"Let's talk about time travelin', rhyme javelin, somethin' mind unravelin'..."

What up hip hop heads! I have a small confession. When I started writing these blogs, I simply wanted to talk hip-hop with those who felt as passionately for the craft as I did. I started to put unnecessary pressure on myself to “cater to my audience” because this is strictly a hip-hop blog so we gotta talk strictly hip-hop, right?

Yes this is a hip-hop blog, but I can't sit here and lie to you – I'm just now getting back into the realm of hip-hop music because for a while, I was sick of it. Sick of rap music. Sick of the images and stereotypes. All rap started to sound the same to me – from the topics to the beats. It was boring and predictable. It became so commercialized, it was more about the total package than the total product. It wasn't the same genre I fell in love with in the mid-late 90s. So, in search of something that could quench my musical thirst, I started looking outside of hip-hop and R&B (because let's face it, Rhythm and Blues is lost too!). I bugged family, my girlfriend and friends alike to put me onto something new. Anything but rap. What I was introduced to was the wonderful world of indie rock music.

If hip-hop is my first love, you can call indie rock my “bad bitch on the side” (bitch used in a good way, let's not get sensitive). This was everything I was looking for...poetic lyricism, diverse subject matter, raw emotion and gut feelings, melodies easy to digest and sing along to - but not of kindergarten simplicity....and most of all – a rebellious nature that would attract any young spirit looking for substance.

My search began with John Mayer, who of course, is not an independent artist – but did open the door for many singers who followed after him: Jason Mraz, Gavin DeGraw, Jack Johnson and Marc Broussard, to name a few.  

This then lead me to groups like Kings of Leon, Paramore, 30 Seconds to Mars, One Republic, Angels and Airwaves, Breaking Benjamin, A Change of Pace, Honor Society and Ben Folds (shout out to Salle and Kasey). All of these artists delivered their messages with as much passion as the hip-hop/r&b/soul artists I grew up listening to. Caleb Followill from Kings of Leon has so much soul and raspyness to his voice, you would swear he was inspired by Otis Redding. When I heard Marc Broussard's “Home” for the first time, I thought it was a black dude who was influenced by Donny Hathaway. The dude is dope! 
 

Although listening to these artists gave me a renewed sense of assurance that real music wasn't dead, I was still feeling conflicted with just what this would mean for me and my marriage with hip-hop. Is it me? Have we grown apart? Have I changed? These were difficult terms to come to grips with. It's like our facebook relationship status was “complicated”.

I'm also an artist and producer so it was evident how much indie rock was starting to influence me and my style. Sampling is the basis of my whole creative process...I went from sampling 70s soul artists like Main Ingredient, Barry White, and Curtis Mayfield to finding anything with a crazy guitar riff just because that was what I was feeling at the time. This lead me to bands like Journey, Boston, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull and Dream Theater. Of course I understand that clearing these samples is next to impossible - but it opened up my imagination, creatively. It gave me more to sink my teeth into. Mainstream rap had me reading at a 5th grade level, and I had stumbled upon Shakespeare.

And just as I was about to call it quits with hip-hop, I came across a little album called As Cruel As School Children by a group called Gym Class Heroes. What set them apart was that while they were a rock band, at heart: a lead guitarist, a bassist, a drummer and lead vocalist in addition to alternative/rock-style beats - their lead vocalist Travis McCoy (who is also a singer) rapped throughout the entire project. Lyrically, his skill is questionable at times – hip-hop purists might not dig him - but to me, he had enough personality and charisma to make up for his lack of technique. I liked him the same way I liked Missy Elliot. It was refreshing to hear rap over a different style of beat. It was equally as refreshing to hear a different story told. After all it's not what you say, but how you say it.   

