For fans of actual hip-hop, Wacka Flocka Flame had a few things against him from the outset. First, there is, of course, the unfortunate name that recalls Fozzie Bear more than anything. Oh well, that's what you get when you decide to take your professional moniker from Gucci Mane's mumbled gibberish. Then there's the maddening quality of his breakout track, "O Let's Do It," which hinges on relentless repetition and a beat that redefines the word "sparse."
The latest insult to the true school, though, was a recent interview with Wacka (many would like to remove that last "a"?) on RadioPlanet.TV, in which he delivered the ultimate kiss-off to hip-hop culture. "I ain't got no lyrics. I ain't got no time for lyrics," he said, leaving even the hosts sounding a little stymied. "The niggas who everybody say is lyrical, they ain't got no show." What about freestyling? "That ain't get you no money."
While plenty of so-called rappers may secretly echo those sentiments, the grand majority of even the lamest commercial ones at least try to pretend that the words matter. But not to Mr. Flame. "I only care about getting shows. As long as I get them shows for $15,000 four, five days out of the week, then I'm happy," he concluded.
Consequently, this didn't exactly sit right with Black Bobby, Miami's
up-and-coming official Defender of Hip-Hop. Actually, he got outright
heated on his blog: "His comments are a SLAP IN THE FACE to all that
love and cherish Hip-Hop. Our culture is being killed by people like
this. What used to be a revolutionary movement is now pop music for
morons to abuse and make money from. "
Voila, Bobby's response, a new track called "The Ghost of Robert
Kennedy." Enjoy the strings-laced beat, and wait for the second verse
where he goes down his "shit list." "They on that Wocka Flocka / and
I'm on that realness," goes one lyrical jab.
The battle against
this particular brand of wackness is uphill: Wacka Flocka's not going
anywhere, as "O Let's Do It" continues to sizzle as a street and club
hit. A 305 appearance, too, seems imminent as the rapper's been palling
around with Rick Ross. But if any soldier is up to the task, it's Black
Bobby.