Image via Complex Original
There are struggle rappers, and then there are rapper struggles. God knows there are enough struggle rappers, and they surely struggle mightily. But even being a not-always-struggling rapper comes with its own set of difficulties. Our plebeian day-to-day doesn't compare whatsover with that of our famous rap heroes. Frankly, we can not even begin to imagine the pressure they deal with.
With that said, there are common missteps that rappers fall victim to. If you are a rapper or are wanting to be a rapper, we've compiled this list (imagine that?) of Common Rapper Struggles for you. Avoid, or at least plan accordingly for, these pitfalls, and your career will be smooth sailing. Learn from the mistakes of others. Do better.
Written by Justin Roberson (@BauceSauce)
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Knowing The Designer Drug Du Jour
Rappers have terribly busy schedules. Usually, from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. they are doing a show somewhere. From 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., you can usually find them in the studio tweeting about how they are grinding. From 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., they fit in a nap. (Shouts to REM sleep.) After that, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., they hop on various social media outlets to promote all the grinding they are doing, maybe tweet a link to the trailer to the mixtape announcement that's happening next month. The rest of the day consists of procuring drugs, consuming those drugs, playing a little Candy Crush, and getting to the next venue where they will start the process all over again.
God forbid they have a flight without wi-fi.
With such limited free time, we can't expect rappers to thoroughly research what drugs are "in." Molly is, of course, the most recent drug du jour. It has been mentioned passively by the likes of Danny Brown and Sammy Adams as early as 2010, but during the past, it has absolutely pervaded rap rhetoric. Suddenly, we have rappers who never before rapped about club drugs lauding it in the floweriest language. Chief Keef proceeded to let us know that Tadeo was off that Molly Water. (We are slightly concerned about his serotonin levels.) And, mostly notably, Rick Ross bragged about drugging a girl in order to have sex with her. Rape, in other words. (Also, perhaps, this shows that Rick Ross doesn't know exactly how Molly works).
So, the next time you think a rapper sounds like a narc rapping about drugs, just remember he or she was probably pressed for time when they wrote/freestyled that verse. Cut them some slack. Personally, we can't wait for the craze Chance the Rapper started with Acid Rap to pick up. And here's to hoping Alex Wiley's peyote usage becomes mainstay so we can get a Soulja Boy song out of it.
Freestyle Flubs
(Popular) rappers spitting true, off-the-top freestyles is a thing of rap's past. Even getting (popular) rappers to spit a pre-written freestyle is a thing of rap's past. When Drake got forced to spit an impromptu freestyle on Hot 97 for Funkmaster Flex, and pulled out that Blackberry, the game changed.
Since then rappers such as Wiz Khalifa, Lil Keke, and Vado have "freestyled" off their phones. The only rule and expectation at this point by fans seems to be "Don't suck." The repercussions of rapping a pre-written or yet-to-be released verse for a freestyle are infinitely less than if you actually try to freestyle and blank or stutter your way through it. Avoid being the next Eli Porter at all costs.
Twitter Troubles
We've all said dumb stuff. We've all said dumb stuff on the Internet. Whatever the level of embarrassment you've felt afterwards, imagine that times one hundred thousand trillion. That's what it's like to be a rapper when you send something prematurely into the digital void without a thorough fact and grammar check.
React hastily to a supposed subtweet? Think Africa is a country? Laugh at someone being murdered? Have all your old tweets unearthed where you are dissing the people currently helping you? Welcome to the life of a rapper.
It's okay. Society has a short memory. They'll move on in a few days. Just tweet through it. Though we do suggest all rappers not named Action Bronson follow the Eminem model of never tweeting anything personally, that's what publicists are for.
Getting Arrested
Chief Keef, Lil Boosie, Tupac, T.I., Ja Rule. What do these rappers have in common? Well, they've all been arrested. These aren't the only rappers to have ever been arrested. No. No. Hundreds, possibly even thousands, of rappers have been arrested. (Wait, that gives us a new idea for a list!)
