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 7th 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. .jpg)
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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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