T.I., Chance the Rapper & Charlamagne talk the state hip hop.
The first four episode Netflix’s new hip-hop competition series, Rhythm + Flow, will be available to stream on Wednesday (Oct. 9). Episodes 5-7 will be released on Oct. 16 and Episodes 8-10 will follow on Oct. 23. To promote the show, Charlamagne tha God sat down with two its three judges, Chance the Rapper and T.I. (the third being Cardi B), and discussed what viewers can expect.
The conversation largely focused on the current state hip hop, namely the rules and trends that dictate the success its artists. The topic was broached by Charlamagne asking, “Is the code the culture broken or has it been redefined?.” Chance immediately expressed his aversion to the term “culture,” claiming it allows anyone with sufficient knowledge about hip hop to feel included in and possessive it. He referred to Lil Nas X as an example how hip hop is forced to open its doors to all, while Black artists have historically been excluded from other realms the music industry. Lil Nas X and his supporters had to fight for “Old Town Road” to be considered as a country song, but Chance argues that there is no “litmus test” for what allows someone to be deemed a worthy beneficiary hip hop.
When Chance was speaking about this double standard, T.I. chimed in to label it “the Post Malone effect.” Chance quickly came to the defense Post, saying “Post Malone is my dude.” T.I. also emphasized that he has no hard feelings towards the Hollywood Bleeding artist, but felt that his success could be attributed to him biting a certain Black artist’s style. “I love his music, but you can’t tell me that ain’t Future? There’s some Future in there. He does it well, but let’s call it what it is.” When the conversation later returned to the subject Posty, Tip commends him for “growing into a different level artistry than it was when he first came out.”
You can listen to the discussion “The Post Malone Effect” at the 15-minute mark in the video below.