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Static
I’m on a mission that niggas say is impossible But when I swing my sword, they are choppable I be the body-dropper, the heartbeat-stopper Child-educator plus head-amputater
Flowing from the poison pen, this week we reproduce the lyrics from Liquid Swords, title track from the 1995 solo album of the same name dropped by the Genius/GZA, ace rapper of the Wu-Tang Clan, perhaps the most talented rap collective of all time. Admittedly, rap music has been a neglected art form as far as Static is concerned. There was that one time when the Beastie Boys — the NYC trio that were Eminem before there was Eminem – were featured. But few rap groups have shaken up the music world with the ferocity and bone-crunching tenacity of the Wu.
Owing to their stinging 1993 debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the Wu’s influence on modern rap is undeniable. The Clan changed the face of rap with hardcore lyrics, kung fu imagery and sparse, spooky East Coast beats. And that brings us to this week’s subject: the state of rap music in Pakistan. Please don’t try to laugh too hard, I was only joking.
There is no rap scene in Pakistan. Least not one that I know of. There are a grand total of two Pakistani rappers (and I use the term loosely here) of any merit: Fakhre Alam, with his Bhangra Rapping bad self and Ahmed Ali Butt of rock group/social club E.P. Though Butt Sahib’s brand of rapping seems more influenced by the Linkin Park/Limp Bizkit style of whitebread rhyming, rather than the inner city growls of NWA or the Wu. Anyhow, it’s better than nothing. Or is it? But before we close the (short) chapter on Pakistani rappers, how could I forget Saleem Javaid? Indeed, I remember vividly Saleem Bhai decked up as an original gangsta for the Piya Ji album complete with leather, shades, chains and ski hat. Forget the fact that he looked like a cross between a member of Judas Priest and Run DMC. He also managed to deliver a set of lethal rhymes, one of which went along the lines of “Never gonna fall in love again …” Absolutely precious.
This week’s focus is a much more serious matter. It grew out of a casual discussion about what truly ails the Pakistani music industry. The one thing that everything comes down to is the lack of proper record labels. There are various companies that resemble record labels in their outward appearance (Sadaf, TP, Lips etc) but as has been stated ad nauseum in the past, these are mere distribution companies which usually purchase an artist’s album for X amount of rupees and then distribute it. In the West, where music is a multi-billion dollar business, labels play a much more active role in promoting, nurturing and encouraging artists. At least they did so till quite recently, when four giant consortiums devoured everything in their wake. Yet pioneering independent labels of the past such as Wax Trax!, Factory, Stiff and Sub Pop records gave us such legendary names as KMFDM, New Order, Elvis Costello and Nirvana, to name a few.
Even today multi-national record labels have astronomical budgets for the promotion and pampering of their blue-eyed artists. Forget the fact that that even out West it’s harder for the little guy to score a record deal. Regardless, a mechanism is in place whereby indie labels, however insignificant, still provide a voice to alternative and experimental acts. In Pakistan, sponsors have played a major role along with the distribution companies. Many have argued that if it weren’t for the colas, suparis and tea bags, our music industry wouldn’t be what it is. Make an assessment for yourself: has it been a normal, natural growth, or an artificial one? Most artists I have talked to in six years of journalism have either railed against sponsorship or at best given it tacit approval, as a farm boy would working on the master’s fields.
So what’s the alternative? There is only one: proper record labels that invest in artists, protect their intellectual property rights and ensure royalties are paid. But asking for that in Pakistan is like asking for the moon, as we have largely become a society of selfish bloodsuckers. What do the people in the industry themselves have to say about the issue of record labels? Farook Ahmed, lead singer of Aaroh, says this:
“Most of the local labels are just distribution companies. You can’t compare them with any of the releasing companies abroad. Everyone in the world is here to make money, but there is a smart businessman and then there is a stupid, short-sighted businessman. Unfortunately, there is an abundance of latter ones. A record label is supposed to look after its artists’ interests, which includes releasing, promotion and taking care of all the legalities regarding TV and radio. The royalty business is not taken care of. In short, the system of releasing an album sucks big time in Pakistan, and as always the artist suffers the most.”
I also wanted to know what was happening in India, since so many of our popsters have been rushing eastwards as if it were the new Promised Land. Surprisingly, talking to an insider in the Indian music industry, it was revealed the situation is almost just as crappy. This is what Naren Kusnur, label manager at Warner, EMI Music India had to say: “The Indian record industry has generally been on the decline over the past couple of years. The two main streams of local pop music are Hindi film music and Indipop. In Hindi film music, per album sales have declined. In 2000, a hit would sell around 65 lakh units to 70 lakh units. Today, a hit album sells about 20 lakh to 25 lakh. Only a handful of remix albums do temporary business, mainly because of the raunchy videos that accompany them.”
According to another Indian source who wished to remain anonymous, piracy is also a problem in that country, but record companies have taken strict steps to battle the problem, with the anti-piracy wings of the police department also actively involved. As for royalties, they are paid yet the process is stifling and the artists usually have to wait an eternity to see their cheques.
Locally, the record industry is in disarray after the authorities cracked down on CD and DVD manufacturing plants, with record releases held up and label heads on the run, with some reportedly lying low in Dubai. Well, maybe it’s time the record industry was run by people who genuinely love music, not criminals, street toughs and other assorted lowlifes.
As a post-script, even though we are supposed to stick to the lighter subjects in life, considering this is an entertainment page, this writer cannot help but express his utter despair at the inability to do anything as Karachi burns. Once more as worshippers are slaughtered across the country while bowing before their Maker, while the perpetrators behind these barbarous acts will probably never be caught. I guess the great Marvin Gaye put it best in What’s Going On?:
Picket lines and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality
Talk to me so you can see
What’s going on
Praise the fallen.—QAM
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