Really Real

Jews and hip-hop have a long history. Jews, comedy, and hip-hop, however, are a newer trio on the global stage. Eric and Jeff Rosenthal, also known as It’s the Real, are pioneering the art. Their comedy plays mainly to hip-hop fans — like making fun of long-lost Houston rapper Mike Jones — but the Rosenthals utilize the ridiculousness of celebrity to make fun of the genre many love.

It’s the Real posts viral videos, in which they make fun of hip-hop culture. One video plays off of Kanye West’s braggadocio in the form of a promo ad for his new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, featuring “the hood’s finest, Elton John.” The clip gives Kanye various nicknames, parodying the greatness the rapper believes he brings to the table. For example, it dubs Kanye “Yeezus Christ Superstar,” who turns water into wine on the club banger ‘Runaway.’” By making fun of the superstar’s well-known conceit, It’s the Real makes viewers realize both the silliness of Kanye’s overweening pride and the fun of hip-hop.

For what good is pop culture if we can’t make fun of it? As the Village Voice article linked to above notes, lots of other comedy groups today utilize hip-hop to mock celebrities. The Lonely Island, featuring the likes of Andy Samberg of Saturday Night Live, has parodied hip-hop’s big-spending lifestyle on “I’m on a Boat,” featuring Florida rapper T-Pain, and just released a song called “I Just Had Sex,” alongside crooner Akon. However, It’s the Real doesn’t have their kind of budget. The Lonely Island can work off of thousands of dollars worth of beat production, AutoTune, and well-known guest stars. It’s the Real, though, has to rely on the Internet buzz and its own wit to merely get its name out there.
It’s the Real relies on people’s own inane self-promotion to create videos. Without Mike Jones’s shouting self-promo, there would have been no clip about it. Without Kanye’s proclamations of his own wealth, It’s the Real couldn’t have made fun of it. Fundamentally, the group depends on others to be ridiculous. Even though hip-hop started out as a revolutionary genre, it’s devolved to being simply about sex and money (in certain areas). It’s the Real recognizes that and plays on that theme, showing the fun hip-hop has when being “introspective.”

Clearly, some artists realize the inherent ridiculousness of their songs: that’s why T-Pain and Akon had such success with their Lonely Island collaborations. As long time lovers of hip-hop, the Rosenthals can respect the genre, while noting its flaws and prodding it in the right direction. To me, that’s what humor is. Even if you love something, you should be able to recognize that it isn’t perfect. For a hip-hop lover like me, nothing is more fun than when it links up with music.