“Put on” – slang – To advance in a position of stature that is higher than where you are now.

i.e: Jay-z put on Memphis Bleek when he featured him on two tracks.

Young Jezzy put on for his city.

It seems now-a-days that people out here are just trying to get “put on”. I’m not pointing fingers because I am even guilty of this. Maybe if record companies weren’t signing people just because they got “put on” then it wouldn’t be an issue.  It seems to me as a journalist, people constantly want me to put them on and hype them up so that they seem like some one everybody should listen too. And when I don’t like their music, then what can I do? Now they could either: A) Step they rap game up, 2) Relize that was the best they could do so maybe rapping is not an opition, or C) Call me a hater.

I don’t hate, sometimes I wonder why unsigned artist get more attention than others (or more attention than me) and I get disappointed but I never hate. And it’s always funny to see how an artist reacts when you compare their grind or position to another artist. If they are smart then they will plead the 5th, and say something like “I am just focused on my career right now”. If they are bold enough, they will give their solid opinion and say what they want about the compared emcee. Now with me being a exposed to so much talent or coping of that talent, I have to decide if I have what it takes to go against these people or just sit back and support them.

My solution over the past years has be to try to work with them because if they are true artist then they would want to share idea’s and be inspired. Now if a lot of people like one particular song and they become popular over that then that shouldn’t change anything, cause again its what the people choose. But, like my homie Def told me the other night, there is a trillion people trying to get through that door way, only the people who are unique and stand out the most are going to make it. 

So ask yourself rappers, are you just trying to make it? And then ask yourself, Why?