Are Stats Killing Hip Hop?
On the one hand, I’m sympathetic to those who are feeling 9th Wonder’s comments about fans being fascinated by stats and the effects of such fascination on the art of music. On the other hand, who’s to tell fans what to enjoy? They’re the fans so they should define their fandom as they will. One has to wonder if 9th Wonder would be so concerned about stats if Little Brother had sold more records. One also has to wonder how you would get guys to not ruin something with stats. I mean, it’s almost impossible to have a good discussion about sports without having to listen to this or that litany of numbers that are ultimately beside the point. Given that hip hop is incredibly male dominated, it should be no surprise that a stats aspect would emerge that seems irrelevant to one’s appreciation or not of a piece of music.
