Hip Hop Is Dead

[MOREBASS]

Hip Hop is dead. Yes Nas said it...But how many of you actually understand what he said? If you understand what he is saying by saying that, then you would agree.

Allow me to explain.


When hip hop was born, it was the voice of the people who didn't have a voice. Hip Hop was born of struggle, of sadness, of misfortune. It's is entirely the music of the ghetto. And the ghetto (the projects, the hood, whatever you wanna call it) is nothing nice...

But at the same time, however desolate the hood may be, it is a bright and vibrant place. In the hood you have to make a way out of no way. In the hood, you have to do very creative things just to survive. No lights? Run an extensioin cord over to your neighbors house. No heat? Turn on the oven. No dryer? Put your clothes in front of that hot oven. No air conditioner/pool? Bust open that fire hydrant and make it rain.

The hood was VERY creative...so hip hop began to embody that creativity, along with it's misery.

In hip hop's infantcy, it thrived off it's diversity. You couldn't get no respect by being like the next man. In hip hop, it was damn cool to be different. Hell, it was damn near a REQUIREMENT!! If you stole someone elses style of dress, their lines, their dance moves, etc, you were a SUCKA MC!!! Forever labeled as WACK!!! Biting used to be a MORTAL SIN in hip hop.

In the 80's, you had all kinds of groups. You had the hardcore Kool G Rap and Schooly D. You had the feel good and dance sounds of Young MC, Kid N Play and MC Hammer. You had the political bravado of Public Enemy, BDP and X Clan. You had all these different types of things, but they all coexisted.

In the 80's you could turn on the radio and hear Public Enemy, Kid N Play, Run DMC, LL Cool J, Salt N Pepa, Beastie Boys, X Clan, Kool G Rap, Cool C, and J.J Fad all back to back! AND IN PRIME TIME!!!!

You had east coast artists like Run DMC and LL Cool J. West Coast artists like Ice-T, J.J Fad and MC Hammer. Down South artists like Geto Boys and 2 Live Crew. You even had midwest artists like MC Breed, and they could ALL get airplay.

Back when hip hop was ALIVE AND THRIVING, there was room for everybody. Whatever kind of hip hop you liked, it was there. You could turn on the radio and within about 5 or 6 songs, hear the kind of hip hop you liked. You could turn on TV and see a Young MC video played right before a NWA video. EVERYBODY got a spot. It wasn't about who killed the most people or who paid the most for the radio spot...it was about GOOD MUSIC. GOOD MUSIC got shine.


Now in 2006?? There is ONE type of music out there. If it ain't hardcore, then there isn't a very good chance that it's even gonna get any exposure. If you turn on the radio, they will play 8 songs back to back, and they ALL SOUND THE EXACT SAME!!! Same instruments. Same flow. Same tempo. And the same damn voice telling some chick what to do with her big ole ass.

The spirit of hip hop IS DEAD. The spirit of variety, of creativity, of being different, and of comroderary. It's all dead. There's only room for ONE thing in hip hop right now. And if you sound anything like that ONE THING, then you can get a spot. But if you sound any different?? Then you better hope that you can get a crossover audience, cuz hip hop doesn't want you.

So there you have it. That's what Nas is saying. And I don't give a f*ck what Jeezy, Lil Wayne, or anybody else says. HIP HOP IS DEAD. And it's gonna take more than Nas to bring it back.

This isn't about an East vs South vs West vs whatever thing. It's about HIP HOP vs BIG BUSINESS. Big business is what killed hip hop. And every single one of us has been paying them to do so.


If you're over 25, then you know what i'm talking about, and you were THERE during the times i'm talking about. If you're under 25, then chances are your very first memories of hip hop as it was actually happening is Puffy's Shiny Suit takeover.

 

[Gringo Starr]

I agree 206%. Hip-hop is the most influential form of music. It influences the youth around the WORLD more than any other genre. It has influence on media as well. But alas, it has grown borign and monoitinous. I barely even listen to it anymore.

 

[KillaClown]

This isn't about an East vs South vs West vs whatever thing. It's about HIP HOP vs BIG BUSINESS. Big business is what killed hip hop. And every single one of us has been paying them to do so.

I personally think the music as a genre has been exploited.

..by big business like you say.


The state of the music now breeds all kinds of fake ass motherfuckers too. You get so many copycat kids trying to embrace the violence that a lot of rappers portray through their music. Violence, material culture, and the positive image on drug dealing.

