The Evolution of The Skillful White Rapper

by Nadine Graham

According to Spencer Pratt, the self proclaimed “white Jay-Z”, he is the next rap superstar. MTV recently reported that Spencer (more commonly known as the resident douchebag of “The Hills”) is planning on releasing an album that will boast such lyrical skill and “street” sensibilities, Asher Roth’s head will spin. Yes, Asher Roth, one of XXL’s Freshman 10 of 2009. The irony is blaring. The comparison? Comical.

Spencer apparently feels that Asher Roth is too sliced, white bread to compete with himself, on any lyrical level: “I didn’t feel the urge until Asher Roth started hitting the airwaves and — no offense to Asher Roth — somebody with some real swagger needed to come into the game. So, I’ll challenge him. I’ll challenge him to a freestyle or whatever.”

On the songs that Spencer has laid bars on (mostly collaborations with his (TV?) fiance, Heidi) his prowess proved unbelievable thus unsuccessful. Ok, unsuccessful is putting it mildly. Listening to his tracks was painful. The thought that he would compare himself to Jay, or downplay the efforts of talented newcomer Asher,  moves one to question his mental stability.

When Eminem (the first white solo rapper with skills and credentials) dropped his debut, The Slim Shady LP in 1999, it charted at #2. Fans of the culture had to drop the ‘Vanilla Ice-Wannabe’ insults and recognize that Mr. Marshall Mathers had lyrics, breath control, ridiculous flow and punchlines to boot. Even those that wanted to hate him, had to respect him and that’s half the battle, right?

White rappers have a helluva hill to climb just starting out. Who hasn’t seen 8 Mile? That movie opened in 2002 and has made close to $243 million in total, worldwide, to date. People wanted to see the story behind the Blonde Rapper That Could, because he fascinated most. Em came out strong, then had a number of folk give him the side eye once that infamous tape (where he was caught spewing slurs directed at a black woman with whom he had been involved) surfaced. Outside of that, hip hop heads still had to admit that he was ‘the truth’.

A few months ago while Em was still on hiatus from the public eye, a young Pennsylvania man, Asher Roth, began to make waves online. Rap fanatics circulated a video from a radio show where he went in and freestyled for 20-plus minutes. People applauded Asher for being himself with his LL Bean and Sperry Topsiders. However, on the eve of Asleep in the Bread Aisle’s release, he made The Twitter Comment, and the inevitable backlash leveled a lot of heads who again gave a white rapper the side eye. Still, those who love rap music said he held a certain amount of their interest.

Now, here’s Spencer Pratt. A young gentleman from the Hollywood Hills, he’s stated that he’s “more for the streets”. He’s also stated that Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em are the only artists that he’s applauding in the game currently. Really, Spence?

Being a white rapper isn’t a novelty gimmick that wins anymore. Not in a musical climate where artists of any ethnicity need to pass that bar exam. You’d better be nice, or you’re making a mockery of it. Pratt says he’s the ‘white Jay-Z’. We say he’s telling more then white lies. Let’s listen for the outcome.