ICE CUBE SPEAKS ON GHOSTWRITING IN HIP-HOP

[Sccit]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/hz240agMFT8" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/hz240agMFT8</a>

[Blood$]

I agree with Cube

[Bandida]

I agree that a record is a team thing, but I prefer it when I know that the artist I'm listening to has the intelligence to create and write the lyrics he raps....
But then, some master the art of rapping n some master the art of writing n some master the art of singing or producing or making beats....
As a writer who has seen someone else take their words and rap them, the feeling of elation is just as intoxicating as dropping your own verse n it coming out polished n professional....
I got nothing against ghostwriters but I do wonder why they not given credit or talked about....
I sposed the term ghost answers that....
But in rnb n rock n many other forms of music, the artist who pens the lyrics gets much more credit than they do in hip hop, until it becomes a tool to taunt one with e.g. Nicki stating her lyrics are all Nicki, as opposed to the assumption that Iggy has ghostwriters....

I think there's an expectation of authenticity in hip hop, that is no found in other genres, n when u find out ya fave rapper ain't writing his own lyrics, ya put ya hater hat on n start saying he got no talent n end up trolling them on the net till you find something else to be consumed by....

[ironmike]

I agree with cube. Some artists need that little bit extra help, with their lyrics to make a good record. It doesnt mean that they arent a good artist. They could still have the right formula to create a dope record.

Sometimes a good lyricist cant rap that well, or their style is wack, or they dont know how to make hot records.

Its a combination of things that make a dope record. Production also being a major factor

[GangstaBoogy]

It happens. In other genres its completely okay, Hip-Hop is the ONLY genre that cares that much. But it happens, it happens to ghostwriters. Examples

Gilly Da Kid used to ghostwrite for Wayne. Wayne used to ghostwrite for Bow Wow and Birdman. Drake ghostwrote for Wayne. Now Quintin ghostwrites for Drake.

Just like Cube used to ghostwrite for Eazy and Dre. Then eventually guys like Short Khop were ghostwriting for him.

Snoop got his start writing the Chronic for Dre. Now he has young guys like Problem ghostwriting for him.

Game clearly has Stat Quo around for a reason. Just like Ya Boy and Eastwood more than likely penned shit for him back in the Hurricane era.

[Sccit]

It happens. In other genres its completely okay, Hip-Hop is the ONLY genre that cares that much. But it happens, it happens to ghostwriters. Examples

Gilly Da Kid used to ghostwrite for Wayne. Wayne used to ghostwrite for Bow Wow and Birdman. Drake ghostwrote for Wayne. Now Quintin ghostwrites for Drake.

Just like Cube used to ghostwrite for Eazy and Dre. Then eventually guys like Short Khop were ghostwriting for him.

Snoop got his start writing the Chronic for Dre. Now he has young guys like Problem ghostwriting for him.

Game clearly has Stat Quo around for a reason. Just like Ya Boy and Eastwood more than likely penned shit for him back in the Hurricane era.

money

[Blood$]

Game clearly has Stat Quo around for a reason. Just like Ya Boy and Eastwood more than likely penned shit for him back in the Hurricane era.

lol I doubt that but I will say when Game did that remix of a Fat Joe song back in '07 (forgot the name) he did sound JUST like Ya Boy

but if Game had dudes write a bunch of verses just name-dropping legends that he could have done himself that's pretty lame

[M Dogg™]

It happens. In other genres its completely okay, Hip-Hop is the ONLY genre that cares that much. But it happens, it happens to ghostwriters. Examples

Gilly Da Kid used to ghostwrite for Wayne. Wayne used to ghostwrite for Bow Wow and Birdman. Drake ghostwrote for Wayne. Now Quintin ghostwrites for Drake.

Just like Cube used to ghostwrite for Eazy and Dre. Then eventually guys like Short Khop were ghostwriting for him.

Snoop got his start writing the Chronic for Dre. Now he has young guys like Problem ghostwriting for him.

Game clearly has Stat Quo around for a reason. Just like Ya Boy and Eastwood more than likely penned shit for him back in the Hurricane era.

I think once you start writing them checks, it don't matter if you write rhymes. And it's funny because the shit Cube wrote for Eazy and Dre was better than the shit Khop wrote for him... LOL... not hating but Cube at his best was on another level with that pen.

But yeah, Even Snoop went over the process of writing in his Death Row days were him, Kurupt, and Daz would sit around and write their rhymes and then they'd look over each others rhymes and give each other suggestions to change it up. And Snoop and Kurupt are all time great MC's, rapper rappers, but they were at their best when it was a team effort and helping each other out. So what if it wasn't 100% them, that shit sounded WAY better than any of their solo shit post the Death Row years.

I will say this though, if you are to list the all time greatest rappers, like top 10, top 25 shit, then I say it matters. Like Rakim, Nas (pre-Def Jam days because rumors surround his Def Jam recordings with ghostwriters), Ice Cube (pre-Friday albums), then you look at who had ghostwriters. If you look at all these rappers careers though, the ones that lasted the longest all had ghostwriters. Rakim's true career only lasted from 1986-1991. Since 1991, he only released 2 albums. When you are writing everything yourself, then you eventually run out of stuff. Nas's true artist career was 1994-2005. Cube was 1986-1994. So when looking at all time great listings, yeah, it matters, but that's for the heads to argue.

For just straight up music, it don't matter at all. Do you like the music are not? Is it good?