Redman and the Realness of ‘Laziness’

Hustling is considered almost an obligation of the modern-day rapper, who is supposed to monetize his talent, while also remaining true to himself and his roots. Being a hustler or just achieving the status of one is desirable for modern-day rappers, as it validates their position in their social group. The voices that stand out are therefore those belonging to rappers who chose to go a different route and instead of bragging about their riches, prefer to present themselves as slackers, who are more concerned with the comfort of ‘laziness’ provided by their lyrical talents. As a case study I have selected a well-known rapper, Redman (1970), who is respected in the hip-hop community and has enjoyed some mainstream success, yet never commodified his image. He is one of the few rappers whose authenticity is never disputed, and in this article I want to argue that the main reason behind his special status is the laziness he projects through his lyrics as well as visual representations of his rap persona: the MTV Cribs episode, his role as Jamal in the 2001 movie How High, and the fictionalized version of himself in the short-lived Method & Red TV series.