My boy MZW hooked me up with this link: “Jay-Z vs. The Game: Lessons for the American Primacy Debate“, in which this think tank type of guy supposedly explains what other foreign policy think tank cats could learn from rap beefs. Or something like that, it doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense except to run down the history of beefs.
But it’s another mind-blowing session of hip-hop’s 2k meta-ness (see also: DOOM sampling Charles Bukowski), especially because in the comments Lynch’s colleagues turn out to also be pretty knowledgable Hip Hop heads. Although they do say things like:
“That may be the modern realist’s advice, but I’d imagine that Kissingerian Realist would advise Jay-Z to identify and strengthen potential third-party agents against The Game. That way, if a conflict becomes necessary, it can be a proxy conflict, thus limiting Jay-Z’s vulnerability. And given Jay-Z’s hegemonic role in the hip-hop world, there are plenty of talented rappers who’d happily take up his battles in return for his eventual favor.”
Uh…yeah…word to the deuce fuck the one, my nephew.
But it creates this week’s hip hop blogging match-up game…
If Rappers Were Countries (Strictly From A Foreign Policy Viewpoint, Nahmean), What Country Would They Be?
Jay-Z = America (according to Lynch)
The Game = Bolivia (according to Lynch, I think, I got confused)
Wu-Tang = China (highly populated, centrally controlled, dangerous economic superpower)
Ol’ Dirty Bastard = North Korea (insane, eccentric, ally of China/Wu-Tang, danger to itself and others)
Eminem = Germany (Aryan powerhouse whose influence is on the wane)
Public Enemy = Cuba (once championed and highly controversial and reviled by the right wing, totally ignored now but still clinging to their ideals, even as it drags them into poverty, and either maligned or celebrated for this depending on your politics)
Flavor Flav = Turkmenistan (crazy, comical and geopolitically isolated)
Canibus = Panama (ill-advisedly directly challenged the hegemony of the US (in 1989 = LL Cool J), smacked down and now generally ignored/irrelevant)
Gucci Mane = Spain (looming deflation due to declining industrial infrastructure)
Beastie Boys = New Zealand (because I got more rhymes than New Zealand got…zealands)
Goodie Mob = Finland (just go with me on this one)
OK, so you get the idea…c’mon you Risk-playing hip-hop heads, what else ya got?
