On It Is What It Is, Cam'ron and Mase discuss not just the latest in sports culture and media, but also other big debates, narratives, and developments in the wider entertainment and social landscape. Treasure "Stat Baby" Wilson opened their latest episode by asking them about a viral Internet presumption, which is that "the New York accent is fading among younger generations."
She wanted to get the homegrown perspective on it from two New Yorkers, one of whom (Cam) has spent significant time out of the state for college in Texas. As such, he knows a thing or two about how accents, dialects, and slang can change.
Mase said the accent is "probably will never go away" due to the "temperament, personality, [and] aggression" of New Yorkers. Killa said people just make stuff up online all the time, before getting into a rant about "national holidays." As for the accent debate, though, he doesn't believe New York's articulative idiosyncrasy is going away anytime soon.
The Dipset MC's argument was more about dialect and slang than specific intonation, though. He said it won't "sound right" if a girl from the South or from the West Coast says, "'Yo, f**k out of here. Suck my d**k.'" "That's a New York accent for a girl, I can't even see a girl from the South saying, 'Suck my d**k,'" Cam argued.
The New York Accent
Stat Baby pushed back, as the fact that she hasn't heard that indicates to her that the accent is fading. She also compared Cam's strong New York accent to him and Mase thinking they don't have one. The group also talked about folks' environment changing them, with Killa recalling his Texas college days changing his speech.
A lot of different factors may influence this alleged trend: more globalized culture, more communication with outsiders, people moving across states, and more. But since the New York accent remains in pop culture's spotlight, its allegedly diminishing use won't lead to its extinction.
Elsewhere, Cam'ron and Mase have reacted wildly to more updates and debates in pop culture, such as the Jay-Z Super Bowl halftime show. We'll see if these discussions also lead to new music from Cam, as he ushered in the return of It Is What It Is with a freestyle.
