Is Hiphop REALLY Dead?

[dahkter]

My thoughts is that hip hop is alive, but got snatched up by the body snatchers.

Let's go the Marvel comics philosophy:
Wolverine would have sensed something was wrong with hip hop. He would have smelled it and said "Somethings wrong..." and stuck his claws in it. Then he would have seen that what's marketed as hip hop nowadays is just some greedy corporations shoving some stupid lowest common denominator garbage to keep the masses appeased and ignorant.

Hip hop albums, cd's, etc, used to come with the lyrics printed out. Because the lyrics were intelligent, the words were chosen with thought and had meaning. These lyrics in turn stimulated thought and debate. This is how societys advance. discourse. between people.

Most of these big corporations are not interested in intelligence, upliftment or originality. Just cash, just marketing, just status quo, dumb dee dumb dumb bullshit to appease the masses. Please note, i like funk, i like nonsense, i got nothing against chicken noodle, macarena, shit, even chacarron gave me a good laugh (thanks Ill). But the world needs balance, and we, the public, have not been getting it the last ten years. We get some overhyped bullshit stereotype go nowhere garbage and nothing else....

This a dope album with dope beats. This album has lyrics to go with the flow, it's like drinking spring water, fucking simple and tasty. After so many glasses of corn syrup served to us on mainstream media, this water is ultra delicious.

All my opinion of course.
EZ
Dahkter

 

[shadeed]

Actually hip hop can never die, what we're witnessing now is the result of all the hard work that the architects of this culture laid down. It's global now, and with the internet
there's no such thing as the underground. Either you're on and poppin or you need to go back to the lab and cook up something new, no in between.

The internet is making stars out of groups such as La Coka Nostra and recently Gnarls Barkley.

What is lacking is the newer artists showing respect to the people who showed them how to do this. The hip hop media is also waaay behind. Davey D and many other outlets do hip hop justice but we need more.

It's not a NY-only thing, I consider an artist like Paul Wall hip-hop. Why? Because all he does in his music is pay homage to Screwed Up and the culture of TX that made him put it down how he does. In interviews, he'll tell you his favorite rapper was Don Keke all day.

I respect how T.I. redid a UGK joint and shot the video with them.
You got other dudes who use the word "Trill" and don't even know where it comes from.

It's a new world now, if you wanna see how hip hop (living the elements) used to be you gotta visit Japan, Europe, places like that. In Japan they still breakdance outside the subways at night, all the world DJ comps are held there as well.

What hip hop needs is shows and programs that present our history and pioneers. How can you say (for example) "I'm a mack/player/pimp" in your rhymes and not know anything about Sir Too Short, Ball and G, and Kane - the dudes who came before you and made it possible to even come out how you do today??

 

[classic]

The fact we are having this discuesssion in an internet hip hop production forum should say something...

hip hop aint dead, its just aviabile to the masses so they do there own thing wit it

 

[shadeed]

word Ash, you made some valuable points but RnB is wack now too man. What happen to smoov shit,,,now these young cats are on some straight foward,"I wanna fuck you tonite...",,,lol,,If you know of some other RnB that is good ,,,hit me up.


On another note, I am sick of cats wishin it was the 90's again. I do miss that music and style, and it was a great time to be a fan of Hip Hop music, but we do need to move on. I know my style of beats may be remeniscent of those days, but I try to stay contemporary because Boom Bap is a style and not an era....Holla.

Now R&B is D-E-A-D, the so-called best singers couldn't even be backup singers in the golden era of R&B, but I will say that Beyonce is the Diana Ross of this generation.

Most people only miss the 90's because it was the soundtrack to their upbringing- trust,
people feel the same way about the 70's and 80's.
How you dress, act, and listen to in your youth will define your worldview for the rest of your life.

 

[Relic]

God save us all then....The next gen is L-O-S-T

 

[dahkter]

What up Shadeed,

Most people only miss the 90's because it was the soundtrack to their upbringing- trust,
people feel the same way about the 70's and 80's.

I don't totally buy this logic, music of hip hops golden age was original and groundbreaking, sonically and lyrically. Regardless if people grew up with it or not, it has to be recognized.

And talking about the late 60's, early 70's, political climate was crazy, and amazing music was written which reflected this turmoil. Without getting too political, we are in an equally crazy period right now, however the music doesn't reflect the times IMO.

Basically what I'm asking is where's this generations Hendrix/Floyd/Beatles/Miles, etc? When are people gonna stop copying and start doing original shit? When are people gonna get outside of themselves and see the world around them?

I'm hoping people snap out of this wack ass media environment. Internet is a great tool, this conversation is a great example. But people also have to realize there are (to quote Chuck D) "weapons of mass distraction" all around us. People get caught up in this fluff, missing the point of life and missing what's going on in the world around them....

 

[Relic]

Amen Dahkter.

