I got some promo material the other day about some artists who are again raising the question of whether or not Southern hip hop is actually hip hop. Oh, and they're going on tour.

At this stage I guess that's kind of like Karl Rove's strategy of polarizing the base of the Republican Party!

It worked for a while but it's kind of tired now.

Dissing a diverse region because you don't like certain artists who have a lot of fans doesn't make you look strong. It makes you look like a knee jerk reactionary who's preaching to a cult-like choir.

But if that pleases your core following then, by all means, preach away at your little storefront church!

[Note: I don't really see the artists in question as has-beens or losers. These artists are doing just fine. But when I saw that they were talking smack about the South, it immediately reframed them as obsessed with tired subjects. And that's how I'll think of them until a strong move changes that perspective.]