Old Man Ebro is at it again. Instead of allowing the ebb and flow to run its natural course, the HOT 97 host centered himself in yet another conversation that didn't concern him. In fairness, Ebro does get paid to voice his opinion on a professional basis - but somewhere along the way, he misplaced his "Old Head Energy" after losing out on the progressive changes the rest of society felt inclined to make.
Lupe Fiasco Calls Out Ebro's Mistaken Old Head Energy: "Stop Speaking For Hip Hop"">Johnny Nunez/Getty Images
With Ebro's New York contemporary Dave East voicing his displeasure over Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road," and justly so, the HOT 97 anchor could have simply agreed with the sentiment and kept it moving. Instead, Ebro took it upon himself to speak for "all of hip-hop" in decrying the proto-country anthem.
The issue is, Ebro likens himself to an elite echelon of "Old Head Energy" practitioners. In his defense, he probably thinks he's doing good by "the culture" when he backhands Lil Nas X's parody attempt. What he doesn't realize is that "Old Head Energy" doesn't equate to living in the past.
Quite the contrary. "Old Head Energy" is the act of connecting ancient wisdom with dire current events. That's where Lupe Fiasco comes into the picture, by responding to Ebro with a stern demand that he abstain from "speaking for hip hop as a whole." I couldn't agree more.