LA Symphony Dove Nomination Signals Coming Apocalypse
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(I know, I know. Finally a non-Obama-related post.)
When I saw the news on Sphere of Hip-Hop I had to post.
The LA Symphony crew, a titan of the west coast underground, has been nominated for a Dove Award, the hardware bestowed by the Gospel Music Association upon the best Christian music of the year.
For years — YEARS!!! — I was on the down-with-Doves bandwagon, primarily because up until maybe six or seven years ago they had no idea what hip-hop was, even though they’ve been purporting to support it since 1991.
(Their first nomination that year: “It’s Time” by The Winans. Yeah, it was produced by — and featured a cameo appearance from — Teddy Riley, but still. It wasn’t really hip-hop, it was new jack swing.)
And even if you look at the history of the winner of the Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song category, the winners were either pop artists with no discernable resemblance to anything hip-hop (other than a token cameo appearance by a hip-hop artist), or one of a few hip-hop groups who had connections to industry insiders in the Nashville area (Grits four times, and one each to Souljahz (now known as the Washington Projects) and KJ-52.)
Now I’m not hatin’ on any of these artists. I like them all, particularly Grits and Washington Projects. But for LA Symphony to be nominated marks a departure from the established pattern of the GMA rewarding artists that tend to conform to their cultural standards.
And honestly, it feels almost surreal. Like any minute there’s going to be an official retraction on the GMA website.
“Did we say LA Symphony? We meant to say John Reuben. Or Manafest. Or Sonny from P.O.D.“
It’s like what Jon Stewart said at the Oscars: “Normally, when you see a black man or a woman president an asteroid is about to hit the Statue of Liberty.”
Ditto seeing an authentic West-coast hip-hop super crew being recognized with a Dove. But now it’s fiction no longer.
(Dag… I thought I was gonna make it through one post without referencing Obama. *slapping forehead*)
So anyway, if you’re a fan of the LA Symph, check out the new single on their myspace page in honor of their newfound recognition, entitled “One Dove.”
(Yep… it’s a parody of the Whodini classic, “One Love.”)
Old-school hip-hop fans, enjoy. ]]>