This made me realize my problem with rap in the first place - I needed a different story. Don't get it twisted, I love a good “rags to riches” tale - that is hip-hop in its purist form: turning nothing into something. But there comes a time when another story has to be told in addition to. We're not all thugs. We're not all swagged out. We're not all pro-black. We're not all gangsta. We're not all icy. Not that there's anything wrong with these archetypes, but I was tired of listening to rap's version of Scarface over and over again. At some point you gotta throw in a comedy. Or a documentary. Or science fiction. Or an action. Anything! You can't play Scarface...then Goodfellas...then Casino...then Godfather Part I...then Godfather Part II...and so forth. It gets old.  Key word here is: balance. 

I say all this to say – maybe rap can take notes from indie rock in that sense. Let's try to expand our subject matter. Or at least if you're gonna talk about something cliché, deliver it in a way that hasn't been done before. Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt is not a classic because of its concept. Reasonable Doubt is a classic because of the way he delivered this concept. It was intelligent. It was humorous. It had double meanings. It was dynamic. It was witty. It was entertaining. Let's study our craft correctly.  The only way we can take hip-hop further is if we stop being afraid to take hip-hop further. Dare to be different. Is that too much to ask for?

Kanye West feat. Jay-Z, Pusha-T, RZA, Swizz Beatz, Cyhi The Prynce - "So Appalled"

Kanye West feat. Jay-Z, Pusha-T, RZA, Swizz Beatz, Cyhi The Prynce - So Appalled
Click here to listen...

"If I Ain't A Hustla, What You Call That?"

According to Forbes, Jay-Z has a total worth of $450 million, through his Roc Nation label, his catalog, which returns to him in 2014, Rocawear and a stake in the New Jersey Nets...

Some say he's a sell-out...some say he's down with illuminati...others say he worships the devil...you can't say he's not a hustler.  

“It's always forward I'm moving - never backwards, stupid...”

What up homies and hip-hop heads! Sooooo I talk to a lot of people via facebook about music – sometimes we agree while other times we couldn't be anymore opposite! But it's all in good fun because we care about the culture......so I thought I'd make this a little more organized and create a spot to just talk hip-hop: reviews, gossip, editorials, opinions on our favorite/not-so-favorite MC's, albums, top 5 and 10 lists, etc. Why not?!

Lemme start by saying this: I am someone who came up in the 90s. The first full rap albums I heard straight through was Redman's “Dare Iz A Darkside”, Common's (then Common Sense) “Resurrection”, and Method Man's “Tical” because those were the albums my older brother, who is eight years my senior, played regularly. I was in 7^th grade when Pac and B.I.G. died; Jay-Z's “In My Lifetime Vol. 1” was the first hip-hop cassette tape I bought that contained cussing (I owned many edited albums prior to that including Wu-Tang Forever, Mr. Smith, It Was Written, etc.); I used to have a subscription to The Source when receiving Five Mics meant something - and I own back issues dating back to 1991. I used to cut out the monthly “hip-hop quotables” and post them on my wall in high school and my dorm room in college. All this to say – I am a genuine fan of the culture.

As I discuss and debate hip-hop with different people, the main concern that is expressed is that they are tired of hip-hop in 2010. They make comments like “hip-hop was better in 96” or “I wish they'd play real hip-hop on the radio” or “I wouldn't listen to rap if I came up in this era”. There is an overall dissatisfaction and hate for the culture at this particular point in time.

