So I was doing my regular browse of the iTunes Store to hear samples of the One Day As A Lion release, it's a great EP by the way - if you were a fan of Rage Against The Machine back in the day this is the music you've been waiting for since their demise; I picked up the CD and tossed it in the collection. I also picked up the re-release of Jorge Ben's first album out of Brazil.

I also check iTunes occasionally for the 'Free Single Of The Week' - this is where they give you a track of their choice for free, no strings attached - just download it and tell them what you think. It's a cool way of discovering a song or two...

but, just like most things in Canada, it's very rock oriented - I mean hard rock, soft rock, pop rock, indie rock, alt rock, emo rock, country rock, electro rock, rock rock and any other pebble or stone they come up with. For as long as I've been a frequent on the iTunes Store I never see Hip Hop as a spotlight single.

Here's the issue:
This week's free download is Canada's beloved Polaris Prize rapper Shad, with an album filler titled "I Don't Like To". It's not a single you'd hear on the radio but it's a good hip hop song with fluent lyrics. This track is for the heads, the purists, the hip hoppers. It brags a mean flow with a golden era type beat. I personally know brother Shad makes a concious effort to break most assumptions of how rap music is perceived today.

I was intrigued by the extreme and wide range response of the general public on having Shad's song posted as the spotlight track for the week. He'd receive 5 Stars just for being a rapper or 1 Star just for being a rapper. There were tons of hate notes toward iTunes for posting a rap song to begin with, as well as praises for finally posting a rap song. Why are musical genres such an extreme subject to Canadians in this day in age? Why hate rap? Why hate rock? I mean there are 'kinds' of rap I can't stomach for long periods of time, and there are 'strands' of rock I would never purchase. But it's safe to say I enjoy all kinds of music; I leave that option open in order to learn something new - especially as an artist.

Is that what this great divide is? People who are not creative or musical can't support more than one genre of music? I know we all have our own opinions on art and music but hating a genre of music seems childish to me ... maybe that's it ... maybe it's people right out of puberty posting these nasty notes. At least it's fair to say they have no idea what they're talking about.

It was an eye opener to see such a drastic reaction from people who feel iTunes shouldn't feature rap music at all as a free download. I am assuming it's the lifestyle behind music that people feel they represent. Maybe most of us still channel the high school mentality - such as the preps don't hang with the jocks and the goth kids don't mix with the hip hop kids, and the hipsters just don't talk to anyone. And the nerds? Well they'll be smoking sexy in 4 years just you wait! UH, high school.

It seems that normal people take their musical preference and use it as a code of honour. I try not to be a normal citizen, too predictable. Therefore I am not a hip hopper. I am not anything. Or maybe it's just the ignorant critters that talk way too much, posting their ignorant comments. People took offensive to a hip hop track that is no where near offensive (giving it a one star rating and calling it horrible) - which means they didn't even listen to it. When I checked out the track, there were near 100 comments made - which is double the amount of comments usually made for generic rock features.

If this is the way hip-hop with a twist of thought gets treated by the general public in Canada (the normal people), I'm doomed. Music is music, this shit ain't high school kids. I love it all.

ON THE PLAYLIST AS I WROTE THIS:
The Roots - Rising Up
Bob Dylan - I Shall Be Released
Lucinda Williams - Lake Charles
The RH Factor - Poetry (featuring Q-Tip and Erykah Badu)
One Day As A Lion - Wild International
Lil Wayne - A Milli
Bilal - Lord Don't Let It

(until the next b l o g)
Odario
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