HIP HOP!!!
DEAD, DYING, OR DOING JUST FINE?
Hip Hop as a culture has always been a big part of my life. Almost side by side, we have both grown up together being shaped & molded by the era of time we are living in. I say living because just like me Hip Hop has a pulse. Hip Hop has soul driven by a life force. That force (or power if you will) is the expression of an oppressed people and Hip Hop is the voice of our community, but now it just seems like the voice for the major label in association with big corporations on a campaign to advertise to consumers and sell merchandise in a capitalist society.
Just as much as we need to blow off steam, party and have a good time, we also need to address world issues that effect our neighborhood. So for every Africa Bambaataa/ Zulu Nation and Grand Master Flash/ Furious Five, you had a Sugar Hill Gang. I always thought that there was a proper balance of “positive uplifting” music as well as “just dance & enjoy yo self” music. But as time goes on it seems that music that addresses real problems isn’t as marketable, and is being phased out by big corporations, especially, since we can all see the buying and selling power of Hip Hop.
Now don’t get me wrong… When I was a 12 or 13 years old, I liked MC Hammer & Kid n Play. Both known for dancing as well as their tremendous crossover appeal. Hammer had Pepsi/ Taco Bell commercials and Kid n Play had movies and they both had cartoons that came on every Saturday morning. Now, I’m not saying that I didn’t have a KRS 1/ Boogie Down Productions tape, or that I wasn’t bumping Eric B & Rakim or Public Enemy. It’s just as a kid growing up in the suburbs, a lot of issues of that time were simply over my head. I wanted to be young and have fun. As I grew up and matured I realized that the needs of the inner city urban communities were not being met and there was a struggle to obtain equal opportunity for families just like mine. 2Pac spoke about this oh so well. He could rap about police arresting him for selling drugs then turn around & tell you to Keep Yo Head Up. He could do “Brenda’s Got A Baby” & then do “I Get Around” with no problem. He had a great balance in my opinion. But today it seems like everything is all Dope, hoes & Crank Dat Soulja Boy.
For the record, there is NOTHING wrong with Crankin Dat Soulja Boy!!! If you ever did the Humpty Dance or even know the lyrics to that song, then it is absolutely NOTHING wrong with Crankin Dat Soulja Boy. Soulja Boy IS NOT the down fall of Hip Hop or ruining Hip Hop in any way. I’m tired of pissed off rappers blaming Soulja Boy cuz they can’t sell no records. Soulja Boy is as smart as he is stupid for making a song called “Booty Meat,” building a fan base, creating an image and having a GREAT team around him to maximize the potential of his talent…
MC Hammer was ahead of his time. MC Hammer got dissed because he did what every rapper wants to do right now today!!! Jay Z, Ludacris, 50 Cent, P Diddy & even Ice Cube (who did indeed diss Hammer) all made a brand for themselves and sold it to the mainstream audience. They just don’t dance that much… Well, maybe Puffy did but you get what I’m saying, right? I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that Soulja Boy is ahead of his time… Watch! So at the end of the day, I grew up in the 80′s, and I started rapping in the 90′s and made a business out of it in 2000. But looking back at it all I couldn’t help but wonder about the current state of Hip Hop. Is it dead, dying or doing just fine? You tell me…
I feel u Soulja Boy a’int the problem always has been pop stuff. Cats just need to start making art for arts sake and get back to the roots, like your blog check us
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I think it’s in a state of repetitiveness with new people perpetuating the cycle of hip hop. Like you said, the idea of Soulja boy isn’t new because there has always been “fun rap”. I just think with the times we live in there isn’t room for that, but the big labels are clearing the way to make more space anyway. That Lupe Fiasco song is a perfect example, Dumb it Down song he has. I live in the south and I over here a lot of conversations about rap and life in general and these dudes is either too dumb to get a complete thought or they just like simple shit to listen to because they aren’t intelligent enough or too lazy to listen to complicated music that might make them think.
not really sure what to think of hiphop music at this point an time, but i think its only a reflection of overall people. like it started out against the grain but now it has become apart of the machine
Hiphop is not dead homey, most people are just looking for it in the wrong places i.e, the TV and the Radio. There’s plenty of dope MC’s that are not on the radio or TV, most of them are Indie.
Hiphop is not commercial. Hiphop is in the streets and in some clubs. Hiphop is for a select few. Hiphop is like a secret recipe, only certain people get it. Selling a bunch of records or creating a brand out yourself are not any elemants of Hiphop.
All this other shit is just Pop music. And yes, real Hiphop artists make Pop songs, but at they’re core they’re still Hiphop. The problem is when Pop artists make music and think its Hiphop. Thats why everyone is confused.
Soulja Boy is a Pop artist, I like his song, but that is not Hiphop. “Can’t Touch This” was also a good record, but again it is not Hiphop.
Hiphop is not dead, the problem arises when people forget what it is because of Pop music. Hiphop is and will always be MCing, DJing, Bboying, Graffing, and knowledge of all four. Hiphop is alive!