Pass the Torch
Authentic Article
“Pass the Torch”
By Aneraé “X-Raided” Brown
I was asked my opinion on the subject of an alleged beef between Brotha Lynch Hung and T-Nutty. I gave it some thought and this is what I came up with.
First and foremost, I hope any issues between Lynch and Nutty have been resolved y now and that no one has tried to fan the flames in order to somehow benefit as a participant or just to enjoy the show.
With that said, I want to highlight a few facts: In the sport of Hip Hop, as with any sport, there is competition. There are those who honor the legends of their sport and those who are so determined to surpass the legends that they come across as disrespectful. There are also legends who come across as overly critical of the younger players; legends who attempt to dominate the youth in an effort to protect their legacy from the obvious talents of the upstarts. Then there are legends who mentor the youth, teach them what they know and nurture their potential.
In Hip Hop, we saw Dr. Dre mentor Snoop, Eminem, and Game. We saw Eminem mentor 50 Cent. We saw 50 Cent fail to mentor Game. We saw Jay-Z mentor Kanye as well as Lil Wayne, Jeezy and Rick Ross, then Drake. We see Wayne mentoring Drake and Nicki Minaj. We see Usher mentoring Justin Bieber, and Akon with Lady Gaga. We see successful artists embracing one another generation after generation, yet at the “underground” level we see more destructive competition than constructive cooperation.
In my opinion the onus is on the legend to extend the invitation, especially in a case like ours where you have legitimate hood ties to each other. It can be argued that no individual neighborhood in Hip Hop history has released more music than has come out of the Garden Blocc Crip territories. We represent three streets primarily, 24th, 29th and 21st streets, in South Sacramento’s Gardens neighborhood, and our musical output and legacy is equal to or superior than most major cities as a whole. That is something we GBC’s should all be proud of, aware of and determined to continue to do. We are a dominant force.
With that in mind, I believe myself, C-Bo and Brotha Lynch Hung, as the Holy Trinity of Garden Blocc Hip Hop, have a responsibility to mentor the next generation of artists representing GBC. No matter what differences we may have, disagreements and all that, at the end of the day, we are all trying to rep the hood in our own way. I’m proud of C-Bo for coming through for T-Nutty. I’m proud of Luni Coleone for working with Nutty, Smigg Dirtee, Young Bop, Maniac and Devious. Sav Sicc and Bleezo are like nephews to me; Big No Love is like a brother. I don’t care what we fight about; if I call on the homies they make themselves available to me. I gave T-Nutty new X-Raided verses, gave Smigg new X and I’ll do it again because they are being productive and they are paying homage not just to me, but to GBC. I even respect G-Macc’s movement. Lil Cyco been my dude since 1989. He was prepubescent and right there. Not a lie I speak. Why deny his props?
I’m guilty of having been overly and unnecessarily competitive in my day, especially with Lynch and Bo. Even though I came out nationally first, they were both older than me. I was the baby until we put on Luni and Mr. Doctor. I wanted to be acknowledged as a factor and I lashed out when I thought I wasn’t being heard. Lynch and Bo were real patient with me, mostly because they respected my work for the hood on a street level. It took a long time for me to figure that out but in retrospect both Lynch and Bo represented for me in their music strongly. That taught me to be more patient with the younger homies, too.
T-Nutty is special to me because I drafted him and really worked with him on being a beast, and he is living it. He did it. He is talented, homie. I’m not bothered when the homies quote my rhymes or use my styles; it’s an honor. They shouldn’t be ridiculed for quoting me, Lynch or Bo. I’d rather they quote us than Jay-Z. It means that we were the quotable niggas to the young homies. I memorized Ice Cube, Too Short, D.O.C. and Scarface; now the lil’ homies are memorizing me. That’s amazing. I love it.
Brotha Lynch Hung has a responsibility to help T-Nutty, Smigg, all of them, whether it be by jumping on their songs, speaking highly of them, working with them, shouting them out, whatever. Help the young homies shine. At the same time, the young have to be working and paying homage. If they are, they deserve to be supported. Period.
Passing the torch doesn’t always mean you have to give up the title. In my opinion, at this point, T-Nutty has built his own torch. WE just have to pass the fire, give him a light. Our torches still will stay lit. Personally, I’m honored to give Nutty my torch. I’ll pass it, because he’s got it. He’s worthy. It’s on Nutty to do the same for those who came after his debut. Lynch, C-Bo and myself, plus Luni and even No Love must respect that. The lil’ homies are the present and future of GBC. Period.
