True or False Statement?

 

Sway: ‘When
you do UK rap you’re number two, cuz the USA ain’t giving us enough space to
break through…’ adapted from: ‘Little Derek’


As we already
might be aware of, a majority of rap artists we see on TV today, listen to on
the radio or read about in the magazines usually originate from the USA.  The evidence is clear and we can’t deny the
fact that they are dominating the hip hop industry since not many rappers from
the UK or elsewhere in the
EU have made it real big in the US
market. Only a few can be named and there is a reason for it… this is my side
of the story:

 

Sway’s statement might be
true to some extent but also false. I am sure that anyone who has listened to
his song ‘Little Derek’ agrees with him at first without thinking twice, and I
don’t blame you because I did the same, but think again;

 

The American hip
hop industry is huge, highly competitive and very dynamic in that they already
have enough talent in their market and most of that talent is still emerging
which could be one of the main reasons why there is limited space for UK
rappers to break through. Referring back to Sway’s statement it sounds like he
is saying that the USA are restricting UK rappers from entering their market as
if there was a big red stop sign saying NO ENTRY!

 

I don’t think
that’s the real case and his statement could be a little misleading because it
can be viewed from two different perspectives: Is it is the industry that is
not giving UK rappers enough space, or is it the people (the market) that just
are simply not interested in UK rap?

 

Looking at it
from the industry’s perspective, I think that American record labels and producers
are very careful and considerate when it comes to investing in rappers from the
overseas market since it might involve a lot of risk. From the markets
perspective, I think being a UK rapper you have to work extra hard to capture
the American audience’s interest and bring something very special to the table,
possibly by trying to out-shine their local rappers.  

 

There is of
course undoubtedly a lot of talent in the UK,
but I personally think that it could be difficult for UK rappers to
penetrate the American market without having to switch their style up. By
switching their style up I mean adapting to the American lifestyle and culture
and become more ‘Americanized’. It would probably be the first barrier to
overcome as a UK rapper
because the typical UK sound,
accent, culture and lifestyle is quite different from the USA’s. On the
other hand it can be argued that switching their style up and becoming more
‘Americanized’ might not be appreciated by the local market since they might not
like the fact that their rappers have to change their ways of being just to
better suit the US market, whereas the American rappers don’t necessarily have
to do so in order to enter the UK market. Besides, as many American rappers
represent their hoods and where they come from to show respect back to their
communities the same principal applies to the UK audience, they expect their
rappers to rep their end.

 

I think that the
most effective method to overcome these invisible barriers without having to
change much of their personal style is for UK and US rappers to continuously do
collaborations with each other and let each party do their part. Besides, it
could provide some great opportunities for both sides and eventually open up
more doors. Take Kanye West and Estelle for example, I think they made a great
strategic move with their ‘American Boy’ collaboration. Interestingly, Estelle,
who is a former UK
rapper, switched her style up and got into the hip hop and soul genre. She probably
realised at an early stage that it could be very challenging for her to expand
to the US
market by solely being a rapper, especially a female rapper.