Basquiat, Dilla, Jay-Z & the Empty Co-Sign

Early last December, Shawn Carter made the press rounds promoting his latest venture, a slight autobiographical book entitled "Decoded" written in part to showcase how intricate a rap is compared to poetry as well as shed some light on one of hip-hop’s most shrouded pasts. He and every member of the media kept looking at the book with the Rorschach test for a cover as a work of art. The art concept grew larger and larger when the book was finally released and readers thumbed through glossy high resolution photos of Brooklyn, Jay-Z himself and other figurines as if they were the models of America they usually run in a Super Bowl commercial.

The concept of art, in a hip-hop point of view always seemingly starts between the lens of a big budgeted Hype Williams video (or film) and ends with possibly the most abstract of all, Andy Warhol. Mind you, I’m aware of Kanye West’s big budgeted "Runaway" film but none of it made for repeated viewings. The common theme with Warhol besides his giant Campbell’s Soup piece and that multi-colored image of yourself four times over is that everyone embraced him mainly because of his ties to a period where everything weird seemed cooler than it was. And the man who learned the most from under Warhol’s wing – Jean Michel Basquiat has now become hip-hop’s new art muse

The question is, how?

Carter painted similarities of himself as Basquiat in "Decoded" by giving us a brief Wikipedia’d bio of the man who rose through the ranks of New York’s graffiti world under the SAMO guise and then blossomed to the point where as lowkey as he might have been, he was most certainly recognized throughout the New York art scene. His ties to hip-hop lie in the beginning (playing the DJ in Blondie’s “Rapture” video) the middle (playing Spoonie Gee at his own art shows) and in his own end (attempting to go see a Run-DMC show the night he overdosed) and his story compared to Jay-Z’s is a little bit like a warning tale of how success cannot be handled by us all but here’s the thing about Basquiat and to an extent J Dilla: you can’t go around big upping them if you know absolutely nothing about them.
Somehow through his own word of mouth, Jay-Z put Basquiat in the same bubble he’s placed many of the trends and fads he’s come across since 1996. While Jay’s reasoning behind his choice of Basquiat for “Most Kings” makes sense and shows that the man has done his homework. Like all co-signs however, you’re going to get those who want to be cool by name dropping and not by actually doing the work.

Maybe I give Swizz Beatz a hard time because of matters that do not necessarily pertain to him per se but to hear him raise the name Basquiat in a form of weekly series seems awkward and coarse. Swizz seems to have this penchant about him that lets people know that he might be aware of something but his timing in doing so only makes him seem like a hanger on. We need not remember his Music Mondays series right after another art hound, Kanye West gave us Good Fridays.

For every member of the family claiming that their next piece of music is art, spare us. Art has the sort of redeeming qualities that where someone like Jay-Z can catch on much later in life outside of the box where someone may pigeonhole him to having a caricature of Tony Montana on his bedroom wall.

Certain aspects of hip-hop? Not necessarily.

I can’t imagine someone dusting off a vinyl of Crime Mob’s “Knuck If You Buck” and see it receive the same sort of appreciative value that a record from the Beastie Boys may have. Much like I can’t think of any new jack beatsmith instantly chopping up samples and believing he’s better than James Yancey if he’s never even taken time to hear "Welcome to Detroit", De La Soul’s “Stakes It High” or appreciated how layered “Runnin’” by The Pharcyde actually is.

It’s the eerie state of the co-sign that leaves many of those who actually work and researched and idolized befuddled and essentially muted. The love an artist receives after death can be large. Skeptics can claim it being unwarranted but honestly, how can you underrate someone who has inspired many to change or improve for the better? Basquiat’s newfound reach as a successful graff artist and painter has given his life new legs, complete with a resemblance to KiD CuDi and his Downtown 81’ film being sampled for music videos.

It’s the same for Dilla. While many fans of Slum Village or his own solo work will commemorate the next three days as equal times of mourning and respect paying, they will also have to stand side by side with those who weren’t necessarily on board when the legendary producer was alive and are only standing there because someone in power like a Kanye or a Jay said Jay Dee was one of the best producers ever.

Such is the life of a co-sign, pitting the originals along with the neophytes in a struggle for who’s right. The common goal of general understanding may possibly be achieved but it also ruffles feathers and it’ll keep happening in some odd circle of life. My only thought is who is going to be the next entity to be championed and then leeched by many? 2010 gave us La Roux in music, here’s hoping the next co-sign doesn’t crater off the deep end.