Well last night we had an interesting show. First we had the return of my quick scratch intro done in a down and dirty fashion due to time constraints. Hopefully it will be more polished in the future. Also, piggy backing off of a previous show’s interview with DJ Jaycee, we gave a little peek at the video Serato just put out featuring him. Next we took a quick look at Pioneers new video showcasing their new battle mixer, the DJM S3. We found this little video of interest to us because it was set up a lot like a Scratch Grand Prix battle. Hmmm, maybe this may hint of things to come in the future 🙂 Finally we got to the meat and potatoes of this weeks show, a cursory recap/review of the Goldie Awards. First I must apologize that our recap is not as in-depth as I would have liked. Although I had watched all of the dj battles in their entirety, I failed to take good notes so that I would be able to speak to each set thoroughly. Hat’s off to A-Trak and all the people involved for pulling off such an event (no shade here). Although I applaud the event and what strives to achieve, I’d be remiss if I did not mention the main reason for my soapbox segment.
Hiphop and DJ culture promote the wrong things.
The problem I have with this event, or more so its execution, is the language and tone. Are the constant use of the N-word and F-bombs necessary? Does how often you give an “f___ you” to the fellow competitors really make you a better more skilled DJ? Is this really the true competitive spirit of DJ battling? My answer to these questions are, NO. I believe by allowing and promoting these types of behaviors the competitive DJ scene has become sub-par and shrouded in a perpetual funk that only serves to further degrade and destroy true competition. I believe that using profane/derogatory language in your samples/set is akin to a bad comedian. Good (really good) comedians can have a rated-G show and still bring down the house because they have great material. Average comedians, with lesser material, rely on crassness and vulgarity to eek out laughter from the audience because they can’t come up with good material. My observation is that DJs/Hiphop culture has long since stopped coming up with good material and has settled for average and it’s cultivated average and poor material for so long that when people see it they think it is good. My litmus test is this, is your MC/host for the event saying things that could be repeated in a public setting? Are the battle sets that the DJs are performing really something that you can be proud to listen too? Would you expose your young son or daughter to this type of content? You see, the question is, why can’t we (DJs) separate foolishness and desperate attempts to degrade your opponent from showcasing true skills and creativity? Why can’t we have tight battles with DJ flipping great music without the N-word, B-word, and F-bombs? I believe that wordplay is a big and important part of battling and I’m all for it, but I do believe that a DJ can creatively throw off on a competitor and do it in a sportsmanship type manner.
dBP
Interesting viewpoint. I do agree that the sets can get out of hand with the over the top language and disses but I’ve come to expect it now. Sometimes it can cross the line but if you are going to be man or woman enough to include such disses in your routine then you should be prepared to accept the consequences. and at the end of the battle it’s all about skills. Getting a crowd reaction from a diss in a routine won’t make up for sloppy skills and hopefully the judges and crowd will see past that.