Hip Hop vs America

Let me start by saying, after having watch all 3 shows to BET's Hip Hop vs America, the 1st half of the 3rd installment has to have been the most intriguring. Particularly, David Banner and his remarks about the industry and how it effects the type of music a successful artist puts out. Banner went to expound on the fact that every positive record he has made has tanked and whenever he comformed to the formulated music of what is now "hip hop" he was successful. This was just one of many truthes that he spoke of, the most prominent for me was when Banner stated that essentially...

THIS IS BIGGER THAN HIP HOP!!

Also another rap artist, Talib Kweli, confirmed Banners statements by adding that this is a focus only on the "mainstream" Hip Hop music, but that is not a depiction of what is Hip Hop - only about 10% of it. Basically, since right now, Hip Hop is at the pinnacle of its mainstreem success - and dominated by african american males - this genre recieves a litany of peccable reprimands. Which in my most humble of opinions, is quite odd considering that no one cared to really draw an eye to Hip Hop until Tupac and Biggie were murdered. Before that no Hip Hop was played at sporting events, in areanas, on commercials, and rarely in movies - the only outlets were the "urban" radio stations and videos.

I think about this....

If it were rock-n-roll, which has a plethora of sub-genres (punk, alternative, surf, rockabillie, death metal, heavy metal, 80's rock), it would the equivilant of making death metal or punk rock the mainstream for rock. Nowadays when you visualize Hip Hop you think of all the negative (bitch, hoe, shoot someone, sell drugs, pimping, fancy car, throwing money around).

Now this is not all fault of the industry. People who are lovers of Hip Hop need to embrace and make a push for all forms of Hip Hop, if they want the other side to be shown. We need to support the positive rappers as much, if not more, than the idiots who are part of the new Hip Hop Minstral Show.

Surprisingly no episode of this is on youtube or on the home page of BET.com (or ANY "hip hop" blog or website) - so this is obviously of no importance to "the masses" - but I digress.

The most powerful statement ...."we are well adjusted to injustice"

Talib Kweli "Eardrum" go buy it make it platinum...

originally written Thursday, June 26, 2008

Hip Hop is Dead

What does that mean? It does not mean what most people perceive it to be. Most people would say, "are you crazy hip hop is not dead", "Kanye Sellin like crazy", "Fiddy is bananas", Soulja Boy is hot right now", and "Weezy is on fiyah" - true as that may be, that is not a sign that hip hop is not dead.

Now before you go thinking this is one of those "real" hip hop rants is not!


HIP HOP AS WE KNOW IT IS DEAD...

Hip Hop is no longer street, by that I don't mean "gangsta". I am saying it is no longer about the street culture and aesthetic - graffiti, break dancing, block parties, community activism, and things of the like.
Why did NWA say "fuck the police" why was Ice-T a "cop killer"and why is there no groups like X-clan or Africa Bambatta or even De La Soul?

WHAT IS THIS NEW HIP HOP

I swear every one of the mainstream rapper now are "thugs" and "gangstas". I often ask myself "why is this all they offer, why is this the only picture they want painted?".
More importantly the new hip hop is all media driven, you cant sell a single record under a major label otherwise. Now I'm not just talking apperences on MTV and BET and possibly Leno or Carson Daly - I'm talking getting arrested, getting shot at, court for child support, or some fake ass premeditated ultra fabricated beef.

Every since the media lit fire to the Tupac and Bigg beef, they realized how much control they have over this genre of the music industry. Every aspect is driven by the media, more appropriately is all propaganda and publicity stunts.
That's why Puff does not even put out a new group unless they have been on TV for a year before they release the album.

That's why Kanye West and 50 Cent had to have a public competition to sale their latest records.
That's why Lil Wayne had to talk about the Carter III for almost 2 years
That why every year its 1 producer who does pretty much all the hot songs for that year...*ahem* T-Pain currently

So do you now agree Hip Hop is dead?