this is from someone's MySpace sh**. I got it off another site but it's a good enough read that I thought I'd post it here. It's all written weird (skipping lines and sh**) with some f*** ups but oh well, you're (hopefully) not retarded.


Rap music has invaded the hood like crack rock. But before you quit your
day
job to become an MC, read this and understand what MCing is all about.

The game has changed. Until recently it was a given that a rapper
understood
his role. But as Hip-Hop has continued to crossover to the mainstream,
it
seems rappers have forgotten what it means to be an MC.

The word MC comes from the word emcee, which is defined by the
Merriam-Webster Dictionary, as a noun, meaning master of ceremonies. An
emcee is a person who keeps the crowd informed about what is going to
happen
during a show. They announce the coming attractions and introduce the
performers.

The letters M and C have traditionally been used as short hand for one
of
two Hip-Hop phrases:

1. (noun) Standing for Master of Ceremonies, which matches the
traditional
non Hip-Hop definition of the word emcee.
2. (verb) Standing for Move the Crowd. The job function of the MC is to
control and manipulate crowd energy. In other words, since the early
days of
Hip-Hop, the MC's job was to get the party started and keep the party
jumping.


At first the MC was the hype man for the DJ. MC's were there to get the
crowd excited about the music that was to come from the DJ. Later, as
the
MC's began to talk more on the mic and become the focal point of Hip-Hop

shows, the role of the MC was to keep the party going by keeping the
crowd
hyped and involved with the music.

Nowadays, the game has gotten so twisted that the original definitions
of
the word MC have been all but forgotten. So it's time for a refresher
course, because based on the way they act, there is a whole generation
of
rappers that believe that MC stands for one of the following: More
Coochie,
More Couplets, More Criminals, More Complex or More Copycats


More Coochie: In the words of the Westside Connection, there's "too many

rappers in love on the radio." Part of the problem with today's Hip-Hop
comes from rappers reliance on love songs. It's like a brother can't get

radio play without a song for or about the ladies. Even the king thug
himself 50 Cent and G Unit have relied on love songs like "21 Questions"
and
"Smile" for their success. And with Snoop Dogg talking about "Beautiful"
and
Jay Z guest rapping on Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" it seems like sh** has
gotten out of hand.

With all these songs about ladies comes the dependence on half naked
ladies
in all of the videos. The video hos have taken over. It doesn't matter
what
a song is about, there will be at least a hand full of half naked girls
in
every video. Even if the rapper and his crew are decked out it goose
downs
and hoodies, the video hos will be dressed like they are going to the
beach.

There ain't nothing wrong with a love song but don't be a pimp in one
song
and then a committed monogamous boyfriend on the next one.


More Couplets: A freestyle does not a song make. Why do rappers think
that
people what to pay $20 to hear them "go off the top of the head"? With
all
these rappers boasting about their abilities to flow for hours at a
time,
their books of rhymes and their always ready cache of battle raps, it
would
seem logical that they would be able to edit some of that sh** and come
up
with a couple of air tight 16s. Instead of coming to the studio with
some
rhymes, there is a whole generation of muthafuckas trying to pull a Pac
and
whip out something while smoking weed in the studio. Making songs isn't
about freestyling, it's about making people feel you and sing along to
your
sh**.

The problem with these half ass, hook dependent songs is magnified by
the
amount of songs rappers put on CDs. When did it become mandatory to use
every last second worth of space on a CD? Just because a CD can hold 75
minutes worth of music doesn't mean an MC has to use all of it. Do the
math.
The average CD has 15 to 20 songs on it. With CD's costing $20 bucks
that
sounds like a good deal: one dollar per song. But if only 5 of the 20
songs
are worth having, that works out to $4 per song. Not such a good deal
after
all considering that you can get a song for a dollar or less on the
internet.

More doesn't automatically mean better: Illmatic only had nine songs,
Love
Live the Kane had 10, Straight Outta Compton had 13 and even Jay Z's The

Blueprint only had 13. It's about quality not quantity.


More Criminals: There was a time when it was okay not to be a thug. Back
in
the day, you could watch BET or Yo! MTV Raps and see Ice Cube, Das EFX,
A
Tribe Called Quest, MC Hammer, KRS One, etc. all one the same show.
Today if
you ain't a thug it seems like you can't get no airplay.

