Americans Buy Themselves Out Of A Rich Culture Part II

So, Aesop Rock, great rapper, intelligent, dynamic, pusher of lyrics that have deemed him the David Foster Wallace of hip hop. It's a wonder to me that more people over 30 don't know of him. I've introduced his music to a handful of friends in the 28 plus set and they unanimously found his shit more than favorable.

This raises interesting questions.

Who's responsible for getting meaty, challenging music out to those folks who may no longer have ears tuned to the frequency of the independent and underground scene(s)?

How is it that Americans who profess disdain for their own hyper manufactured mainstream culture fall out of touch with more authentic and genuine expression?

It seems, if memory serves, that the internet was supposed to have provided a lot of solutions that would address both of these questions.

To some extent it does, Aesop's got representation online through his label, Definitive Jux and the show here in San Francisco showed up on a couple of regional art, music, cultural listings - Flavorpill SF had a small write up and the Bay Guardian and Weekly had listings under their music sections. Not terribly surprising given that the show was at one of SF's larger, well established venues - the Fillmore.

In general, outside of tour dates, the larger regional rags are not to be depended upon for dissemination of information about new, provocative art happening outside of the regions they represent. Not until acts come rolling through town is there a cue to boast new sounds.

So what does that leave us with as far as the net goes?

iTunes, Rhapsody and whichever other online subscription application that is alive today? In the end these apps are *corporate* vehicles. No matter how sexy Apple or how indie Listen.com the creators of Rhapsody are or once were. These applications were designed to generate revenue first and foremost. Now I know for a fact that there were features created for discovery within Rhapsody I'd venture to make the same case for iTunes. However, those discovery mechanisms are still wrapped in a box that says "spend more money".

How about straight up information, free from the context of expectant and ubiquitous consumerism?

Information about what's hip or culturally relevant can be found to some degree through an alliance with a subculture through which one can acquire a sanctioned street uniform, including a do's and dont's list, pre-approved music selections and social activities. In a country like the US subcultures play an important role in the proliferation of styles of expression. The problem that occurs as a result of the dominance of a subculture as arbiter of style is the degree to which one must pledge allegiance to the subculture and it's style in order to gain entry and maintain affiliation. The loyalty required can become suppressive actually limiting one's exposure to other styles of expression. Think of it as peer pressure for grown ups.

To summarize, it seems that Americans have done a double wammy on themselves. We allow a manufactured culture to dominate our mainstream and ghettoize authentic expression allowing it to flourish in environments that are either segregated vis a via the ranks of a subculture or rife with the limitations of an artist and audience base that suffers from narrow cultural references and life experience(read: youth culture).

Aren't a people who boast a pioneer spirit above and beyond all else capable of rising above this predicament and manifesting a cultural reality that is viable, rich and more broad reaching? Yes, I know, we live in a time of Red/Blue state nonsense, family values and Bush's terrorism but perhaps given those circumstances now more than ever we need to evolve.