I think what hurt me to the core is when I went to atlantic city a few years ago and was braggin to my gf that we were gonna hear "Real" hiphop now that we are up the way..I kept tuning and tuning.....And know what?
It was the EXACT same stuff that was on the radio in Charlotte.Even on the boardwalk.
That really broke my heart cause NY used to have like lotsa of locals and stuff that went on to be big, of course ,that you wouldnt get to hear in the south and I guess Clear channels monopoly on the radio waves has destroyed this .

 

[dahkter]

What up Relic,
Yeah, exactly. I think the last good NY mainstream radio show was when Evil Dee did Monday nights on Hot 97 from 10-12. He would totally kill it, scratching, doubles, unreleased joints. It was really an amazing show.
After they took him off (maybe around 98), NY radio really went down hill...
Clear Channel fucking killed radio, big time....

 

[Relic]

I like whats goin on in the UK with hiphop right now.You can feel the spirit in the music..
I would say even in this year I have heard it improve like %500..
Again there is some really good stuff on this site that is true to the essense of what in imo is hiphop.

Im not opposed to Crunk or screwed or anything Im just tired of hearing the same crap played to DEATH on the radio ALL THE TIME!!

Its not a quaint thinig you can like or not when its the same sound over and over and none of it is concsious and its being jammed down your throat 50 times a day until you feel like you like it cuz youve heard it so much.

 

[Formant024]

^^ second that, even commercial uk stuff really got more vibe to it (spooks, ms dynamite ..fuck it, dizzy rascal lol).

US commercial cats dont know how to flow, they sound like a sequence of vocal arpeggios on steady 8ths or they're just talking instead of spitting. Cats should rap like 90's cause the flows back then were unique and had a sense of rhytmns and grooves.

 

[Carpe Diem]

I like whats goin on in the UK with hiphop right now.You can feel the spirit in the music..
I would say even in this year I have heard it improve like %500..

Yes... UKHH [if thats what you wanna call it], is straight raw, none of this bling bling, guns and hoes bollocks; its just raw emotion coming on a track, just as it was in NY in the early 90's... I think this is where Hip-Hop needs to go.....

In my opinion, Hip-Hop isn't dead, you've just gotta dig through A LOT of shit to find the gems... However, I feel that its missing many of its vital elements, many of which have been replaced by the ideals of the Hip-Pop rubbish you hear today - guns, women, money and bling...

 

[Relic]

Yes white stereo types of blacks, kinda shows you whos runnin shit...sorry Fade delete dont close but even tho its political thats what I think it comes down to , seems like you can see it from there across the pond.

 

[lilhatedon]

in the mainstream yup but i just feel like dudes ain't sellin now so now feel what people like krs1 was saying about this pop shit i mean if peeps like mos def talib mr. complex etc went pop and stuff then i would definately agree but thats in the usa. Other countries have a healthy hip hop seen so if that did happen i'd still have people to listen to other than myself so dats kool

 

[FistFulloDollaz]

Yes hip hop is DEAD or very close to it

understand that doesnt mean no on is doing hip hop, there is of course people who are still making good music old and new

but its dead because of the corporate infiltration, its all about a DOLLAR or SALES now

its dead because of a lack of creativity and copycat artists that do whatever is hot at the moment

its dead because instead of being a voice for the community and helping, artists are making the community worse by promoting "moving keys", "busting they gun", "degrading women", or "over fascination with cars and jewelry"

oh and I'm not even gonna talk about snap music

 

[Relic]

here here Agreed Fist, and being we are in the same state I know how much you know how dead it is ...lol...
Why does NC have to do everything atl does? Why cant the public except somthing that ist atl and is new and NC?

SMH never get it...The best way to get big and famous in this state is to leave it,, be excepted elsewhere,,
THEN they will love you here...thats the only way...

 

[Elementree]

hip hop is not dead, its living underground

 

[Relic]

Like a mole or a worm...

But I agree I get all my stuff off the internet, mostly unknowns like ourselves..

 

[lilhatedon]

well as long as everywhere else is doin it i don't mind hip hop is something you live rap is something u do so hip hop ain't just music so i know it ain't deadlust now certain peeps ain't sellin they wanna get mad when the old skool kats was warning em the direction it was going bet they wish they would have listened now.But i'm glad the other coast are blowin up weather its the so called gangsta shit or watered down crunk cus now peeps wanna here hip hop mc's again like they vanished or something

 

[trez260]

here, KRS breaks down what Nas means behind "Hip Hop is Dead"
http://allhiphop.com/features/?ID=1664

 

[StressWon]

What up Relic,
Yeah, exactly. I think the last good NY mainstream radio show was when Evil Dee did Monday nights on Hot 97 from 10-12. He would totally kill it, scratching, doubles, unreleased joints. It was really an amazing show.
After they took him off (maybe around 98), NY radio really went down hill...
Clear Channel fucking killed radio, big time....

thank god someone said that shit! For real,,preach on!