http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/inter...g-corporate-rap-why-scarface-is-the-g-o-a-t-/
DX: How do you feel about that? Would you look at an artist differently if you knew his music was ghostwritten?
Killer Mike: It depends on the song. There are some records that are for people that, even though I wrote the record, they needed to say the words. I wrote the record for them…from their perspective. To me, that makes sense, and that’s more than appropriate. When it comes to pop hits or radio records, it really doesn’t matter who is writing it, ‘cause it’s almost like a commercial or a jingle—so you can take it however. I’m usually writing a record that’s not a radio record, so for me, it’s heartfelt and is based upon some type of emotion. When I write that record, I want to make sure I’m best representing that artist. Now if I just bring that person that record, and that’s not who they are, I don’t like those records as much. I don’t appreciate them as much, because I feel like a person undeserving got a great song. I feel like a person who really doesn’t live or convey those words has a song that has been wasted. And that’s where I take contention. But if you got a Top 40 hit, and I wrote or someone else wrote it, I’m not mad at that, ‘cause I understand we’re in an age where, “This is rapping and Hip Hop,” and there is songwriting for commercially driven artists. Even though I’m not in that field, I understand the game.
DX: So why do you think that Rap is the only form of music where it reportedly matters if you’re writing your own lyrics? Why is that?
Killer Mike: Well Rap is poetry, and you expect the poet to be the writer of it. And it matters, but don’t think it holds the same way it did. Rap is predicated upon [the concept of], “I am telling the truth about my life and my environment.” So as long as rappers are presenting Rap in that way, you are going to be expected to be a writer of your life and your environment. It’s that simple. It’s not hard or overly complex. As long as we take the stance, “nikka, I’m real,” we really expect you to really write your shyt.
___
On Scarface
Killer Mike: The greatest rapper alive is Scarface, and no one else can have that because no one else has a 27, 26-year career of no wack albums. If you read the preface of The Art Of War, it tells the story of three brothers. One brother can see sickness and disease before it ever forms, he can tell you what to do to change that, and his name is not known outside that house. Another brothe can see disease when it’s first starting to form. If you start to cough, he can give you some herbs and remedies and stuff—that brother is known around the village. He is a village doctor. And then there is another brother who doesn’t really know much. He knows a little about what his brothers taught him. He knows how to cut you, bleed, put leeches on you and operate. He’s the greatest doctor in the land, and he works for kings and queens
So when you’re talking about the greatest ever, you’re going to be talking about someone you don' know, but someone who inspired or inspires someone you currently worship. Let's go down the lis of artists that have collaborated with, rap like, or are influenced by Scarface. Killer Mike, Ice Cube, Tupac, Jay Z, Beanie Sigel, DMX, Das Efx. I can keep going. We ain’t even start naming Texas rappers yet. So when I say Scarface is the greatest rapper of all time, I am saying it from the stance that I am a rapper hoping to have a career that could potentially last as long as his. I’m hoping I could have a 30-year career of no wack albums. There’s just no argument with that for me. Y’all could argue who got bars and silly stuff, but no one has given you the truth, the validity, for as long as Brad Jordan. Nobody’s done it, and nobody ever will. So we should value him. We should treasure him. And I know he likes white people too(laughs)
DX: So why do you think he isn’t as heralded even though he has platinum records?
Killer Mike: He has had multiple platinum records, and he has had more than two classic records. Why isn’t he as heralded? But the fable goes, the brother who knows it before it even forms is in the house. The house is Hip Hop, and a lot of times we are fans of Hip Hop, and we debate Hip Hop. But a lot of times we in the yard but not in the house. I’m in the house. I hear what the rappers that you worship talk about when the cameras aren’t on. We talk about Scarface.
DX: How do you feel about that? Would you look at an artist differently if you knew his music was ghostwritten?
