Is There Anything Wrong With Ghost Writing in Hip Hop?

[Kil]

Did an interview with Rap Rebirth (they're a ghost writing service) over @ thecouchsessions.com Check it out when you get a chance...

http://www.thecouchsessions.com/201...anything-wrong-with-ghost-writing-in-hip-hop/

www.twitter.com/kil889
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www.tildeathinfo.blogspot.com (ill relationship/marriage blog with a hip hop feel to it...check it out)
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Reviews of The Grey Album by Vegas (Produced by Kil):
"This is a solid effort from the duo. They delivered a cohesive ensemble, showcasing great chemistry. I recommend the LP to anyone that's into the more melodic side of golden age Hip Hop (Pete Rock & CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest, etc.)" - Illmuzik.com
4 out of 5 Mics

Download "The Grey Area" here: http://vegasworldinc.bandcamp.com

 

[Sucio]

I don't think there's anything wrong with ghost writing....

Some artists are put under serious deadlines to come up with songs. Sometimes a ghost writer is necessary to come up with a track when quotas have to be met....just as long as everyone gets paid..

 

[thedreampolice]

Honestly almost everything you hear on the radio was ghost written. Its is really really common, and I am fine with it.

 

[dacalion]

I don't see anything wrong with ghost writing but I do believe it takes away from the artist ability - so to speak... I think it depends on how often a ghost writer is used. We all know what would happen if a child had someone to do their homework for them every night but what if that child had someone to do his homework one night a week, that child isn't progressing for that short period. Even if the child is a straight A student in the present, eventually those missed lessons will catch up to him in the long run.

I believe the same thing is happening with our music production in general. The art of making music has been slowly replaced with the ease of production and we are seeing the repercussions of that right now, especially in hip hop. The short term benefits would be some good diversity in content, however the long term disadvantages would take away from it's contents.

I know it's a bit extreme but to me it's like saying a dam is OK as long as it has a small leak.

 

[mono]

it's ok for pop music, as content is very generic. i also have respect for people ghost writing rap lyrics. but being the rapper who performs another man's 16 bars, you make a fool of yourself imo (it's ok when you're a basketball player though^^)

 

[dacalion]

good point mono

 

[thedreampolice]

it's ok for pop music, as content is very generic.

You dont think ALLOT of hip hop has generic lyrics?

 

[mono]

you're right. maybe it's because rap lyrics are less abstract than content in other genres, i dont know. rhymes are more personal to me, you're telling a story or share your thoughts, and if they're not yours, well then it's bogus.
i don't feel that way about pop music. it's more about creating a certain feel with melody, and performance. truth of word is not really relevant there.

 

[LouBez]

There is nothing wrong with ghost writing...The purist gets fooled cause they don't really understand hip hop to begin with...The culture is about having fun. In the industry though it is a very common practice and is actually a pretty sought after job by great emcees who are mature enough to get their head around the fact that for the most part ugly people don't get to be on TV. Without ghost writing there would be no NWA no "The Chronic" etc, etc. Rick Ross was one of Trick Daddy's many pen men from 2000 till Port of Miami came out. Trick Daddy albums used to keep that lil pocket of artists working for years. It's great because it creates jobs for guys who may not be able to deliver their material as well as someone else. Then we as fans all reap the benefits by having classic songs to ride to. Even underground favorites like Jadakiss have bought songs, ask Pusha T.

The way alotta studio's work is you'll have one guy with swag they are trying to push and a few really nasty pure emcees trying to break through. The beat comes up, people start vibing and dope emcee one starts humming a hook that then turns into the chorus, but dope emcee one isnt signed to the label but is down with the swagger artist so he says "fuck it, use that shit!" Then dope emcee two might hand the guy with swag 5 or 6 really amazing punchlines, swag emcee and dope emcee two went to school together so of course he's gonna let his boy take some bars...no problem...THEN three years later the song crosses over to radio and all the sudden Rhymefest is claiming he wrote half of "Jesus Walks" for Kanye lmao! Thats how that shit really goes down, I've seen and participated in those kind of session more than a few times.

