This Is My Rifle: You Are the Greatest Rapper Alive

Imagine you're an MC. But you're not just any MC; those in the know refer to you as the "best rapper alive". Some would even argue that you're the greatest of all time. Jay-Z, Nas and Eminem all agree that you are light years ahead of them artistically. There’s only one catch- most of the world either doesn’t know or won’t recognize who you are.

About 8 years ago, when you first popped up on the radar, the major labels took notice right away. You were exactly what they needed: a young, fresh artist full of potential and great ideas. They were eager to add you to the fold and they made you the type of offers that most artists can only dream of. So after a short period of contemplation you struck while the iron was hot and signed with the label that most coincided with your own personal philosophies. This particular label was a powerhouse and was responsible for some of the biggest names in the industry, including the most popular artist of that era. Needless to say, you were in great company.

But then you began to see the music industry for what it really is; a cold, corrupt, evil place. Everywhere you turned you were surrounded by immoral acts and depravity. Everybody from the executives down to the artists were taking part in it and they encouraged you to join them. It was at this time that you faced a tough decision; become one of them and abandon your principles or uphold your values and risk being out-casted from the industry altogether. You struggled with this decision for some time but ultimately your beliefs took priority over your career and you chose to stand alone. You were one of the few that truly loved the art and would let nothing get between it.

Almost immediately it was apparent that your choice had made you a dark horse amongst your peers, but knowing how talented you were none of them would dare openly mock you. The few that did were made an example of as you picked them apart and denounced them without reserve. You were not afraid of any of them; you knew who they were and exactly what they were doing behind closed doors. In fact, this was perhaps your strongest tool since you could expose them and end their careers in the blink of an eye. They knew this and so rather than try to compete with you on an honest level; they chose to pretend that you didn't exist in the hopes that eventually you'd just go away. But as much as they wished it would happen, you stayed right where you were and the solitude only made you stronger. As the pressure mounted, you became even more unwilling to bend and they hated you for it.

Meanwhile, the label took a different approach. Rather than release you from your contract they decided to keep you tied to them and drown you out from within. During your entire stint with them you submitted over 400 songs and only one of them was ever released with their full backing. They knew the type of artist you were and that you could potentially hurt both their credibility and bank account if they were to let you go and so they held onto you in an attempt to smother you. When you spoke out against their practices they called you crazy. When you challenged their ethical standards they laughed at you. But when you tried to walk away, they apologized for it all and begged you to stay; all you had to do was meet them half way.

After a few years of running around in circles trying to get the label execs to give you a proper push, you gave up and began to release music independently. Due to a clause in your contract, there wasn't much they could do about it. You were still bound to them in title, but you were also free to create and promote music on your own as long as you did it with your own money and didn't take anything from the record company. You wouldn't have the same audience and would only receive a fraction of the exposure that you would with a major, but it's here that you were free to share your ideas with the people and it was here that your message finally connected.

Once you were on your own your campaign took off running and your fan base expanded by the hundreds on a daily basis. People from all over the world responded with excitement and were determined to make you a household name. The Internet exploded with fan sites, the blogs followed your every move, aspiring artists cited you as their number one influence and even those who didn't like what you had to say still acknowledged your talent. You were now the leader of an underground movement so massive that naturally the major label came crawling back to you. They said this time things would be different. You went out on your own, proved that you were a viable artist and independently made a significant impact on the world. They needed you now. The past few years hadn’t treated them well (their lead artist had been called “this generation’s Vanilla Ice” among other things) and you were the one that could put them back on top. They knew they made mistakes in the past and so this time they would fall back and play by your rules.

Even though you weren’t anxious to go back to the major label, you saw the potential it had in regards to exposure. What you had accomplished autonomously would be greatly magnified with their support. They provided you the finance and access to resources that you so desperately needed in order for your platform to grow. So you reluctantly accepted their invitation and returned to the system that had rejected you just a few years prior.

Upon your arrival at the label, you quickly climbed the ranks of the failing company and found yourself in the upper echelon of the administration. You were no longer just another artist, you were now the driving force behind the business. Having spent the time working apart from the major, you learned how the industry functioned and you knew how to fix it. You believed that the only way to save the music industry was to cut unnecessary spending, reduce executive salaries and rid it of corruption. Under your direction, the industry would undergo a complete overhaul; music and corporate interest would once again be separate and the focus would be on the people.

This scared the executives because it meant that they would have to take a dramatic pay cut. They would be forced to conduct business honestly and it would bring an end to their lucrative relationship with the corporations. So as you came closer to taking the top position at the label, the executives decided to use the media to destroy your character in an attempt remove you from power. They used a post from one of your 14 fan sites 5 years earlier, which at the time you had no knowledge of and was written by somebody you had never met personally, to distort your public image. Since this was the only dirt that they could dig up on you, the media made it a point to attach it to every single news story that involved your name and in every interview you did with them they asked you about it. In other instances they refused to even mention you at all. When they reported on a story that was related to you and events that you were a part of, they very obviously omitted your name from it. When the post from the fan site lost its effect and they were forced to include you in their broadcasts and articles, they resorted to slander and blatant lies in an effort to discredit your ability to lead the industry. In one fell swoop they did everything they could to bring your future as the greatest living figure in music to an end.

So this is where you are now. It’s up to the people to see past the propaganda perpetuated by the media whores and put you in your rightful place in history. Your entire legacy sits on the shoulders of a few million people who won’t rest until you’re finally appreciated for all of your hard work and able to put your policy into practice.

Now, remove the words “MC”, “rapper”, “artists” “executives”, “major label”, “songs”, “fan base”, “music industry” and “fan site” from this article, replace them with “politician”, “Republican Party”, “legislation”, “people”, “American politics and society” and “newsletter” and multiply the timeline by 4 (5 years ago = 20 years ago).

You no longer have to use your imagination because this is actually happening to you.

Your name is Ron Paul.

(Jason James is an artist, freelance columnist and writer for RefinedHype.com. You can listen/download his most recent album, "Marvelous World Of Color", here and you can contact him here and here.)