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Brett Favre Is Hip-Hop
By Avery | March 6, 2008
Gary Zimmerman, one of my favorite football writers, breaks from the ranks of those who are lionizing the recently-retired Brett Favre, pointing out that as good as Favre was, or even great, if you want to use that term, he could have been better. Because, Dr. Z argues, Favre was so undisciplined at times, he cost his teams some winnable games, including playoff defeats. Yet, “Always ready to make excuses, always braying about “what a good time he’s having,” that was the continual barrage from TV. Maybe a few frowns, a stern reprimand or two, might have toned down the wild maverick a little, but gosh, he sure is having fun out there. And that’s what the game is all about, isn’t it? Fun, boys acting like men and so forth.” Personally, I think Dr. Z is spot-on with his assessment. In a way, all of that uncritical adulation kinda kept me from really appreciating Favre as much. Sure, he had his Super Bowl win and his ironman streak and all that, but why was he so immune to the types of criticism that other quarterbacks, like…ohhh, I don’t know….Donovan was subjected to? But I’m squarely in Dr. Z’s corner when he writes, “How will history evaluate him? Capable of almost anything on the field. Heroic. Indestructible. Maddening at times, but great to root for. With only this low key aftermath.
Could have been greater.”
Reminds me a lot of hip-hop in some ways. I think that at one point, hip-hop had the potential to be as much of a force of social mobilization as people claimed. It never, ever was that, but I think the potential was there. It would have had to have been very focused and utilized by someone with a vision of something greater than profit, but there was a chance. Even if it could not achieve the high-minded goal of being a source of social mobilization, there was a much greater chance for it to evolve into a sho-nuff artform. But then money got in the way. I’m not at all suggesting that artists shouldn’t profit from their work, but when the focus of the work becomes the generation of profit instead of being the creation of art, the quality of the product invariably decreases.
People have different opinions on the true golden age of hip-hop, when the synergy of beats and rhymes had elevated the genre to its highest form, actually was. Some folks swear it was 1988-1992. Others fix it somewhere between 1994-1997. I guess a lot of it depends on when the person came of age, cuz me, I like a lotta records in that 94-97 era, but in my mind, that whole period can’t even fade 1990. But that’s just me. I know other people who would make the inverse argument. Either way, when we look back, we can point to certain emcees and certain rhymes that typify the overall quality of hip-hop during that time period. But as good as the golden era was, no matter when it was for you, there were some wack groups out. I’m not just talkin about ‘marginally corny’ or ‘looking-back-they-weren’t-as-good-as-I-thought,’, I’m talmbout straight-up horrible. And we knew it then. These days, I don’t know if there’s even that level of scrutiny on the artistic merits of hip-hop. Not really. I think that there are pockets of people who think about these types of thing, but they’re also people who came of age in earlier eras.
As good as hip-hop is, and while it may not have turned out to be the tool for social justice that some people expected it to be, it has more than surpassed any expectations on its commercial viability, and perhaps its longevity, it could be better. Its power could be harnessed more effectively if it could somehow be guided out of its current rut of puerile fantasy. While I’m definitely not the one to place any societal problems at the feet of hip-hop, as if its responsible, I think that foci other than “gettin riches, gettin bitches, and issuin’ stitches” would have the potential to ameliorate some of the challenges we face. It may not have any effect, but I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt. I don’t think any such change is on the horizon, though. Not yet. Not while there’s still so much money to be made.
Unlike football players, though, hip-hop won’t really retire. It just may stop being as prominent. Maybe then, if it lessens in popularity and goes back to being more of the insiders-only club that it started out being, it can recover its potential. Maybe it can be as great as people act like it is now.
March 6th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Great piece, Ave. I think people forget Favre actually sucked for a few years before the walrus got him to calm down. Usetawuz, you could always count on Favre for at least a couple inopportune interceptions per game.
But once he figured it out, the guy was money. Last couple years seemed to fade back into that wild gunslinger of old, but for in the inbetween time, he deserves his due.
‘88-92 was the golden era for hiphop (did the slow slide begin a while after “Scenario?” was that the apogee of the golden era?)
March 6th, 2008 at 9:00 am
p.s. I love Dr. Z, too.
March 6th, 2008 at 10:40 am
I’m with the 88 - 94 range myself and maybe it because that was my coming of age era. hip hop probably stayed good for another three years after that coasting on its laurels but after that it really fell off.
I think alot of the potential social power of hip hop came about back in the 80s, early 90s because it was still seen as a small market genre back in 88 -93 or so , so there wasnt that commercial hold on it yet. plus more importantly the economic era wasnt as prosperous cause we were coming out of that reagan era depression and there wasnt all that bling and flossing to go around.
things changed after that. Prosperity was possible via a big label record contract and times werent as tough socially or racially. At least from the artist’s perspective.
March 8th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Although when we go to the stat book, Favre’s career is undeniable, I never wished he was the QB on my team.
I also feel that GB would have won back-to-back Super Bowls if they had ridden Dorsey Levens, who the Broncos still have not tackled, in that second half rather than trying to make Favre the hero vs. Elway. That’s the way it is in the NFL. QBs have to be the hero, all things equal. Peyton Manning could have two or three rings by remembering Edgerin James was in his backfield.