There's young kids 16, 17 years old trying to sell some weed trying to be a fake ass hood star in the suburbs. They get caught up. Dont know the game right. Fuck with the wrong suppliers, and end up in jail facing felonies and shit. The way rap is now-a-days it all reinforces the gangster image/persona. Yet, most all the rappers with the big dough got security and luxurious lives. They been rapping for 5 years on the dirt they did before they got a half mill. 50 hustles cd's and clothes, not rocks and glocks. And that's the same for the rest.

 

[MOREBASS]

Thats true, it is the most influential genre of music in the world, and thats also the sad part about whats happening with it nowadays.

 

[livemanikins]

very well put mang

 

[ThaG]

if you listen closely to rap released around 1990 you'll notice that aside from a few acts it wasn't really that diverse, basically all the lesser known artists used the same 25-30 samples on their albums; and that's something I only recently realized because back then I was too little and listened only to the big name rappers of the era which didn't do that; if you look past PE, Rakim and NWA the majority of rap was all the same

The real problems are:

1. the lack of exposure of the "different" artists

2. everything new that appeared in the last few years, even if it was fresh and innovative musicwise (e.g. trap, snap, hyphy), was total trash lyrically and it's the music that makes people buy albums but it's the lyrics that influence your mind

3. the so called "lyrical" artists for the most part focus too much on lyrics and neglect the fact that their music sucks; the balance is lost

4. the fun is gone; I remember listening to gangsta rap in the early 90s with the gang-banging stories and shit often was funny as fuck; music wasn't made with the idea "Look, we need to sell two millions, we have to make these and these type of tracks, we need a big single to drive sales, etc.", rappers were using the music to express themselves; I can't find that genuine feel to the music anymore, not only in commercial rap but also in most of the underground "real hip-hop" artists

 

[Y-S]

I don't think hip-hop is actually dead

 

[Jake]

^^^me neither

although i do agree with most of the points brought up

 

[Its Premo]

corporate america killed it

and look at the songs they used as singles during the mid 90s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMsMtMDiPjk
this was their "commercial" shit

 

[bambamslapz]

if thats the case its been dead since 1996....i dont think hip hop is dead...the spirit is very alive...but you cant look to the radio or the tv to find it...it just so happens that the majority of the mainstream is bullshit....thats why i bump underground all day

 

[ThaG]

most of the underground also sucks

 

[KrazeeRDM]

most of the underground also sucks

agreed

 

[Mak Deniro]

Hip Hop is dead. Yes Nas said it...But how many of you actually understand what he said? If you understand what he is saying by saying that, then you would agree.

Allow me to explain.


When hip hop was born, it was the voice of the people who didn't have a voice. Hip Hop was born of struggle, of sadness, of misfortune. It's is entirely the music of the ghetto. And the ghetto (the projects, the hood, whatever you wanna call it) is nothing nice...

But at the same time, however desolate the hood may be, it is a bright and vibrant place. In the hood you have to make a way out of no way. In the hood, you have to do very creative things just to survive. No lights? Run an extensioin cord over to your neighbors house. No heat? Turn on the oven. No dryer? Put your clothes in front of that hot oven. No air conditioner/pool? Bust open that fire hydrant and make it rain.

The hood was VERY creative...so hip hop began to embody that creativity, along with it's misery.

In hip hop's infantcy, it thrived off it's diversity. You couldn't get no respect by being like the next man. In hip hop, it was damn cool to be different. Hell, it was damn near a REQUIREMENT!! If you stole someone elses style of dress, their lines, their dance moves, etc, you were a SUCKA MC!!! Forever labeled as WACK!!! Biting used to be a MORTAL SIN in hip hop.

In the 80's, you had all kinds of groups. You had the hardcore Kool G Rap and Schooly D. You had the feel good and dance sounds of Young MC, Kid N Play and MC Hammer. You had the political bravado of Public Enemy, BDP and X Clan. You had all these different types of things, but they all coexisted.

In the 80's you could turn on the radio and hear Public Enemy, Kid N Play, Run DMC, LL Cool J, Salt N Pepa, Beastie Boys, X Clan, Kool G Rap, Cool C, and J.J Fad all back to back! AND IN PRIME TIME!!!!

You had east coast artists like Run DMC and LL Cool J. West Coast artists like Ice-T, J.J Fad and MC Hammer. Down South artists like Geto Boys and 2 Live Crew. You even had midwest artists like MC Breed, and they could ALL get airplay.

Back when hip hop was ALIVE AND THRIVING, there was room for everybody. Whatever kind of hip hop you liked, it was there. You could turn on the radio and within about 5 or 6 songs, hear the kind of hip hop you liked. You could turn on TV and see a Young MC video played right before a NWA video. EVERYBODY got a spot. It wasn't about who killed the most people or who paid the most for the radio spot...it was about GOOD MUSIC. GOOD MUSIC got shine.