 

[thedreampolice]

who are mature enough to get their head around the fact that for the most part ugly people don't get to be on TV.

You summed it up perfectly there!

In fact your entire post is pretty much dead on. Nice work

 

[LouBez]

thank you sir, I'm sure you've seen some of those type of sessions too.

 

[thedreampolice]

oh yea! Its wild how it actually goes down. And its allot less magical then everyone thinks lol

 

[mono]

The purist gets fooled cause they don't really understand hip hop to begin with...

Now that's an opinion not a fact, to begin with.

Just because ghost writing is widespread, doesn't make it more hip hop. And just because Dre has people writing for him - as he has people digging and ghost producing for him - doesn't make The Chronic less hip hop. Anyway, we might be talking about different things here, because you say Trick Daddy and Jadakiss, while I was thinking of Lord Finesse and Percee P.

...mature enough to get their head around the fact that for the most part ugly people don't get to be on TV.

Fair enough, but the topic wasn't "Is There Anything Wrong With Ghost Writing On TV".

 

[LouBez]

yeah bro, if you think that there is some kind of difference between lord finesse, percee p, trick daddy, and jadakiss, then you may be a little confused when it comes to the hip hop culture. Content doesn't determine how "hip hop" an emcee is.

I mean to a guy sitting in berlin a place like the "dirty south" and South Beach may not seem as "hip hop" as say, I dunno, NYC. But if I told you that within the last 8 months 2 nationally respected graf artists gave their lives contributing to the culture down here you might take a different perspective as to the Hip Hopiness of what goes on down here.

The point is Hip Hop is like the Bible to a good Christian, you gotta take it all...Not just pick and choose those artists that speak to you personally and disregard what you don't understand or cant relate to as not "Hip Hop", or "Pop" or "Commercial" or whatever the kids are calling it nowadays.

 

[thedreampolice]

I think the point that lou was trying to make was that record labels look at marketing an image more than an artist, so the person needs to have a good story and have a look that they can market. They are selling a product etc.

 

[LouBez]

And if you are an artist pursuing a career dont forsake having a writing team just cause its not percieved to be "ok" by the standards of the fans...

 

[2GooD Productions]

When you make the change from hobby/artform in to business, you have to do what it takes to make money. If that means performing the work of others then so be it, if thats the direction you want to go. Otherwise just stay independent/underground.
If as a writer you can make some really good money ghost writing for others then why not?

 

[Formant024]

lol, im guessing here, but i wont listen to anyone not spitting his own lyrics guess what kind of hiphop i listen to (or mono, or steezo or a few others). I really cant be arsed about industry rappers, period. Make the money, whatever..Those that made it from indy to pop still write their own, then again, those artists are very rare, i cant think of one really...

 

[thedreampolice]

but i wont listen to anyone not spitting his own lyrics

LMAO you do everyday!

You do know that a "Ghost" writer just gets a paycheck right? They NEVER get album credits even, so a person would never know who actually wrote it.

 

[mono]

yeah bro, if you think that there is some kind of difference between lord finesse, percee p, trick daddy, and jadakiss, then you may be a little confused when it comes to the hip hop culture. Content doesn't determine how "hip hop" an emcee is.

I mean to a guy sitting in berlin a place like the "dirty south" and South Beach may not seem as "hip hop" as say, I dunno, NYC.
[...]
The point is Hip Hop is like the Bible to a good Christian, you gotta take it all...Not just pick and choose those artists that speak to you personally and disregard what you don't understand or cant relate to as not "Hip Hop", or "Pop" or "Commercial" or whatever the kids are calling it nowadays.

point partially taken. there are aspects of hip hop which i don't like, but i still don't exclude them from my understanding of hip hop. content may not determine HOW hip hop an emcee is, but it does determine whether something deserves my respect or not. and there's no big science to that: if something's not up to the universal standards of credibility, and not up to the conventional hip hop standards of ORIGINality, then it's at least not the real deal.
compared to other arts, the art of rap takes so little. if you don't even write your own rhymes, while pretending to be the man, that's *hold nose* wack.
and being a good christian does not mean to stop thinking for yourself. and even if it does, that's another story.