Anthony: can you explain what the white rapper paradox is FD: It starts with- Mike shinoda: One thing, I don't know why

Glad to see FD get a biracial rapper’s perspective on this!

"Ya'll let jack harlow sell ya'll chicken" - Danny Brown

shoutout to the person who had the idea to blur chat, ur a real one

why is so funny to me that Signifier has this beatyuful mane and fantano is bald af, imagine if they fuse ala DBZ hha im so highsrry

Its nice to see 2 black content creators finally put out some heat together. The streets needed this. Fantano, you're saving the culture rn.

Fantano hearing FD make fun of Drake's girlfriend story and having Vietnam flashbacks to Drake's super fan talking for 20 minutes about how that's a genuinely serious issue that Drake needs to talk about on his album

I think factors that played into jack harlow's clout is the timing - him doing all the 'suss' jokes built a sense of comfort with queerer spaces, he had a run of being supportive of black women in interviews and at his shows while Meg was getting shot at and the Dababy was yelling about AIDs, and then that feature with LNX. I think beyond his whiteness he appeared as empathetic, chill and less problematic (a good 'example') and that perception itself blew him up way more than his talent warranted

As a white kid who grew up listening to and playing reggae, I rarely saw white reggae artists without it stirring up negative and critical feelings for me. In retrospect my feelings came down to authenticity not race. You can just feel it when someone's trying to be something they're not! I don't wanna hear a white band/singer covering Burning Spear's "slavery days" In contrast, when you hear someone like Gentleman (white German reggae artist) you can just feel that it's genuine. Great art in any medium comes from the genuine passion to express truth through creation.

I love that FD touched on "Blacker the Berry" in the "white Kendrick fan" piece of the discussion because that track, and the entirety of To Pimp a Butterfly has always been an important touchstone for me in this kind of conversation. I'm a white hip-hop fan and definitely a big fan of Kendrick. I remember first putting on "... Butterfly" when it dropped and being floored. Being genuinely pumped that it received the accolades it did. And also being very, VERY, acutely aware that this was an absolutely brilliant piece of music that was not "for me". I could absolutely engage with it as a fan of both hip-hop and music in general and love it for that. I could absolutely learn from the album and music. But when i listened, I knew full well that "I am not black, urban youth, and this album is not about 'my struggles' ". I love it even more for that, although admittedly I don't return to it with the frequency I might an album like... Aquemini. Or to a completely different vein: Atrocity Exhibition. "Exhibition", while still being distinctly "rap music" (and proving Danny Brown can somehow spit over literally anything somehow), tackled subject matter that I have been more "directly" connected to, but via the realm of more experimental hip-hop. That was one of the first rap records I had heard in years that, without some of the dicier elements of Dead Prez maybe, clearly stated "if you're not "in the struggle", you will only be able to engage halfway", and that made it so much more interesting.

So, I actually have an inside scoop on lil Mabu. He went to Collegiate, a private school in NYC that a close friend of mine also went to. It is an extremely exclusive, extremely rich school. The problems with lil Mabu are very very real- his father is some sort of marketing executive, and is said to have had a significant hand in Mabu's success. Additionally, in his rise to fame (?) lil Mabu has used and highlighted the divide between the privileged areas of New York and the less privileged areas of New York City, a very real problem and divide that Mabu plays for laughs. It's a very disturbing, clueless examination and exploitation of real cultural and social divides and barriers in our country, used by a privileged white guy to further his own fame.

Really enjoyed this, you guys have good chemistry, very thought provoking conversation

In my view, the future of hip hop is in non English markets with their own unique styles. Reggaeton continues to maintain popularity and influence other forms of Spanish language music, and hip hop remains at its peak in places like France with its own homegrown industry and culture.

Dope collab- was looking frwrd to the vid ended up watching this first. Didn't know y'all did some streams together. Any time I tap into an FD Signifier vidd it's always a stimulating listen! Dood alwys has some solid well rounded perspectives.

