I’ve hit a slump. I wasn’t very excited about many things hip-hop for the past three months or so. I look forward to a Jay-Z leak here and there, the Luda track with Jay and Nas was off the hook, Kanye’s 808s was a solid album (an album more influenced by hip-hop than an actual “hip-hop album”), but I’m numb to the slew of new music coming out today and I think I finally figured out why.

There was a time when hip-hop was made FOR the heads; the practitioners of the arts. Bboys rocked under the scrutiny of bboys, emcees spoke to crowds where a quarter of the crowd rhymed (“And analyzed their diction as if their opinion mattered)!” I can go into the usual “that darned internets are changing everything!” dribble but I’ll avoid that as that argument is an easy one to make (thus allowing many people to make it).

There was an album that I came across while working at my college’s radio station (back in the day) by Spaztik Emcee titled For Those That Do (with production by Chops of the Mountain Brothers, cuts by DJ King One). The album was solid but the title of the album is particularly captivating. For those that do. It was an album for the hip-hop purist, and the title captured an ideology often lost in translation from the artist’s intentions to the album’s sales. This album was “For all my Adidas wearin’, MPC-2000, 1200 Technique havin’ motherf****rs…” And it was. Spaztik put out material for those that knew the feeling of a cold can of Krylon; the chills from dusting off that Jackson Sister’s record dug up at the local swap meet; for those that rocked to “Funkier Than a Mosquito’s Tweeter” in the middle of a crowd, and all of the heads that begged “What is a DJ if he can’t scratch?” and truly, deeply meant it.

For those that do. This attitude, mindset or “focus” is what differentiates a good artist from a great artist. The great artists throughout history have been able to influence other practitioners in their respective fields. When it comes to hip-hop music, I’m talking about the likes of DJ Premier, Andre 3000 or Jay-Z. These artists stretch the boundaries of the music, taking it to a level so regarded that it plants a seed of ambition into the minds of those aspiring to become great. These are the artists’ artists. As the “man’s man” (think 300, Braveheart) leads an army of soldiers to crash against the barriers of enemy troops the “artist’s artist” marches the guild forward to thrust against archaic notions of tradition and commoditization (cliches and formulas).

Lackluster, disingenuous, soul-less, uncreative, outdated, are all relics of the shamed artist; the artist’s artist innovates, represents, stays true, keeps it real, and as if a true testament to their hard work and passion: the artist’s artist doesn’t make me feel like a sell-out when using those terms to describe their work. Don’t believe me? Try using “stays true” or “keeps it real” to describe the rap music coming out between today and tomorrow at 2dopeboyz or even here and see if you don’t sound corny and inarticulate 9 out of 10 times.

So where are the artist’s artists of the next generation? The Lupe Fiasco-type emcees and the Kno-type producers? They are in basements as we speak. They are wearing glasses, drinking kool-aid and banging out beats that move their souls. They are blending their influences, chopping their favorite songs and mixing it with their own special sauce to create music the way they, as artists, see it.

This brings me to Ronald Jenkees, your producer’s producer.

If you met him on the streets, hip-hop would be the last thing to come to mind. He’s a self-proclaimed “nerdy guy” and he talks like a Minnesotan mother with a fresh batch of cookies in the oven. Mix that with a splash of William Hung, subtract out the mental disability and you have a decent idea of what this guy is like. He starts his videos with “Hello Youtubes!” and talks with a slight lisp (“like thisssss”). It’s so unlikely that people have even outright called him a fake as if they saw a Youtube video of Big Foot driving a Prius down the 405. Jigga what?

Chris said it another way: “Ronald’s not a clone of anyone. He’s 100% pure Ronald Jenkees…”

Regardless of who he is as a person, he wouldn’t be the first unique character in hip-hop, his music does a better job describing what his contribution to the art will be.

That’s my answer. That’s why I haven’t been excited about hip-hop. That’s why homie at HipHopUpdate said “Nothing but junk in the email this morning,” and Nahright is posting “smh @ all this internet hip-hop fuckery.” The artist’s artists have not surfaced as they should. I’m not saying Ronald Jenkees is THE answer. There is no ONE answer. But it’s good to see this happening still and I would argue it’s up to the bloggers to dig this type of music up and bring it to the masses.

I present to you, the funkiest white boy you will get to know today:

Here’s a video of RJ playing “Remix to a Remix”:

RJ improvising:

As “hip-hop bloggers,” shouldn’t we be digging up more people like RJ?

More Ronald Jenkees videos

RJ’s website