YRB Magazine

Is Diplo an Imperialist?

Fact: Diplo is one of the most creative forces in music today.

Fact: Diplo’s ability to parlay his talent and production into cultural dialogues has rejuvenated many musical fads while piecing them into “scenes” in which they would have otherwise never appeared.

Fact: Diplo takes other people's stuff

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Mad Decent’s latest gem, a free remix album of Gucci Mane’s Cold War mixtapes, has received as much praise as it has condemnation. Aside from getting Flying Lotus to do his first remix of a rap song since “A Milli,” the project is without question overly ambitious, which is saying much, considering the fact that the original Cold War mixtape series was a staggering three mixtapes hosted by three different DJs (who have all worked with Gucci previously). The project, overstuffed with material, is keeping Gucci relevant while he’s locked down.

As a whole, the tape is a misguided effort to bring the almost-Shaolin-drunken-master cadence of Gucci Mane the Player to an audience that will image into a commodity and leave the real Gucci in the dust.  This is, of course, only the latest in a series of Diplo releases that sees the DJ doing what DJs do best – and what producers would never admit to doing. As a DJ, Diplo should promote musical genres that are under-publicized by bringing them to audiences that would otherwise never hear them. But as a producer, Diplo should give credit where credit is due instead of profiting off of artists when they are either completely under the radar or, in this case, the state pen. Diplo’s international jet-setting might have landed him in zone 6 this month, but this remix tape is not the first time a hood story has become Mad Decent fodder.

A few years ago when Diplo disappeared into the slums of Rio and returned with the Favela on Blast documentary, he successfully did just that, arguably launching the N.Y. Tropical movement in the process. Although this was one of the most creative periods that Mad Decent has seen (it gave way to tapes like M.I.A.'s Piracy Funds Terrorism and Decent Work For Decent Pay) and Diplo benefited from the exposure, the Brazilian genre, which had already been around for the better part of a decade and gotten nothing but negative press, became stagnant. Producers like the legendary Sujinho and Cassiano, as well as Bonde do Role, might have gotten some kickback from Diplo’s heavy international touring, but will never be given the credit they truly deserve for putting the Favela On Blast.

The next look was to take the Jamaican dancehall gun-blasting shanty town raps of Vybz Kartel, Black Ryno and Mavado and turn them into poppy dance floor hits featuring Amanda Blank and Nina Sky. Sonically Guns Don't Kill People… Lazer's Do was a great success, but even the artwork felt disingenuous. By choosing Ferry Gouw to illustrate burlesque type designs even the wild west Jamaica of 2035 vibe was thrown off.   

With this new mixtape, the point is clear: any Diplo project that highlights a cultural phenomena to which the mainstream is oblivious will always dilute the original. The Cold War mixtape will be the last Gucci project that will cross over between hip-hop fans who understand that Gucci has created and profited from a persona and those that think Gucci “the hood legend” is as deep as it gets. Consequently, major labels (see: Major Lazer) will wrangle Gucci's persona into a commodity – more so than he could have ever imagined.