Rappers get arrested everyday it seems, and the police can't wait to arrest them. Entire task-forces are dedicated to surveilling and harassing rappers. Avoid the long-arm of Johnny Law at all costs by driving the speed limit and hiring weed and gun carriers. But if you do get arrested, try to make sure it's right before your album comes out.
Squandering Buzz
Things like being selected as an XXL Freshman can be a blessing and a curse. If you have an upcoming project releasing soon, it can work well in your favor as you've got the spotlight and opportunity to gain more fans. But if you are a self-destructive crazy person like Charles Hamilton or Blu ("Who the fuck is glue?" Blu) or just maybe not like, really super-good at rapping, like CyHi or something called a "Lil Twist," that spotlight has a very short half-life. Timing is everything, and it's easy to miss that window of opportunity. If you do, it can take years to regain that level of attention and buzz. In fact, it may never return.
Having To Deny Getting Robbed
With all the money they make and keep on them in cash, why wouldn't a robber want to rob a rapper? The thing is that every rapper is susceptible to getting robbed; rappers from Yung Berg to Gunplay have "allegedly" had their chains snatched. Cam'ron was shot during an attempted carjacking. Even 2 Chainz wasn't immune to "allegedly" being robbed at gunpoint. What should rappers do if they find themselves "allegedly" being robbed? Deny. Deny. Deny. Deny everything, even if there is video evidence. Deny it until everyone forgets about it one week later.
Release Day Pushbacks
Album delays happen. Sometimes it's sample clearance issues. Sometimes it's laziness on the part of the artist. Sometimes (most times) it's the label wanting to impose more formulaic hit-single songs on the album. It's a part of life. Usually, albums only get pushed back a few months (and that's usually from summer to Q4 a.k.a. "Tax Write-Off Season"). But sometimes, like in the case of XV, the wait can be five years and counting. So congratulations to Papoose for getting The Nacirema Dream released after seven years.
Technical Difficulties
Modern rappers are very DIY. More often than not they show themselves to be a Jack of all trades, master of none. But when it comes to technology, they just aren't the best. The first .zip release of Run The Jewels had some of the worst ID3 info of the last five years. Chance The Rapper's Acid Rap, a free project, got leaked hours before it was actually supposed to. Action Bronson's Blue Chips was released without one of the songs. Some of these aren't the rapper's fault. They trusted someone who said they "knew how to do that," but clearly didn't.
Also, the practice of big-name artists releasing free projects via DatPiff needs to cease. Crashing a site isn't something to be proud of. It means slow download speeds and frustration for your fans. Give some thought to the user experience. Instead of buying that new S600, invest in a couple servers and a domain name and release your shit yourself.
Keeping Your Past Hidden
The more fame you achieve, the more your past will get scrutinized. The Rap Game—filled with its fair share of fabulistic characters—prides itself on authenticity. Rappers can burnish lies to create an image, but that won't make it bulletproof. Less than ever in this age of digital snooping.
Rick Ross is the world's most notorious drug kingpin correctional officer. Alfamega was a DEA informant. Vanilla Ice grew up in a Dallas suburb not "the mean streets of Miami." The Game was on Change of Heart (and got dumped). Cam'ron championed the "No Snitching Movement" but it was later discovered he had cooperated with police back in the late 90's. It's treacherous.
Rappers could learn a thing or two from politicians about suppressing their past from the public.
Selling Out
This crime is punishable by death. Selling out is not real hip-hop. Selling out is ruining real hip-hop. Selling out can be something as simple as being on the radio, or doing a feature on a sus artist's song.
Using a sky trolley can be considered selling out ("Oh, you too good to use terrestrial travel options?") Sky trolleys are not real hip-hop. Sky trolleys are ruining real hip-hop.
Deciding to continue to cater to a small group of people who download your album illegally anyways but hold you to an impossibly idealistic standard instead of making a lot of money is a delicate balancing act that every rapper has to go through. Pitbull wasn't always rapping about culos and partying... but those Bud Light checks probably keep him warm at night. We're just saying.