Same Old New School 6: Hip-Hop Tax, Ice Cube, Luda Vs. Nelly & More!

Written by Vocalo Radio on May 19, 2020

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Every Monday at 8:30 p.m. Kevin Coval and Idris Goodwin take over Vocalo’s IG Live to look at how hip-hop intersects with culture, politics, fashion and more. It’s a half-hour of hip-hop, laughs and wisdom from some of the best guys in the game. It’s Same Old New School.

This Monday Coval and Goodwin discussed Luda & Nelly’s Verzuz battle, the 30 year anniversary of Ice Cube’s groundbreaking solo album AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, and the pledge from Swizz Beatz to give money back to hip-hop pioneers.

Swizz Beatz Wanting To Give Back

Mega-producer Swizz Beatz said last week that he wanted to collect a million dollars in ‘taxes’ to give back to some of the founding fathers of hip-hop, who laid the foundation for the movement and culture, but in many ways didn’t get to cash out themselves. This includes DJ Kool Herc, Melle mel, Grandmaster Flash and Sugarhill Gang.

“Hip-hop needs a union,” says Coval. “All creators need a union.” He likened it to the Players Associations in major sports institutions such as the NFL. “There needs to be this kind of organizing effort to ensure that people after their prime are also looked after, given that they paved the way for the folks who are getting a run at it now.”

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Luda Vs. Nelly Verzuz Battle

It’s been two months of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s Verzuz Instagram Live battles and we’ve been living for it! Despite internet connection problems that persisted throughout the stream, it was another battle we’re so glad we didn’t miss.

Goodwin compared this particular battle to previous Verzuz ones we’ve seen over the past few weeks and noted how these two artists came up in the same ‘class’ and at the same time, despite being from different regions. “But that said,” cautioned Goodwin, “I actually thought their sounds are really different.”

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30 Year Anniversary of AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted

When Ice Cube dropped his groundbreaking solo album AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, the world was changed forever. The two hosts discussed what they were doing when the album dropped on May 16, 1990, the dual disappointment and hype for the break up of N.W.A. and rise of solo Ice Cube, and what it meant to each of their development as people, to hear a black artist talk about his experiences so openly.

“Hip-hop said ‘Black Lives Matter’ 30 years before the movement,” said Coval. “That was significant then, and this sh*t stands now. Tragically.”

“Who was talking about that kind of stuff in rap at that time,” asked Goodwin. “He really understood the suburban-middle-class perception of him, and then he leaned into it.” The two went on to agree that there’s no surprise he went on to become a filmmaker, since every song on this album feels like a full story or a novel.

And looking forward, you can expect a potential part two to this conversation where the two take an honest look at the misogyny present on the album.

Tune in on IG Live every Monday at 8 p.m. for more episodes