Authentic Article
“Pass the Torch”
By Aneraé “X-Raided” Brown
I was asked my opinion on the subject of an alleged beef between Brotha Lynch Hung and T-Nutty. I gave it some thought and this is what I came up with.
First and foremost, I hope any issues between Lynch and Nutty have been resolved y now and that no one has tried to fan the flames in order to somehow benefit as a participant or just to enjoy the show.
With that said, I want to highlight a few facts: In the sport of Hip Hop, as with any sport, there is competition. There are those who honor the legends of their sport and those who are so determined to surpass the legends that they come across as disrespectful. There are also legends who come across as overly critical of the younger players; legends who attempt to dominate the youth in an effort to protect their legacy from the obvious talents of the upstarts. Then there are legends who mentor the youth, teach them what they know and nurture their potential.
In Hip Hop, we saw Dr. Dre mentor Snoop, Eminem, and Game. We saw Eminem mentor 50 Cent. We saw 50 Cent fail to mentor Game. We saw Jay-Z mentor Kanye as well as Lil Wayne, Jeezy and Rick Ross, then Drake. We see Wayne mentoring Drake and Nicki Minaj. We see Usher mentoring Justin Bieber, and Akon with Lady Gaga. We see successful artists embracing one another generation after generation, yet at the “underground” level we see more destructive competition than constructive cooperation.
In my opinion the onus is on the legend to extend the invitation, especially in a case like ours where you have legitimate hood ties to each other. It can be argued that no individual neighborhood in Hip Hop history has released more music than has come out of the Garden Blocc Crip territories. We represent three streets primarily, 24th, 29th and 21st streets, in South Sacramento’s Gardens neighborhood, and our musical output and legacy is equal to or superior than most major cities as a whole. That is something we GBC’s should all be proud of, aware of and determined to continue to do. We are a dominant force.
With that in mind, I believe myself, C-Bo and Brotha Lynch Hung, as the Holy Trinity of Garden Blocc Hip Hop, have a responsibility to mentor the next generation of artists representing GBC. No matter what differences we may have, disagreements and all that, at the end of the day, we are all trying to rep the hood in our own way. I’m proud of C-Bo for coming through for T-Nutty. I’m proud of Luni Coleone for working with Nutty, Smigg Dirtee, Young Bop, Maniac and Devious. Sav Sicc and Bleezo are like nephews to me; Big No Love is like a brother. I don’t care what we fight about; if I call on the homies they make themselves available to me. I gave T-Nutty new X-Raided verses, gave Smigg new X and I’ll do it again because they are being productive and they are paying homage not just to me, but to GBC. I even respect G-Macc’s movement. Lil Cyco been my dude since 1989. He was prepubescent and right there. Not a lie I speak. Why deny his props?
I’m guilty of having been overly and unnecessarily competitive in my day, especially with Lynch and Bo. Even though I came out nationally first, they were both older than me. I was the baby until we put on Luni and Mr. Doctor. I wanted to be acknowledged as a factor and I lashed out when I thought I wasn’t being heard. Lynch and Bo were real patient with me, mostly because they respected my work for the hood on a street level. It took a long time for me to figure that out but in retrospect both Lynch and Bo represented for me in their music strongly. That taught me to be more patient with the younger homies, too.
T-Nutty is special to me because I drafted him and really worked with him on being a beast, and he is living it. He did it. He is talented, homie. I’m not bothered when the homies quote my rhymes or use my styles; it’s an honor. They shouldn’t be ridiculed for quoting me, Lynch or Bo. I’d rather they quote us than Jay-Z. It means that we were the quotable niggas to the young homies. I memorized Ice Cube, Too Short, D.O.C. and Scarface; now the lil’ homies are memorizing me. That’s amazing. I love it.
Brotha Lynch Hung has a responsibility to help T-Nutty, Smigg, all of them, whether it be by jumping on their songs, speaking highly of them, working with them, shouting them out, whatever. Help the young homies shine. At the same time, the young have to be working and paying homage. If they are, they deserve to be supported. Period.
Passing the torch doesn’t always mean you have to give up the title. In my opinion, at this point, T-Nutty has built his own torch. WE just have to pass the fire, give him a light. Our torches still will stay lit. Personally, I’m honored to give Nutty my torch. I’ll pass it, because he’s got it. He’s worthy. It’s on Nutty to do the same for those who came after his debut. Lynch, C-Bo and myself, plus Luni and even No Love must respect that. The lil’ homies are the present and future of GBC. Period.