Now in 2006?? There is ONE type of music out there. If it ain't hardcore, then there isn't a very good chance that it's even gonna get any exposure. If you turn on the radio, they will play 8 songs back to back, and they ALL SOUND THE EXACT SAME!!! Same instruments. Same flow. Same tempo. And the same damn voice telling some chick what to do with her big ole ass.

The spirit of hip hop IS DEAD. The spirit of variety, of creativity, of being different, and of comroderary. It's all dead. There's only room for ONE thing in hip hop right now. And if you sound anything like that ONE THING, then you can get a spot. But if you sound any different?? Then you better hope that you can get a crossover audience, cuz hip hop doesn't want you.

So there you have it. That's what Nas is saying. And I don't give a f*ck what Jeezy, Lil Wayne, or anybody else says. HIP HOP IS DEAD. And it's gonna take more than Nas to bring it back.

This isn't about an East vs South vs West vs whatever thing. It's about HIP HOP vs BIG BUSINESS. Big business is what killed hip hop. And every single one of us has been paying them to do so.


If you're over 25, then you know what i'm talking about, and you were THERE during the times i'm talking about. If you're under 25, then chances are your very first memories of hip hop as it was actually happening is Puffy's Shiny Suit takeover.

I am 33 i was a teenager during the 80's, i bought my first rap tape in 1986, i have been through all this shit, i lived through raps 'golden era' of 1988, and as far as i am concerned HIP HOP IS ALIVE and what you and Nas are talking about here is straight bullshit.

Hip Hop was and is a philospohy, and an ideology - Originally it was a culture that comprised of DJin, MCin, B-Boyin (break dancing), grafitti art at street level. Now it has expanded into all forms of modern culture, we live in a world of Hip Hop culture! - How can it be dead???. There has been the 'real' Hip Hop is Dead campaign around before Nas said it, to me its an empty statement. Of course Hip Hop has changed, the culture around it has changed, the world has changed dramatically in 20 sum years. Hip Hop has impacted mainstream culture and changed it with an unbelievable force, from being rarely heard about in the 70's, in just 20 years Hip Hop has become one of the most lucrative mulit faceted industrys in the music business, Hip Hop lives and breathes. Whatever region the music spreads to, it takes a part of its enviroment and re-incorporates it into its sound until it becomes reborn each time, like it has always done and will continue to do.

Right now there are more pieces of the Hip Hop puzzle than there has ever been. With respect to your argument Kool G Rap / Juice Crew, Public Enemy, Schoolly-D, Tuff Crew, Ultramagnetic, Eric B and Rakim, BDP, KId and Play, Young MC all had the same sound, used the same breaks, same tempo's, same rhythms.

SO Hip Hop has changed, of course it has, but somethings remain constant - Hip Hop is still very much the voice of the youth and the voice of the struggle, there are still those making rap music purely for the love and there are those using it as a hustle, this has always been Hip Hop's legacy, it still is Hood music, and as for Fads and trends they have also always been a part of Hip Hop since it began.

Look at it this way if Hip Hop was a person it would be in its late 20's now, do you still do all the things you did when you were a kid? Hip Hop was born in the 70's, had its adolence in the 80's and now its a grown man, with seeds.

Hip Hop is not fuckin Dead, if it is, then so am i and so is everybody here that loves this shit

 

[scientist]

most of the underground also sucks

...

agreed

 

[Ry]

I think that it is a good thing that true hip hop fans are starting to talk like this. For the longest time the problems in hip hop were being ignored. Its great that artists like Nas and Lupe Fiasco are standing up and trying to reclaim the music. I think this will continue to happen in 2007 and there will be a backlash against non-creative cookie cutter music...

 

[Y-S]

if hip-hop was dead this thread wouldn't exist

 

[ThaG]

I think that it is a good thing that true hip hop fans are starting to talk like this. For the longest time the problems in hip hop were being ignored. Its great that artists like Nas and Lupe Fiasco are standing up and trying to reclaim the music. I think this will continue to happen in 2007 and there will be a backlash against non-creative cookie cutter music...

What if these same artists just use the "Hip-Hop Is Dead" shit to boost their sales? Because so far they only talk, I have yet to hear them drop somerhing both innovative and worth listening to

 

[Its Premo]

the new nas album is fire ur trippin

 

[KrazeeRDM]

if hip-hop was dead this thread wouldn't exist

u obviously havent heard the album.

it aint about hip hop bein dead in the album. the album is about him resurrectin hip hop

 

[BayCal]

Good write up, man. When Nas said it wasn't towards the south, I still think part of him still shoots at the south because that's where a lot of "the same shit" came out......i aint even trynna make my own long ass write up but u explained well, dogg...