By Ulrick Casseus '07
Reviews Editor

Hip-hop purists argue that the über commercialism present in rap music today is one of the main reasons for the almost fatal decline in the art. We live in an impulsive, capitalist society, and the music has been influenced by it. Seeing the opportunity for advertising revenue, the producers over at Video Hits 1, which is owned by the same company that churns out ridiculous amounts of basura on MTV and BET, decided to make a hip-hop reality show called The (White) Rapper Show.

When I first read about the show in Complex magazine, I was skeptical about the premise of the show: 12 aspiring white rappers will go through a series of challenges, with one being eliminated at the end of each show, and the sole survivor will get a prize. I thought that VH1 would see how corny the premise looked on paper and would actually try to take a more serious approach to the show. I was wrong. In hindsight, what should I have expected from the same people who produced two seasons of Flavor of Love and its off-shoot, I Love New York?

The contestants are all white (of course) and come from all walks of life. For example, Shamrock has more of the southern influence in his style and look with his Atlanta drawl and “platinum” grillz. John Brown is the self-proclaimed “King of the Suburbs” and is known for his catch-phrase, “Hallelujah, holla back.” Jus Rhyme is in the mold of more socially conscious rappers that opt to rap about social injustice instead of dancing in the club. The contestants live in the White House (so clever) and the house looks very similar to the video sets of rap videos in the early 1990s. Think “Parents Just Don’t Understand” with the oversized props, rooms cluttered with random stuff, and grey film over each shot. The show’s host is MC Serch from 3rd Bass fame. I guess they wanted to have a well-known white rapper with respect in the hip-hop community to host the show and Eminem was unavailable. As mentioned earlier, in each episode the contestants participate in challenges then face elimination at the end of the show. Once a contestant is eliminated from the show, MC Serch takes his or her sneakers and throws them over the telephone wire outside of the White House. Depending on the neighborhood, seeing someone’s sneakers hanging on telephone wire meant the sneakers’ owner is no longer breathing. In The (White) Rapper Show, it just means that the contestant has to go back to his or her normal life (read: college, suburbia, middle America, etc.).

The show is not a total waste. Some of the challenges are actually good. On one episode the contestants went on a bus trip through the Bronx (the birthplace of hip hop) and received a history lesson about the legendary borough and the four elements of hip-hop culture. The contestants were later quizzed about what they learned on the bus trip. Needless to say, VH1 didn’t exactly find the sharpest knives in the drawer for this show. At the end of every show the rappers have to spit (read: recite) a verse written earlier in the Ice, Ice Chamber (an obvious poke at Vanilla Ice). The one who has the worst verse is kicked off the show. In addition to hearing some lyrical gems every now and again, the elimination process shows viewers that rapping is not easy. One of the most promising contestants, Persia, was recently kicked off the show because she could not remember the lyrics she wrote down 20 minutes earlier.

Popular rappers often serve as guest judges for the challenges in every show. One would think that being associated with such a whack show would hurt these rappers’ street cred. I’m sure that if the rappers are questioned about their involvement about such a whack show, they will reply with the typical, “I was just trying to make some paper on the side and promote myself.” This speaks volumes about the problem in hip- hop music today. There is little to no integrity left in the game. Rappers would rather take part in a show that hurts the art form they supposedly love instead of taking a stand. However, some rappers have voiced their displeasure on the show. Lord Jamar of the legendary group Brand Nubian grilled the contestants for their lack of respect and knowledge about hip-hop culture and gimmicks (see: John Brown).

Would I recommend this show to anyone? No. Week in and week out, the show makes a mockery of hip-hop culture. This week’s episode consisted of a “Thug Life” obstacle course where contestants had to beat up “rats” that “dropped dimes” before breaking a bike lock and stealing a bike. Whoever wins this competition will probably be committing career suicide. I do not doubt that these 12 individuals have some talent, just as there are talented white rappers in hip hop such as Eminem, Joe Scudda, and RA the Rugged Man. Unfortunately, the last man or woman standing in the White House will forever be linked with a heaping pile of manufactured and processed basura packaged by VH1 for public consumption.