Lil Mabu is also son to a billionaire record executive, the most clear industry plant ever

I never could've seen this collab coming 🥴 But since I'm subscribed to both of you, I gotta say it's a welcome one

i know it’s jack harlow on the right of the thumbnail but it looks like jschlatt and it’s funny to imagine it is based on his ai mf doom covers

Super happy to see this chat happen. Been following fantano and fiq for awhile. His latest vid on em & white rappers was on-point, as is this discussion. Appreciate you two a whole lot. ✌

Awesome collab. A great person to bring on about this subject

I'm really glad I didn't post my comment half way through the video because you guys are making all the points that my former essay was making, which is essentially that hip hop is at it's hair metal phase.

FD at 5:27 "It starts with..." My brain "One thing, I don't know why, it doesn't even matter how hard you try..."

Really love the analogy of what rock went through and what hiphop is going through now. Read a biography of Jim Morrison (the doors) and as someone growing up in the 90s, not much of that was left by the time I heard it.

I was just researching more about “what happened to rock,” which Fiq brings up about 1:18:00 or so. It’s shocking how many bands broke up in 2000-2001. The narrative that endures is that file sharing gets a lot of the blame, as does the rise of teen pop and nu metal. I’d say the amount of buyouts and record label mergers that swallowed up bands whole is overlooked, I believe.

Love this video - two of my absolute favorite creators having an incredibly interesting discussion - but every time I look at the screen, Fantano's damn beanie makes me think he's wearing the Oliver Tree bowl cut.

Literally just watched the white rapper paradox video last night crazy good timing for this to come out.

i agree, but artists like the roots and common rarely get accolades in the "culture" to begin with. the industry focuses on negativity and stereotypes, which is why songs like the roots' 'what they do' and common's 'i used to love h.e.r.' even exist in the first place.

great conversation ❤❤❤ as a gen z musician, i think fd is really accurate about what's next for black music and its interesting to think about in relation to late stage capitalism. The girls are making the soundtrack to the dystopia we observe around us. I think that's the sound in a nutshell. It can be uplifting or chaotic or dancey or chill but it's dissonant and hyper-charged. and in terms of black music all popular music is very black and brown because of the way that liberation movements have utilized art to communicate between marginalized people. I think we're gonna keep seeing a fusion of all the liberation sounds. thats what hip-hop even is. that's what jazz is, and that's what the next black music pandora's box will be.

I’m a Lifelong hip hop fan and older than both of you and as a woman I get Jack’s appeal. His core fanbase is female so I think beyond race he has a core fanbase that are the greatest consumers of pretty much everything in society so the consumer power is like that of Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Eminem, or other White rappers haven’t had that. As an MC I think he’s not a lyrical miracle but above mid and industry wise he seems to be quite respected for his character which is refreshing. He is also tall, good looking, funny, charismatic, and you see him around his family a lot. He makes music with women in mind and is kind of emo so I think when it comes to him men don’t discuss the female element and just focus on race

This was so good! I hope you guys collaborate more.

On the “piece of the pie” topic. Most people don’t really listen to that much variety of music at any given time, especially in the mainstream. So when you have certain people dominating the airwaves or the Spotify playlists, then they really are dominating the landscape of their respective genre for a sizeable portion of listeners.

I love your agreements and disagreement, finishing the video touching on misogyny was great. Looking forward to 2024 with you two!

YOOOOO. been waitin on this convo to happen

Oh hell yeah it’s one of my favorite collabs back at it

This combo, this collab ! 😍👏👏👏 love to see it!

This was a good convo, I really liked the expansion on FD's video (which i thought was awesome). I wish Anthony had interrupted him less though

Amazing conversation, love when we can have these discussions about culture.

FD Signifier really the Steve Carell of KZfaq, old man finally on the come up!

One of my new favorite bands is Filth, it's a marrying of mainly metal, with hip-hop. Lowkey want this to continue, but I also don't want hiphop to die or simmer down to almost nothing.

this is dope, i just watched FD’s video on this right after watching Shawn Cee tell TND some of the same points that FD said in his video

Wishing you all the best. Keep working hard as always.

I'm not really a hip hop listener, but I really enjoyed this conversation. Thank you guys!

Hell yeah, I so remember "Self Destruction". That song was huge when I was a kid. All the popular rappers of the time was on it, it really was like the hip-hop "We Are The World". It's also the last time I can remember a positive movement like that in Black music that involved all of the popular rappers of the time.

