Who Is The Realest Rapper In The Game?
Who's the realest rapper in the game? It depends on how you define "realest."
If being real means rapping about fleeting material wealth, bustin' your Glock at the ops (opposition), or showcasing your God complex, then Drake, Rick Ross, and Kendrick Lamar are the realest. If being real means reciting kindergarten-level lyrics while shaking your ass, then Sexyy Red and Ice Spice are the realest. To me, being real means living an honest and fulfilling life according to your Creator, positively influencing those around you, sacrificing for a greater good, and striving for the truth. Doesn't sound like any of today's mainstream establishment-approved rappers.
Is the realest rapper even in America?
Toomaj Salehi, a thirty-three-year-old Iranian rapper, gained notoriety for making songs criticizing the Iranian government and supporting nationwide protests after a twenty-two-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, died in police custody in 2022. She was detained for wearing an "improper" hijab. Salehi was sentenced to six years in prison for alleged "corruption on earth" and "waging war against God," both considered capital offenses in the Islamic Republic. Salehi was released on bail more than a year into his sentence. He then released a video claiming he was tortured in prison and was arrested again two weeks later. The Iranian government has now sentenced him to death.
Salehi is a rebel crusading against Iran's government, possibly sparked by the eight years his father spent in jail as a political prisoner.
A metalworker by trade, Toomaj has never been able to release or perform his music through traditional free-market means. He often had to resort to the unconventional underground circuit to release his content. In Iran, the government has to issue permits for those who can release music and perform in concerts.
In the infamous song "The Mouse Hole," Salehi struck a sour note with the Iranian government. He sent a warning shot aimed squarely at those cozying up to the Islamic Republic: duck and cover. He promises a day of reckoning for their dirty dealings. His advice? Find a cozy little hideaway akin to a mouse hole. Salehi paints a picture of those collaborators scurrying like rodents, trying to evade the inevitable judgment.
The song starts,
"If you saw peoples' pain but looked away
If you saw the suppression of the oppressed but walked right past
If you did it out of fear or for your own interests
You're the hand of the tyrant, you're a criminal too
If you put yourself to sleep when they raided houses
If you're worried about your money when they're taking young
If you play the middle and say "politics, what's that?"
Just know there are no blank votes, there's no neutrality in this war"
The chorus reads,
"Hack journalists, tabloid reporters, court singers, find a mouse hole
Officer, thug, mercenary, executioner, find a mouse hole
Useful idiots, appointed officials, reformists, find a mouse hole
Crooks, NIAC [National Iranian American Council], look all around, grab all your dollars and buy a mouse hole"
Are we sure he's talking about the Iranian government? Everything he raps in the song could apply to America. The bought-and-paid-for media pundits and politicians, the useful idiot celebrities and influencers, the crackdown on dissent.
Toomaj exemplifies courage, conviction, and authenticity more than most of his flashy American counterparts. He's the echo of the working class, drowned out by the authoritarians. Stateside rappers like Drake and Rick Ross are mouthpieces for the secular elite. The foundation of Drake's career is feminism. Some of his biggest hits, including "Nice For What", put women on a golden pedestal. Drake ushered in a more feminized version of Hip-Hop. A feminized culture is easily exploited by the suits and ties. Rick Ross lied and deceived his way to stardom. Ricky Rozay lied about his pre-Hip-Hop life as a correctional officer. The name of his record label, Maybach Music Group, preaches blind materialism to his audience that cannot afford a Maybach.
2020's "Summer of Love", in the aftermath of George Floyd's death and BLM riots, was also the summer of "protest" music. I put protest in quotes because the songs weren't protesting anything. They were pushing liberal elitist-approved agendas. Atlanta rapper Lil' Baby released a song titled "The Bigger Picture", claiming he raps for something bigger than himself. In the video, he raises his fist in the air while wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt. Agenda-approved message. Juicy J, known for making strip club anthems, decided he wanted to get in on some that protest music grifting. He released "Hella Fucking' Trauma (Enough Is Enough)," which depicts black Americans as (what else?) victims of the evil white man. Agenda-approved message.
Even the "conscious" rappers, like J. Cole, are approved court jesters. Follow the purse strings. Interscope Records and Roc Nation control him.
My animus is not explicitly aimed at these musicians. Chances are, they don't know any better. The entertainment industry often exploits people who don't know or understand what they are getting into.
Toomaj Salehi's music is not agenda-approved. Every track he puts out is a middle finger to the Iranian government he feels is oppressing his fellow countrymen. Even as he faces execution, he remains true to his convictions. He is willing to die for what he believes.
I am not an expert on Iranian politics or culture, and I do not know for sure if Toomaj's actions and intentions are pure. However, I see many similarities between what is happening in Iran and America. I see oppressive governments trying to quell dissenters and trample the God-given rights of their citizens. If our government was more like Iran's, Douglass Mackey, who was arrested for making a meme about Hillary Clinton, would have been given the death penalty. Jacob Chansley, the horned-hat guy who sat in Nancy Pelosi's seat in the Capitol building on January 6, might be dead already.
CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC, go find a mouse hole
The lesbians of BLM, go find a mouse hole
Ice Spice and Sexyy Red, go find a mouse hole
And I don't care about the color of your booty hole
Drake, Rick Ross, Kendrick, find a mouse hole
For the fame and the riches, you all sold your souls
