Ab-Soul: "All These New ‘Lil’ Niggaz is Weak"
When the “King of Teens” Lil Yachty divulged that he couldn’t name five songs by Biggie or Tupac, there was pandemonium.
Think-pieces were penned — like this one on Pigeons & Planes (though the article doesn’t scold Yachty) — and emcees and rap enthusiasts (read: purists) were insulted. Yachty was unapologetic.
Earlier this week (September 6), Pete Rock took to social media to express his distaste for the Atlanta musician, posting an Instagram video of Yachty floundering during a freestyle attempt. Just a few days before, Rock flamed Young Dolph in a similar way, also dissing the Memphis-bred rapper on Instagram.
While Yachty fanatics rejected Rock’s criticism, Rhymesayers rapper/producer Blueprint came through in the clutch, calling Rock’s comments “a rare moment of honesty in hip-hop.”
Ab-Soul is the latest rapper to clash with the new wave of artists, tweeting late Wednesday (September 7) evening, “All these new ‘lil’ niggaz is weak as the time it took to create earth…,” following up with, “We don't pass on PRIMO beats in this sport kids!”
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While he could have been alluding to any one of a number of new artists, it’s more than likely he’s talking about Lil Uzi Vert, who refused to freestyle over a DJ Premier beat back in February on Hot 97.
You don't need a magnifying glass to see that there's an obvious disconnect between the new and old schools. Ab-Soul — whose lyrical music endorses the old — is signed to TDE, a label spearheaded by Kendrick Lamar, who is definitely of the youth generation, but who doesn’t necessarily subscribe to everything the new wave touts. And in many ways — conceptually and sonically — Lamar straddles the line between old and new.
Seems like Soulo is taking that position as well.
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By Tara Mahadevan. Follow her on Twitter.
Photo Credits: Ab-Soul (Matt Miggz), Lil Uzi Vert (Instagram)