There was a time when "Keep It Real" was a catch phrase used to diss
rappers
who had been able to crossover because they were able to play the
"Harmless
Negro" card. So anytime a rapper crossed over was because he stayed away

from street sh** he was dissed for not "Keeping it Real" (see Hammer,
Fresh
Prince, Arrested Development, etc). Now days with all these rappers
crossing
over by playing the "Thug" card, it's time to bring that phrase back and

start blasting all the fake thugs.

When there are pop rappers like Bow Wow Crip walking in videos and old
white
people Crip Walking for laughs in movies it's a bad sign. When we see
former
conscious or backpack rappers changing up their style in order to get
more
airplay it's another bad sign.


More Complex: There are a lot of flowless rappers in the game. Remember
when
an MC had to have a distinct and patented rhythmic flow just to get in
the
game. Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Jay Z, Biggie, Pac, Method Man, Eminem,
Twista
all ride the beat differently. All of the best rappers always do. It's
their
choice of words, the frequency and intricacy of their rhyme schemes and
the
rhythm in which they say their raps, that makes rappers sound different.
But
today with all these underground rappers trying so hard to be all
"complex"
with their flows, they have forgotten that they need to rap on beat.

People always say that white folks can't clap on beat, but neither can
most
underground rappers. These poetry writing, pseudo intellectuals, spend
all
day trying to stuff big ass scientific words in a battle rap that they
forget about trying to flow in time with the music. Rap isn't spoken
word
poetry; it's a musical art form that always has a rhythmic if not
musical
element to it. Whether it's beating on the lunchroom table, beat boxing
in
the cipher, rapping over a Dr. Dre beat or rapping in front of a live
band,
there is always a musical element to rap. That's what makes posse cuts
so
exciting, hearing how the different rappers flow over the beat.

If a rapper can't ride the beat he can't flow. If he can't flow then he
can't rap. Instead of picking words like they are trying to win at
Scrabble
rappers should spend more time focusing on riding the beat.


More Copycats: Everyone has heard the famous quote,"Imitation is the
sincerest form of flattery." Well it's actually the most distressing
incorrect definition of MC: More Copying.

It's doesn't seem to compute that all of our most successful and well
known
rappers are completely distinct from each other in terms of flow,
lyrics,
and image. The only thing that Ludacris, Jay Z, Nas, Busta Rhymes,
Eminem,
50 Cent and Outkast have in common is that they rap. It's their
uniqueness
that allows them to stand out and carve out their own market share.
Outkast
can't out 50, 50. Jay Z can't out Eminem, Eminem. But most of the new
cats
are trying to get in the game by biting someone else's style and image.
The
only time that that has ever worked has been after the deaths of Biggie
and
Pac. (see Ja Rule, DMX, Shyne, etc)



The sad part about the all of this is that the root cause of this
confusion
is fear. Behind all of the macho posing, posturing and bling blinging
there
hides a lot of scared muhfuckas unwilling to stand up like men and say
what
they mean and mean what they say. Instead of being sincere rappers are
running around like high school kids afraid of doing anything uncool.
Instead of being honest they are saying what they are supposed to say
and
doing what they are supposed to do out a fear that they aren't hard
enough,
smart enough, skilled enough, attractive enough or down enough to be
liked
just they way they are. Sissy bastards, fear is for kids.

Anybody can rap, but it takes heart to be an MC. It takes heart to be
real
and honest and express your inner most feelings and dreams in front of a

room of ice grilling strangers.
It takes heart to follow your muse even if that means that your music
will
never get bumped in the club. It takes heart to say to the world, "This
is
me, take it or leave it"

But it's only the rappers that speak from the heart that are able to
touch
the hearts and minds of others. It's these rappers that are called MCs
because while any run of the mill rapper can make you shake your ass,
only
an MC can stimulate your mind and strengthen your spirit. Recognise!!!

I think it would have been better if you posted this on the Rap thread that is already going on

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...10&#entry710792

I was going to, but i felt this needed a new thread, because so many people were confused about mainstream being real.