I'd like to see another video discussing your perspectives on white producers in hip hop. Is it any different from the rappers? I feel like that's a whole other conversation

These two are important. Happy holidays fam.

I'm currently learning about how the record industry helped bolster segregation by genre defining and sometimes genre flipping Blues and Country. I realized that I am putting my toe into being that person who has put the time and energy to learn about that subject matter. As a white kid in a almost entirely white high school I did do the work to learn everything I could about Hip-Hop, but it took many more years to really be aware that I was living and seeing a different cultural reality than others experience. To clarify doing the work I learned about the founders, the elements, and was listening to some of the solid golden age records. As a 16 or 17 year old I even voiced the differences I perceived in lived reality, but I know I did not "get it" until much later.

1:08:39 FD killed me with this Donald Glover/Fred Hampton line as he compares to Drake. I literally spit out my water lol great interview

Great video I had no idea you spoke on these kinds of things

On the topic of rap-rock. I have thought about that for many years. I grew up when glam and thrash were hitting their peak, but that means I grew up with the Anthrax/Public Enemy "crossover" songs. And of course with Faith No More; which hit it huge when I was in 7th grade. I often wonder if Faith No More were the first actually kind of rap-rock band or is it earlier? Freddie Mercury seems to kind of rap-rock on 1977's We Will Rock You. Just like everybody thinks all metal began with Black Sabbath (not 100% true, as other acts were doing heavy shit before Sabbath), rap-rock probably started just like I suggest and evolved over the years. Good stuff guys. Love heavy music and talking music in general.

I’m grateful I found the blog/nerdcore rap scene to be more relatable to me than Eminem. Lupe Fiasco is my king at the end of the day.

the way anthony describes lil mabu so perfectly describes the dissonance between the fantasies of sheltered kids vs reality

Woah, fuck yeah! Hyped to see this in my feed! Love both these guys

Bro on crack if he thinks Eminem show wasn’t a classic

This helped me understand FD's video much better, still don't agree with everything he says but it contextualised what he was going for more for me.

folks bring up vanilla ice but ignore the beastie boys' impact

I'm glad my fav FD Signifier is amplifying small channels.

Loved this convo

maybe im missing something but i would not think of Eminem's politics as similar to joe rogan at all lmao

Just found out about FD a few months ago and now this. Glad to see it

Crazy this came out day after i watched FD's video 🎉

21:00 there's SO many white rappers who bring up that they're "greater than Eminem" or "the next Eminem" or "i never even listened to Eminem" and it's like... y'all are still stuck in the doorway to hip hop. there are so many albums not called The Marshal Mathers LP that you can listen to.

I never would've thought these two would collab I thought the thumbnail glitched or something lol

It's still wild to me that Stan became an identifier for people like why do you want to be called someone's Stan did you listen to that song?! Cause he's real clear on why that man was not a good man, and absolutely not someone from whom you should take inspiration. He was stalking Em! He was an abusive partner and ultimately killed both himself and her, while she was pregnant!

Awesome collaboration!!

people forget Eminem HATES being famous. Do you see him at award shows? Do you see him on the red carpet? no

This was awesome. You guys should collab more. c:

the 6th decade of hip hop. Jazz's 6th decade was the 80's early digital synth smooth jazz. Ppl tried to evolve the genre and it just sounded like the music in the bar where Arnold's lady friend worked at in Total Recall. Also I absolutely listen to current jazz.

Adore this collab!

On gatekeepers and algorithms, I’m not convinced that DIY artists make it to the top on their own. That is, largely, a selling point of a new artist on the scene. I think record labels boost those artists to achieve a high level of visibility and success behind the scenes.

I think Mac Miller is the peak of white rappers. He uses his strengths to his advantage , and sounds unique and musical in the process. RIP

This interview was very unexpected, but very welcome. I've been watching Fantano for ages and the past few months really got into FD. Any fantano regulars check FD out his content is awesome

THE ULTIMATE COLLAB EPISODE

this is a hell of a crossover for my regularly watched channels😂😂😂

you should do more together - great dynamic!

