Dear Editor,
I found the article asserting that Austin didn’t have a robust hip-hop scene until now offensive, lazy, and poorly researched [“
Hip-Hop on the Verge,” Music, Jan. 16]. To cast these assertions and then rest the main body of the article on events from 2007 and 2008 involving an artist who isn’t even making or performing hip-hop on a consistent basis anymore is both confusing and incongruent. The fact that examples like the Cooly Girls exist and are still relevant for reference is evidence of a scene that has been flush with talent since the inception of hip-hop. The person covering hip-hop for the
Chronicle should try to make it out to more than one or two shows a month by the same few acts (as shown in the acts covered in his pieces). Our scene would greatly benefit from someone who actually wants to cover Austin hip-hop, writing a more positive, complete representation of it.
I do understand that not every act can be mentioned in every article, but I also understand that journalism is about telling the truth and presenting facts – or at least a full picture. The writer of this article posted on his Facebook page that this article was an “investment.” Investment in what? Tearing down the history of our local hip-hop culture by pretending it’s only starting now?
We already have artists known nationally. We have owners of their art. Those owners are sustained by their art and business acumen built on a steady foundation of years of networking and honing their craft. That would be a good read. I have a longer version of this letter with suggestions and a few corrections, but the 300-word limit has left me short of space.