EDITORIAL – Jay-Z and Nas bury the hatchet

It seems that some of us really can just get along. It’s ironic that rappers, individuals who… It seems that some of us really can just get along. It’s ironic that rappers, individuals who are all too often associated in the media with guns and violence, were recently the ones to make peace.

Shortly after Jay-Z and Nas’ beef was squashed at a Power 105.1 Power House concert at New Jersey’s Continental Airlines Arena, the entertainment sections of several newspapers were splashed with the unbelievable image of the two moguls’ embrace.

It almost seemed like their brother-man handshake was too good to be true; considering Jay-Z’s misleading title of the concert, “I Declare War,” and that a little more than four years ago the drama between the two had just begun at another one of Jay-Z’s concerts.

The fact is the two have come a long way from Nas’ combative “Ether,” rumors that Jay-Z slept with Nas’ baby’s mother and the consequential dramas that were a result of the media fanning this fire. Had this conflict not ended, it was a possibility that fate would land them in the same position as their phenomenal predecessors, Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.

But for some, it remains a mystery how those who have been elevated to a status far beyond the poverty expressed in their lyrics find time to fuel conflict. Well, it doesn’t help that one of the historical essences of hip-hop dwells in lyrically battling your opponent. And it seems that this ongoing feud establishes a credibility that links them to the gully nature of their former life.

Taking a closer look at how contemporary media portrays rappers, some worth observing are half-man/half amazing, Kanye West, Cam’ron on “The O’Reilly Factor” and a never-ending drama under the guise of a publicity stunt that is the metaphor for change himself, 50 Cent.

While Jay-Z’s concert singlehandedly killed the conflict with many of his contemporaries, it seems that some media outlets have made a point of reporting on all rebuttals from or against 50 Cent.

When the O’Reilly show featured an interview with Cam’ron, Damon Dash and John Reynolds, an elementary school principal, the level of responsibility that rappers have to children in their music came into serious question.

O’Reilly and the principal confronted Cam’ron, almost blaming him for middle-school violence. Despite some of his childish rebuttals, of “You mad?” it seemed that the idea of asking artists to tone things down was stupid. Violence has been in art for forever and if we begin to censor artists’ content now, where does it stop?

But while the futile conflict involved in 50 Cent’s war, or the alleged responsibility that some allotted Cam’ron is a step back for rap, Jay-Z’s gesture and Kanye West’s music represent one giant leap for the genre.

This is because it’s so encouraging to see someone who deviates from the norm. By speaking out to the president and speaking against homophobia, Kanye is the exception that proves the rule, and it seems that the success of his progressiveness and popularity may inspire people who will follow his example.

It’s been a long time coming for hip-hop music and the rap community; now that it’s an established genre it seems to be evolving – thanks to Kanye and other standouts – for the better.