MELON AND FIQ?! THE STARS HAVE ALIGNED!

1:21:14 “…and it’s because…” [leans in during the dramatic pause expecting some serious truth bomb shit] “…you SUCK!” Lmfao better than I ever could’ve asked for.

So nice to see you both in a video!

I saw this collab coming. Much needed.

I’ve maintained this opinion since he blew up as someone who supported Harlow and his earlier output, he conveyed a much different image and style before he blew up versus what he puts out now. Not that he stylistically made a huge shift, but you can tell he’s searching for a different end product in his music now compared to tracks such as Sundown, Eastern Parkway or Dark Knight

Damn. I need a podcast with you two on it.

It’s great to get more FD content

Biggest crossover event of 2023

so grateful to see FD on this channel, but can I just point out how great Melon’s hoodie is today? like goddamn, Anthony, send me a link where I can buy it.

@2:22 The CrazyTown disrespect is wild. If you think they only made “Butterfly” I advise you to listen to CXT and Darkhorse! They are both hidden gems that talk from unique perspectives. I love “Change” from the Darkhorse album. I get it…they did not appeal to the mainstream, and in that same reason they made music like there was nothing to lose, which resulted in some beyond their time results. But I refuse to change minds around how they perceive CrazyTown! If you know, you know.

Never thought these two would chop it up. This is dope

The way I was thinking this collab would be a cool idea and now here it is

Ngl I was hoping to see something like this after FDs video

Wonderful to see thank you both

I genuinely got a lot out of this video and I really appreciate this topic and having so much to think about walking away from this. That being said, hearing Anthony compare GKMC to The Lion King gave me whiplash, two pieces of art I never thought would be in the same sentence together

Unexpected but super cool collab! Looking forward to watch

34:29 I think Eminem went through both. He started off humble, he had fun with fame, but never embraced it and would rather name drop or spend time putting focus on the artist he was with. He wasn't radio friendly (he rebelled from it) and stayed true to himself, even mentioned his responsibility and impact because he's white, and he didn't care about mics/awards/critics he cared about the respect from his peers. He even lived a pretty challenging life and has some respect in that regard too. Then I think the drugs happened, then he snapped out and recovers, drops a few albums (that did decent) trying to get back on his feet (also get a feel for where he stands), gets a good response, then somewhere something got to him around Rap God MMLP2... He thinks he can recapture the crown and is surprised to find people have, not only moved on, but others have started getting better...now he has to show out and make sure that he's still known for the legacy he held (even though it was never questioned because we all heard him, his true fans understood, and even hiphop heads gave him his due respects), and these new fans just amp him up to be something he's not (because rap is even more commercial now, so they really lack even more understanding than the previous fans of hiphop/rap, some are even em fans that got turned onto hip-hop, because of him), so now he's on some sort of mission to re-prove himself, not realizing he became everything he resented... listen to his last good album, Til I Collapse, if that isn't em describing himself (currently)... I don't know what is.... He literally describes what he doesn't want to be and what he thinks of his position in rap (wasn't calling himself a God, he put himself last on his list), then goes on to talk about the disgust he has for the fans/people that don't get it (and why he's last on the list), but that he just cares about the respect and acknowledgment he's gotten from them (more than his awards and fame), especially when they also deserve it. He also speaks about what it would take for him to feel he's not worthy...and if that description isn't him today...then again...I don't know what is..

I’m so excited for this

Melon and Unc the duo I thought I’d never see

I also think something FD might be overlooking or not taking into account is that hip hop isn't the same as back in the day is because the culture and struggle has changed. That some (not all) struggles that much of the early rap derived from has expanded beyond race to a more economical struggle? That's why some of these white rappers are "believable" in what they are saying because it's real and similar to the struggle of rappers in the past?

This flower hoodie is worthy of an equal amount of discussion I’m afraid

I could listen to these two talk for even longer than this, goddam

As a country/folk artist, the part where they talk about the state of that scene hits hard. Like, we really have to do better...

man fd is so smart im so glad you had him on after his video

This is amazing. So glad to see this collab💅

This was great, appreciate the both of you!

The world is healing a bit guys. Thank you for putting out this collaboration. ♡