I only read the headline. I like making assumptions out of headlines and never reading the full articles.
I don’t know her music but I thought she was a hip hop artist herself, the first thing that came to mind was Miley Cyrus talking nonsense after using hip hop to further her career then turning her back to it. That was another headline only event for me.
If she’s not a hip hop artist then it’s like come on I know she’s young but really? You’re just now figuring out there’s lying? And her 2 examples are guns and women.... she sounds like some crusty 60 year old from 1995. the image that came to mind was my teen years when white people would hate on hip hop and do an impression by saying something stupid like, “yo fuck that ho with my gat boyyyy” while doing exaggerated homeboy hand gestures.
1. "So here's the actual quote." In response to Reply # 0
"There are tons of songs where people are just lying. There’s a lot of that in rap right now, from people that I know who rap. It’s like, ‘I got my AK-47, and I’m fuckin’ . . .’ and I’m like, what? You don’t have a gun. ‘And all my bitches. . . .’ I’m like, which bitches? That’s posturing, and that’s not what I’m doing."
2. "To that I say so what?" In response to Reply # 1
There's a lot of real and a lot of fake.....you can feel when it's real and we've ignored when it's fake A LONG TIME AGO.
The people Billie makes music for don't give a fuck about authenticity unless it ends up in an instagram story or a tweet.
The only thing I would question is the people she knows that she threw under the bus. Like I saw her dancing around with Denzel Curry.....does he live his raps *shrugs*
The people who DO care about authenticity probably don't know or care about Billie's music or thoughts lol
There's gotta be better things to talk about.....like how great this Porter Robinson song is. (slight post jack)
4. "eh - different take:" In response to Reply # 2
>The people Billie makes music for don't give a fuck about >authenticity unless it ends up in an instagram story or a >tweet.
I think it's worth noting that we're talking about a 17-year-old artist who, though obviously super talented, is reflecting the sort of edginess that you often wear on your sleeve at 17. (I know I did.) I can take all sorts of issue with the quote but I'm not sure it's worth it bc, again, she's 17.
I will say that the line she's trying to draw - one between authenticity in artistry, even when telling a story, and posturing - is misguided but not out of the blue. How many of our favorite rappers have bars and bars dedicated to exposing the fakery or imitation game of the default Unnamed Rapper? Hip hop has never really resolved the tension between understanding rap as a creative enterprise, one where the emcee may or may not be the actual narrator of a verse, and the celebration/affirmation of realness. But it never will - that's part of its beauty and dynamism - and that's part of what a 17-year-old whose exposure to hip hop has presumably been limited and ahistorical can't grasp. She's taking a sledgehammer to hand for something that requires a chisel.
One last note: I'm not sure I would say that her fans, the up-and-coming generation, are unconcerned with authenticity... but authenticity does mean something different in the age of insta than it did ten years ago. That sort of transformation isn't new; authenticity in the 90s didn't mean what it did in the 60s, and so on and so on. Authenticity is a slippery concept to begin with, and in popular art it only gets slicker. If anything, I think this generation is more inherently cynical of authenticity precisely bc of insta et al, although that cynicism often expresses itself privately rather than publicly.
Her album is genuinely good and I think she could be an incredible force with a bit more time.
6. "Very well said. Couldn't agree more." In response to Reply # 4
>I think it's worth noting that we're talking about a >17-year-old artist who, though obviously super talented, is >reflecting the sort of edginess that you often wear on your >sleeve at 17. (I know I did.) I can take all sorts of issue >with the quote but I'm not sure it's worth it bc, again, she's >17. > >I will say that the line she's trying to draw - one between >authenticity in artistry, even when telling a story, and >posturing - is misguided but not out of the blue. How many of >our favorite rappers have bars and bars dedicated to exposing >the fakery or imitation game of the default Unnamed Rapper? >Hip hop has never really resolved the tension between >understanding rap as a creative enterprise, one where the >emcee may or may not be the actual narrator of a verse, and >the celebration/affirmation of realness. But it never will - >that's part of its beauty and dynamism - and that's part of >what a 17-year-old whose exposure to hip hop has presumably >been limited and ahistorical can't grasp. She's taking a >sledgehammer to hand for something that requires a chisel. > >One last note: I'm not sure I would say that her fans, the >up-and-coming generation, are unconcerned with authenticity... >but authenticity does mean something different in the age of >insta than it did ten years ago. That sort of transformation >isn't new; authenticity in the 90s didn't mean what it did in >the 60s, and so on and so on. Authenticity is a slippery >concept to begin with, and in popular art it only gets >slicker. If anything, I think this generation is more >inherently cynical of authenticity precisely bc of insta et >al, although that cynicism often expresses itself privately >rather than publicly. > >Her album is genuinely good and I think she could be an >incredible force with a bit more time. > > >>There's gotta be better things to talk about.....like how >>great this Porter Robinson song is. (slight post jack) >> >>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SZEDBFPpgw > >Will check this out shortly - looking forward to it! > >-thebigfunk > >~ i could still snort you under the table ~
3. "i think a bit of extra context is good:" In response to Reply # 1
The full paragraph:
It would be an error to regard as contradictory Billie the grounded girl with a happy family and Billie the artist with a head full of demons, when these may simply be the poles of modern teenagerdom. In any case, her songs are never strictly autobiographical. She and Finneas enjoy developing characters and writing from the perspective of those characters: the monster under the bed in “Bury a Friend”; a girl who has just killed her friends and is grappling with guilt in “Bellyache.” Eilish notes that many artists she admires—Lana Del Rey; Tyler, the Creator; Marina and the Diamonds; Aurora—have created dark alter egos in their songwriting. “Just because the story isn’t real doesn’t mean it can’t be important,” she explains. “There’s a difference between lying in a song and writing a story. There are tons of songs where people are just lying. There’s a lot of that in rap right now, from people that I know who rap. It’s like, ‘I got my AK-47, and I’m fuckin’ . . .’ and I’m like, what? You don’t have a gun. ‘And all my bitches. . . .’ I’m like, which bitches? That’s posturing, and that’s not what I’m doing.”
7. "This is a poor analogy..." In response to Reply # 3
This is a poor analogy but her quote reminds me of the quote attributed to John Lennon about the woman being the n____r of the world.
Solid point, bad language. Billie's point is solid but she didn't show the nuance to know that her quote would be taken as 'middle-class White girl throwing shots at urban culture which she has no real experience within'. And that her comparison shows very little understanding of the pressures hip-hop artists are under to project that 'gangsta' lifestyle in order to have lucrative careers. Not everyone gets to be Kendrick and Chance.
It's easier to point out the inauthenticity in hip-hop because the transgressions are so glaring and obvious. But there are plenty of acts in pop who talk about squeaky clean content but have real problems in their inner and social life.
If she has any integrity she'll learn and be more circumspect with her language moving forward.
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