Why is this? Many people say that artists don't focus on making timeless classics anymore in this ringtone era. Some people say some of our favorite artists are washed-up. Some people complain that there is no diversity on the radio. Even as people object to the fact that the OG's in the game won't retire, they also complain that the new talent just doesn't cut it. Many people wanna tell the next person what “real hip-hop” is...........but what many people don't realize is that most of our favorite artists who have classic albums to their resume are artists who have received the same type of criticism in their day as say, a Soulja Boy, Waka Flocka and Gucci Mane for not being “real hip-hop”. The Notorious BIG, for example, has songs such as “Juicy”, “Big Poppa” and “One More Chance”, which are in 2010 – considered hip-hop classics. These same songs were heavily criticized by the hip-hop community for not being “real hip-hop” just 15 years ago, when these songs were released. DON'T GET IT TWISTED: I am in no way disrespecting the legacy of Biggie – I am NOT comparing him to Waka Flocka in terms of level of lyrical skill and artistic ability because there is no comparison with that. But as far as how his music was perceived during the time it came out - everyone from The Roots to Ghostface Killah/Raekwon took shots at the original King of New York, claiming his music was too watered down, ignorant, glorifying stereotypes, and not real hip-hop – the same way we say it about Waka, Gucci, and SB.


I agree – Yes, hip-hop is different from what it used to be. But C'MON SON – we're living in different times! With mainstream artists - overall technique/lyricism has taken a backseat to constructing full, melodic songs. You have more rappers who have gotten hip to the “formula” (intro, hook, 12 to 16 bar verse, hook, 12 to 16 bar verse, hook, outro) and learned that if you “dumb your lyrics down”, it can be accepted by a wider audience. I get it.  But where we lack in lyricism, you have more artists who are multi-faceted and have many different talents. In addition, there is so much music out there that is accessible to anyone, even if you don't like what's on the radio, you can surely find someone who caters to your musical interests if you search hard enough. The key word is: diversity. Our options are wider now.   Whether you choose to listen to it is your own choice.  I listen to certain artists because of the feeling it gives me.  Different artists give you different vibes.  I don't throw on Lil Jon expecting to get deep and thought-provoking lyrics...and I wouldn't expect a club banger from Mos Def.  What's even more confusing is that the moment an artist tries to step outside of his realm and experiment - he gets panned, critically.  Ex: COMMON. 

It annoys me when hip-hop heads act like they're only allowed to like only one type of music.   The problem is not the music.  The problem is the lack of balance in the mainstream.  I agree 100% that we're only getting one type of "song" on the radio, but the answer isn't downplaying the artists "lacking substance".  It's easy to take shots at what is popular, but if it were the other way around, I'd get bored if all I heard was Dead Prez, Little Brother, Slum Village, and Talib Kweli all day.  I love those artists, but too much of anything gets redundant.   If you wanna do something, SUPPORT YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS.  Buy their albums, go to their shows, visit their websites, etc.   The artists with the most money are winning right now.  You want your favorite artist to be on top?  Stop downloading for free and support him/her.  

Bottom line: I'm tired of people telling me what real hip-hop is! I've been listening to Group Home, The Artifacts, The Liks, Del The Funky Homosapian, A Tribe Called Quest, Showbiz and AG, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, Big L, The Pharcyde, and Souls of Mischief long enough to give a dissertation of the best underground rappers and groups who never blew-up.   If you are 25 and up, stop complaining about the state of hip-hop because hip-hop ain't about you anymore! Accept it for what it is, just like the generation before us accepted that Jay-Z, Eminem, T.I., Ludacris, 50 Cent, and Nelly were the ones that represented our generation years ago. Hip-hop represents the youth, and every era is different. Not to say that you can't listen to hip-hop at 25, but you're too old to be complaining about music, when you're old enough to understand that it's a business now...accept it and get over it lol. If you don't like it, don't listen to it.

Fact of the matter is – if you hate hip-hop right now, you hate the new generation. And that sounds like a personal problem to me lol. Drake, Wiz Khalifa, B.o.B., Curren$y, J. Cole, Kid Cudi, Wale, Gucci Mane, Nicki Minaj and Roscoe Dash are what DMX, Kurupt, Silkk The Shocker, Cam'ron, Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, Cappadona, Noreaga, Big Pun, and Canibus were in 1998 - on the cover of The Source (check the June 1998 issue) when they were “freshmen”. A different breed of rappers, yes. But even those artists, when they were young in the game, were just doing what was hot at the time. Hate it or love it. 

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