Nicki, Nicki, Nicki. Girl, I am proud of you. Finally admitting that “Roman’s Revenge” was about Lil Kim instead of that PC “It’s a general response to all the haters” bullshit you first claimed. I guess it would take Hip-Hop’s Barbara Walters, Angie Martinez to get it out of you. I really didn’t understand not admitting it in the first place when it was so obvious. That’s the thing about subliminal disses, the appeal is that there is an unspoken connect between the artist and listener, especially if we’ve already chosen sides and want our rep to go in. Of course, we as fans can get a little carried away, creating drama where there is none, but I’d say more often than not, reading into these lines is usually warranted, whether the artists wants to admit it or not. Many lines will go over the heads of an average listener, but those of us who really know this Hip-Hop shit aren’t fooled for a minute.
Jay-Z is by far the king of the subliminal. I wouldn’t be surprised if literally a third of his songs took shots at someone. While he’s also named names here and there and blatantly got vicious with a few (and I do mean few) in the biz, his M.O. has been to sneak nameless shots in on album tracks and freestyles that most likely won’t be released as singles. Fans end up looking at him with admiration for talking that shit when he deems it necessary, not completely backing down from confrontation. Then again, by him not being direct, artist aren’t directly offended by what he says, even if there is suspicion that the line is about them, making it easier for them to give Jay the benefit of the doubt. I guess depending on who you ask, it’s either genius or a pussy move.
While Hova may have perfected the art of the subliminal, it’s a tradition that goes back far before he picked up a mic, and obviously still has its place in the game. With the release of “Roman’s Revenge,” Nicki addressed the issue with the Queen Bee that’s been bubbling for a good minute. As much as I love Kim, and am loyal to her as a fan and all she’s done for women in this game, Nicki’s Hot 97 interview brought up a lot of good points that plenty Barbz have been screaming since Kim and Ray-J first spoke on the Queens native biting the BK reps’ swag. Kim stated also that she felt Nicki had been taking subliminal shots at her before she even said anything publicly with lines like “I just killed, like, every rap bitch in the building,” and her line in a Diddy-Dirty Money’s track where she said “did I kill the Queen in Alexander McQueen.” While the “kill the queen” line could be taken as a subliminal shot (reaching, I know), lines about “killin’ rap bitches” are pretty standard. To quote Remy Ma when she was at the height of her issues with Ms. Jones, “Am I supposed to come out and say I’m the second best?” Respect is one thing, kissing someone’s ass is another, and I understood the need for Nicki to finally address the issue. But why do it subliminally?
While a subliminal record may seem like the safe way out, it’s actually a far more clever way to come at somebody. Lyrically, subtly is much harder to achieve than brashness, and it takes a certain kind of finessing to write a subliminal record as opposed to a straight “Fuck You” anthem. Also (w/ a few exceptions, Jay and Nas for one), not stating specifics is also a way of leaving the door open for the future reconciliation of the two parties. No sense in completely burning bridges for your entire career. My thing is, outside of the song itself, we may as well be honest about who and what we’re talking about. Within art, there is room for multiple interpretations of a piece, but the artists usually do have something specific in mind that inspired the work. So when a journalist asks what the deal is, why not just be upfront from jump? I can honestly understand the argument for and against subliminal diss records, but as long we don’t blow little shit up into major problems, I don’t have a problem with being sly or overt, just keep me interested and keep it honest.
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