Killer Mike: It depends on the song. There are some records that are for people that, even though I wrote the record, they needed to say the words. I wrote the record for them…from their perspective. To me, that makes sense, and that’s more than appropriate. When it comes to pop hits or radio records, it really doesn’t matter who is writing it, ‘cause it’s almost like a commercial or a jingle—so you can take it however. I’m usually writing a record that’s not a radio record, so for me, it’s heartfelt and is based upon some type of emotion. When I write that record, I want to make sure I’m best representing that artist. Now if I just bring that person that record, and that’s not who they are, I don’t like those records as much. I don’t appreciate them as much, because I feel like a person undeserving got a great song. I feel like a person who really doesn’t live or convey those words has a song that has been wasted. And that’s where I take contention. But if you got a Top 40 hit, and I wrote or someone else wrote it, I’m not mad at that, ‘cause I understand we’re in an age where, “This is rapping and Hip Hop,” and there is songwriting for commercially driven artists. Even though I’m not in that field, I understand the game.
DX: So why do you think that Rap is the only form of music where it reportedly matters if you’re writing your own lyrics? Why is that?
Killer Mike: Well Rap is poetry, and you expect the poet to be the writer of it. And it matters, but don’t think it holds the same way it did. Rap is predicated upon [the concept of], “I am telling the truth about my life and my environment.” So as long as rappers are presenting Rap in that way, you are going to be expected to be a writer of your life and your environment. It’s that simple. It’s not hard or overly complex. As long as we take the stance, “nikka, I’m real,” we really expect you to really write your shyt.
___
On Scarface
Killer Mike: The greatest rapper alive is Scarface, and no one else can have that because no one else has a 27, 26-year career of no wack albums. If you read the preface of The Art Of War, it tells the story of three brothers. One brother can see sickness and disease before it ever forms, he can tell you what to do to change that, and his name is not known outside that house. Another brothe can see disease when it’s first starting to form. If you start to cough, he can give you some herbs and remedies and stuff—that brother is known around the village. He is a village doctor. And then there is another brother who doesn’t really know much. He knows a little about what his brothers taught him. He knows how to cut you, bleed, put leeches on you and operate. He’s the greatest doctor in the land, and he works for kings and queens
So when you’re talking about the greatest ever, you’re going to be talking about someone you don' know, but someone who inspired or inspires someone you currently worship. Let's go down the lis of artists that have collaborated with, rap like, or are influenced by Scarface. Killer Mike, Ice Cube, Tupac, Jay Z, Beanie Sigel, DMX, Das Efx. I can keep going. We ain’t even start naming Texas rappers yet. So when I say Scarface is the greatest rapper of all time, I am saying it from the stance that I am a rapper hoping to have a career that could potentially last as long as his. I’m hoping I could have a 30-year career of no wack albums. There’s just no argument with that for me. Y’all could argue who got bars and silly stuff, but no one has given you the truth, the validity, for as long as Brad Jordan. Nobody’s done it, and nobody ever will. So we should value him. We should treasure him. And I know he likes white people too(laughs)
DX: So why do you think he isn’t as heralded even though he has platinum records?
Killer Mike: He has had multiple platinum records, and he has had more than two classic records. Why isn’t he as heralded? But the fable goes, the brother who knows it before it even forms is in the house. The house is Hip Hop, and a lot of times we are fans of Hip Hop, and we debate Hip Hop. But a lot of times we in the yard but not in the house. I’m in the house. I hear what the rappers that you worship talk about when the cameras aren’t on. We talk about Scarface.
Last edited:
...in a sense they are assisting in the fraud and staying quiet about it by being "ghost"...id like it to be out in the open like exactly how much was written by who...I think that has to be done in hiphop...concept help and hooks is one thing,but I wanna know what verses u writing and ain't writin
...but on the other hand let's use somebody like Juvenile,Too Short or Jeezy,don't really see themself as lyricist or try to get props for they lyricism....but they have great catalogues
,legendary verses that inspired a nation
status I would be if I heard all Jeezys catalogue been ghostwritten?or the gawd who started it all Short had a writer for 80% of his shyt
...id be like Lord Jamar hearin that Mr Cee tranny audio
....so I don't know if only reason I don't care about Dre,Puff,Birdman doin it is bcuz it was kinda known by me from the jump with both except Birdman...and I absolutley never gave a damn about Birdman as a rapper where I would care who wrote his shyt.
.
I would say it makes a lot more sense with him than just about anybody else that's heralded and might explain why he act like he can't just drop a album bcuz he will expose himself....but on the other hand when he really blacks out there's nobody else I can think of that can black out on that level in this era...his verse on that Rick Ross song Pirates I think it wuz called?is just
