You know what, I’m not done. Thanks to wordpress, when Skratch blogged about ‘the blog wars’ between Beats Society vs 65Hope vs RSG/Hip-Hop Fellowship, I got notified, and it was left as a comment in my previous entry. I did not know about the Hip-Hop Fellowship post on “Your attitude is crap and your fans are your friends” and who it was directed to, but an idiot can figure out that his post (please read it) and mine are connected on many levels; an unintended coincidence. However, I never read his original piece which was “Born Dead - The Demise of the Local Singapore Hip-Hop scene aka SGHIPHOP”. Oh, please don’t forget to thank me for the clicks and hits you’ll be getting from my site over to your people-bashing blog. Of course, without a doubt, I was not spared from the critique.

First of all, my name is not synonymous with ‘formerly Beats Society’ because Beats Society is still registered, active and running. I am still one of its artistes. My “former protégé and artiste” also known as FreakyZ is probably the only entreprising Hiphop act to previously come from my roster, now blooming and doing things on his own, unlike the plentiful of lesser known-bigger talk acts I was discussing in my previous two entries about this topic. Oh, save your diss rhymes. You won’t have anywhere to showcase it, I’m telling you. His only delusion is that, looking like the animated Moses (Prince of Egypt), he does have this tendency to think he ‘can save his people’ while the Jewish coward that I ended up to be, ran away to Eastern Europe to sing my polka joints after we crossed the split ocean. So, staying true to the Dreamworks’ picture, we were ‘two brothers, united by friendship, divided by destiny’. With that, Hip-Hop Fellowship’s piece saying ‘Everyone knows everyone except YOU’ pretty summed up the situation; clique-ish and exclusive. Unfortunately, Skratch’s obituary was quite on the dot too. Because Hiphop started out as something discriminated and shun against, ‘we’ (I do not represent anybody on this) believe that we have to stick by each other’s side to make things work. Until today, proud Hebrews worldwide stick to their own kind and never mingle, expecting racism at every corner. Exactly why the demise of SG Hiphop is almost biblical, but hardly prophetic.

The anonymous bits on defaming ‘the self-proclaimed Russell Simmons of Singapore’ was pushing the limits though. Let’s see you pull the same claims on 65&Hope when they break up like the USSR later when National Service and fatherhood beckons. It, too, is helmed by 1 person, supported by many. It, too, is self-funded, small business, aimed at promoting Hiphop. Like myself, it, too, has suffered a fair share of Malay gossip of treason and laundering. But I’ll tell myself not to go insane when somebody like you who is absolutely uninvolved in my life or the developments of Beats Society (or 65&Hope for that matter) from within its fences tells me ‘I rob from my brothers after promising them a place to perform and be accepted afterwards’. WHO THE FUCK PROMISED A PLACE TO PERFORM AND BE REWARDED WITH ACCEPTANCE? I MYSELF WANTED A PLACE TO PERFORM AND BE REWARDED WITH COLD HARD CASH. DID I GET ANY? NO. Number 1: You might want to share this sentiment with FreakyZ who says that he “will make sure they keep moving and have things lined-up for the 7 Proteges, from videos to EP. I will help these individuals and will give advice to them, as a performer.” Now, that’s a tough promise to keep, especially when the local media is never hungry for such information and he hardly got their attention for himself and his own work. Looks like Hip-Hop Fellowship might have the last laugh afterall. Number 2: Tell that to the old breakdancer chap perhaps. Seems that some b-boys still not over the $70 he owes each of them for the National Day brouhaha eons ago. Now that’s downright scandalous! Oh wait, you dissed him too. So we’re equals now. But, hey man, for not asking your opinion or permission, even, on who I want to biasedly slot in the shows that I spend more money on than I get in return was just my bad. Should have left you a note, at least. However, if you feel you need to speak, I know somebody who can give you 10 minutes at his upcoming show for you to air your grievances.

Actually, truth be told, the main problem is that we NEVER EVER even had anything to promote or applaud in the first place. Not a single pure act came from our shores that was worthy of a standing ovation, much less, appreciation of any level. It was small milestones that the individuals themselves can take credit for, and none of us should be allowed to comment, even constructively. There’s a few. Construction Site’s win at Asia Bagus, that’s one. Triple Noize’s win at Talentime. Ahli Fiqir makes it big in Malaysia. Bonafide Vintage Flav’r opening for Black Eyes Peas. Urban Xchange doing National Day Parade and appearing on Rush Hour II soundtrack. Ok, that’s about it. That’s it right? Nobody else achieved anything else, really. Nope, sorry, nobody else did shit. Not me, not you, not him nor them. So safe to say, it really died a long time ago, long before cocky young rappers joined Platform or Protege and pissed everybody off just by being himself, or even worse, Skratch was right when he says it was all ‘born dead’.

I do not blog purposefully to diss ‘what I thought I help created’. I know I did a few things right (but I swear not to claim fame to them because it’s just so Malay and wrong) but you know, when you’re blinded by ambition, what everybody else thinks of you is not important. The only way we can inject some strength into the scene and save what’s left is to turn it into pure business without taking or giving claims as to who’s first, or best, or biggest. It just won’t work. The reason why Malaysian and Indonesian Hiphop (if at all) is putting out major label albums, performing at all goddamn music festivals and putting their state capital initials on New Era caps is because they just couldn’t give a damn about each other; they just do it for themselves. While we back in SingaBore, mati mati, want to bring on everybody we know on stage or into our circle and start another useless spam on Myspace. A group of people sharing the same ambition does not equal to 1 person working hard for his dreams to come true, my advise to all. Me saying that Hiphop is Dead is on my account, not yours. If you think you still want to fight for it, go ahead, by now, you must realise that the entire battalion’s down, you only have left a platoon of mismatched soldiers, in a war against time and oblivion. All I’m suggesting is that we just got to be selfish to make things work for ourselves and whatever joy it brings us, and if it means leaving everybody behind, and becoming Ras Kass, then be it. Canibus, Kurupt and Killah Priest had their own individual big breaks too, didn’t they?

It’s all this hatred for each other that’s stunting our growths, don’t you see? I won’t change what I said about rappers with Bad English. Everything else can be negotiated. But for argument’s sake, I know that this just won’t be the end of it. Just like our man over there lazily quoted Jay-Z, true enough, we do need to brush our shoulders and move on. That’s our little prayer for Hiphop, my friends. Let’s face it; together, we are all pallbearers in this, despite our violent differences.