Hip Hop culture and the rap business are two seperate things, don't confuse it. Hip Hop culture does not need the mainstream media at all to misrepresent it, like it is now and always did. I go to Hip Hop events all the time and it's doing just fine. Real Hip Hop culture is a world-wide phenomenom that is going to stay here forever and ever.
Just because you spend money on a couple of CD's a year on rap music does not make you a Hip Hop participant at all. Major record labels spend in the millions every year and they still ain't Hip Hop. Posting on the siccness does not make you Hip Hop either, even bloggers, unless you shed light. When you participate in any of the elements you will see for yourself how alive it is, or if you can't, shedding light on what is real makes you just as dope.
The only station playing full-on Hip Hop back in the day like Rakim, KRS-1, and EPMD was on AM 1580 KDAY, heard only if you lived in the Los Angeles area, and that was only until 89'. other than that, the real Hip Hop heads were getting their fix listening to mixshows, meaning a DJ blending on the wheels of steel, until the present day.
The mainstream has always been diluting Hip Hop with R&B, House, and Pop music ever since the mid 80's when it came up. The stuff we laughed at was New Kids on the Block, P.M. Dawn, Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli and shit like that. It was never that much better back then.
When you are Hip Hop, you ain't worried about appealing to the masses or seeking temporary mainstream acceptance, a.k.a. selling out. it never lasts for anybody anyways. The pioneers are not happy with mainstream radio and that is who we should be listening to when you really care about Hip Hop as a culture. When it comes to rap business, go ask puffy. commercial rap music in the u.s. is dying and i'm lovin' it.
Stay real, peace.