But the MCs who came up after big didn’t see the rhyme-scheme or how he played with the rythym. They saw “Cubans” “Jesus piece” and “Brooklyn.” And so what we got was a grip of rappers claiming Biggie, but not really aspiring to what made Biggie great.

I think for old-heads, who came up on Richard Pryor, watching Def Comedy Jam must have been what it was like for me to hear a Fabolous album. It’s a facile imitation. Almost every comic today can curse like Richard Pryor. But I don’t know a single one who exhibits the artistic courage you see in this clip, where Pryor tells millions of people, precisely, how he set himself on fire.

Time For Some Smoke Rich - Ta-Nehisi Coates
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