Being born and raised in PROVIDEnce, I’ve come to accept certain drawbacks about this state. For example:

1. Our tap water SUCKS!! (I say that b/c there was a time the ish was on point!)
2. Springtime died in April 97’ (April Fools Day Blizzard)
3. We (RI) are the mecca of nepotism.

However, the one issue I can’t bring myself to accept is, the lack of success we’ve had establishing ourselves as a legitimate region of hip hop talent.

More often than not, I hear the same complaints from townies as well as transplants. “This state is too small”, they tell me. “There’s not enough consumers to affect sound scan numbers”, “nobody’s checking for us”, and countless other half-assed cop outs.

Fact is we have no one to blame but ourselves. Rhode Island is barely three hours away from the birthplace of hip-hop, but we may as well be on another planet. Petty jealousy and frivolous beef has choked the life from our music scene. Now don’t get me wrong, there are cats who grind quite heavy to keep the machine alive. However, the problem still seems to be the “Crab in a Barrel” Syndrome.

First off, very few 401 emcees generate a buzz outside their own hood. This is probably linked to the ongoing genocide that has wars being fought on a two-block radius. That makes it very hard to get love on your own side of town!

Also, local print and radio don’t push our local talent (college radio not withstanding). There needs to be more outlets for our artists to be seen AND heard. Polyphonic shouldn’t be our only thriving avenue of breaking new talent. Radio DJ’s don’t seek out new, hot, local talent to break b/c they fear for their jobs. Meanwhile the South (you know, the region you are “blaming” for the sub par condition of the music) is cranking out new artists almost monthly, based on that premise. You don’t hear PDP in the clubs, or Fedd Hill in the strippy. Plus, I wouldn’t mind hearing some Chachi or Starrs and Murph on more than just non profit radio.

Even the artists themselves have created a hierarchy. Wrapped trucks and low budget videos on YOUTUBE rotation have given some artists a false sense of accomplishment. They feel that these “accessories” are true marks of “heavy grinding”, and want their opinions (about the state of 401 hip hop) to be taken as gospel. I find that hard to swallow. Especially when your product is not generating enough revenue to support you and your family. So please, stay humble if your CD sales don’t pay your bills.

As it stands, DJ’s are the ONLY real earners (at the grassroots level anyway). Even producers can’t rely on selling tracks. That’s because those same cats with the jewels, trucks, and videos want beats for free!

In closing, I don’t have the answers on how to fix this “disease”. However I am open to suggestions from anyone who feels the same way. We have PLENTY of talent here. The time is now to cultivate and nurture. I’ve been listening to local artists (almost exclusively) for four years, hoping to find a common link that could be described as “the sound of RI”. That’s not to say there isn’t quality music being created. However, we all know the age of the internet is rapidly emerging. The time is now to get our ish together!!

ViniBoomBap
a.k.a
Late Model Sedan