin' a f*ckin' fool. You are now a public figure and sadly, people might think of Young Buck as a role model or a success, but in fact he is just a pawn in a bigger game. All of us are, but we are too busy f*ckin' each other up over dumb sh*t to see it. that’s exactly what they want. Unfortunately, this might intimidate other DJs when it comes to playin' certain artists records. Again, I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about playin’ a crappy Young Buck record and getting’ beat up cuz I did or didn’t, but even if I did, f*ck it man. I’m a f*cking DJ. I play what I want to play when I want to play it. That’s my job. If you are a recording artist, do yours and record some art so I can play it for the world who cares. Do not make trash and just expect me to play it cuz you’ll chase me down if I don’t. You got to be kidding me. I’ve had plenty of offers from generous labels and artists though, so don’t get it fucked up. pretty sad. Hip-Hop has given me everything in this life. It raised me, educated me, gave me a job, made me a celebrity, paid my way around the world many times over. I would gladly risk my life in its defense. that’s what I would attack someone for. that’s what I would take shots at someone for and not some DJ playing’ my competitors hit record cuz his records are flops. JIVE MAGAZINE: Being involved in Hip-Hop as long as you have, can you pinpoint when beef first jumped from the records to violent confrontations?
DJ Revolution: No. I can’t because that’s always happened. If it wasn’t records it was mixtapes and before that it was at house parties in different neighborhoods, different graffiti crews beating the sh*t out of each other for the rights to a wall. This is just natural progression fueled by an ignorant public, big business, and a government who will take full advantage of the situation for their own needs.
JIVE MAGAZINE: The Game and Ras Kass got into a physical confrontation nearly a month before The Game’s album dropped. At one point he stated that he didn’t need to battle Ras on the mic. Can beef exist solely on wax these days or is it just the catalyst for future violence?
DJ Revolution: Well, the Game never came to the Wake Up Show to prove he could really get down on the mic like a real MC either. You don’t need to prove you have skills anymore, regardless of beef. Everyone knows Ras Kass would destroy the Game on the mic, but if you don’t need skills to sell, why the hell should you risk something to prove it. I’m not saying the Game has no skills; I’m just making a point. I think his records sound great, and he should be making them the way he does. Game is a package, and it sounds good. He's right. He doesn’t need to battle Ras Kass to still be a package for people to buy. That’s too bad for Ras Kass because if that happened it would be great for him; he'd crush that dude.
JIVE MAGAZINE: Recently Planet Asia was asked to speak on this topic and he stated, “We gotta bring it back to the knowledge. Make that the trend again.” When did this stop being the trend, and are the radio stations and record labels contributing to this not becoming a trend again?
DJ Revolution: It stopped being the trend when people called it a trend. Radio stations and labels will exploit whatever they see making them money. They do this cuz its easy, and the people that are their targets are easy. Why make it difficult by competing for the smarter public? Trust me it is infinitely harder to convince them you are good if you are actually not. The dumb and ignorant are much more plentiful and respond very well to the current formulas so why change. Hip-Hop has never been a trend. It’s always been a movement. When consciousness, skills and variety were selling and creating legends it was not a trend. It was a new movement. Once people found out you could make Hip-Hop music for the clubs and radio that was it. Game Over. Now with the advent of "Strip-hop" (strip club hip hop) it will never come back.
JIVE MAGAZINE: With so many socially conscious artists and showcases like Rock the Bells, do you think that Hip-Hop has gotten an unjust black eye for a few reckless/jealous individuals? What do you think the perception of Hip-Hop currently is?
DJ Revolution: A lot of those artists causing the media to give a" black eye" don’t even belong to the Hip-Hop community. They make pop music seasoned with a lil Hip-Hop flavoring and a heavy dose of street life, but they get put into the Hip-Hop box. From my point of view, these artists live and breathe in a different community than I do. If they really had a community they belonged to, they wouldn’t be acting like that would they becuase they would feel some kind of responsibility for what they say and do. They would care what other people though of them. Iif all of a sudden I started playing “Shoulder Lean”, the f*ckin Hip-Hop community would come down on me, but the pop community would be my friend. I can play 50 cent in the Hollywood club full of white people, but shit, sometimes a club full of black & brown people don’t want to hear that sh*t and they'll boo me if I play it. It is two different communities:Divide and Conquer.
JIVE Magazine: With ratings for Hip-Hop stations dropping all the time, do you think that a general disinterest of what stations are promoting will have any impact on the violence taking place within the community?
DJ Revolution: No. It will always be there. It has just infiltrated the pop world in my opinion
JIVE MAGAZINE: What would say has been the most harmful to the representation of Hip-Hop?
