Who's in Control?
- Thread starter dacalion
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Ominous
OminousRed.com
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 21
I never thought of Hip Hop being controlled which is why I don't have an answer.
I don't think it is even being regulated. I just read an article and Puffy pointed out some interesting things I never though about. He said greed is changing Hip Hop and artistry is not longer celebrated because everyone just wants to get paid. One of the things he said is there is no regulation in Hip Hop that is comparable to other industries. LIke there is no Hip Hop Union. But there is a Screen Actor's Guild and a Writers Guild but Hip Hop is a billion dollar industry with no Union.
And then to kinda hit at Ash's point of white men running things, Puffy spoke on Steve Jobs and how he is making more money than anyone off of music because of how he changed the way we buy and listen to music with iTunes.
My personal opinion as a fan who grew up from my early days of Kool Moe Dee all the way to today's climate of Waca Flaca Flames and Soulja Boy is that Hip Hop is the direct voice of the people, much like Country music is for it's listeners. And that is why the two genre's switch places back and forth as far as being the most sold genre of music. I remember when I worked for the Wherehouse Music store when Hip Hop outsold Country for the first time and I had no idea that Country was the top selling genre in the first place. Go to Walmart, one of the nations largest chains and peep out how much Country music they carry.
Hip Hop grows with the people and the way the people do.
When it first started it was just like a kid. Just concerned about partying and having fun. I think about Biz Markie, Bush Babees, Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of the New School and Kid-n-Play. But then it grew and and realized that life was more than just about House Parties and DJ's and then conscious music started coming out like, NWA and Public Enemy. And then life got really hard and extremely violent and I remember all the murdering and crime spreading for NWA and KRS-1 shedding light of the disparity of life. And then super hard ass acts like Onyx, Mobb Deep and Dre came out and everything was hella dark and murky. Banging in Little Rock. All the crazy ass thug life in the West. Crazy ass drug industry of the East.
But then Hip Hop started branching off into things bigger than itself. Kinda like kids do when they grow up. They realize they better get smart and find a better way to make money to sustain their lives and develop careers to make more money because they suddenly realize the value in it. Kids stop being young and dumb and grow up and get smart. You get adventurous and travel and spread. Kinda like when Hip Hop really started banging in the South and master P and Texas blew up. Wu Tang started a clothing line and for all intents and purposes basically went completely corporate. Sean John and Rocawear all came out. Ice Cube grew up and got smart and broke away from NWA because he wanted to own his own shit. Got into making movies.
And then the business mentality gets real raw because you understand capitalism. People found out about how publishing works and how people were getting ripped off. Like The Lox, TLC, Nas etc. You start paying attention to politics as you get older because you see how it effects you more. Hip Hop, which was political to begin with, got even more political and songs reflecting politics start coming out. Conspiracy theories and shit. Things you never cared about when you were young.
And then when you get old and retire you just want to relax and have fun and you start becoming a kid again. And that is where I think it is now. You got a bunch of crazy ass kids all over again just pumping out what appears to be really ignorant music but it really isn't when you compare it to where this all started. The shit Waca Flaca and Gucci man and whoever else you wanna name isn't really on anything that hasn't been done before. Huge chains, guns and drugs and hoes is nothing new in Hip Hop. Not even autotune. Roger Troutman was all over that shit back in the day and the west coast never let vocoder music die.
I don't think it is controlled or regulated. I just think it reflects where society is in general.
I don't think it is even being regulated. I just read an article and Puffy pointed out some interesting things I never though about. He said greed is changing Hip Hop and artistry is not longer celebrated because everyone just wants to get paid. One of the things he said is there is no regulation in Hip Hop that is comparable to other industries. LIke there is no Hip Hop Union. But there is a Screen Actor's Guild and a Writers Guild but Hip Hop is a billion dollar industry with no Union.
And then to kinda hit at Ash's point of white men running things, Puffy spoke on Steve Jobs and how he is making more money than anyone off of music because of how he changed the way we buy and listen to music with iTunes.
My personal opinion as a fan who grew up from my early days of Kool Moe Dee all the way to today's climate of Waca Flaca Flames and Soulja Boy is that Hip Hop is the direct voice of the people, much like Country music is for it's listeners. And that is why the two genre's switch places back and forth as far as being the most sold genre of music. I remember when I worked for the Wherehouse Music store when Hip Hop outsold Country for the first time and I had no idea that Country was the top selling genre in the first place. Go to Walmart, one of the nations largest chains and peep out how much Country music they carry.
Hip Hop grows with the people and the way the people do.
When it first started it was just like a kid. Just concerned about partying and having fun. I think about Biz Markie, Bush Babees, Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of the New School and Kid-n-Play. But then it grew and and realized that life was more than just about House Parties and DJ's and then conscious music started coming out like, NWA and Public Enemy. And then life got really hard and extremely violent and I remember all the murdering and crime spreading for NWA and KRS-1 shedding light of the disparity of life. And then super hard ass acts like Onyx, Mobb Deep and Dre came out and everything was hella dark and murky. Banging in Little Rock. All the crazy ass thug life in the West. Crazy ass drug industry of the East.
But then Hip Hop started branching off into things bigger than itself. Kinda like kids do when they grow up. They realize they better get smart and find a better way to make money to sustain their lives and develop careers to make more money because they suddenly realize the value in it. Kids stop being young and dumb and grow up and get smart. You get adventurous and travel and spread. Kinda like when Hip Hop really started banging in the South and master P and Texas blew up. Wu Tang started a clothing line and for all intents and purposes basically went completely corporate. Sean John and Rocawear all came out. Ice Cube grew up and got smart and broke away from NWA because he wanted to own his own shit. Got into making movies.
And then the business mentality gets real raw because you understand capitalism. People found out about how publishing works and how people were getting ripped off. Like The Lox, TLC, Nas etc. You start paying attention to politics as you get older because you see how it effects you more. Hip Hop, which was political to begin with, got even more political and songs reflecting politics start coming out. Conspiracy theories and shit. Things you never cared about when you were young.
And then when you get old and retire you just want to relax and have fun and you start becoming a kid again. And that is where I think it is now. You got a bunch of crazy ass kids all over again just pumping out what appears to be really ignorant music but it really isn't when you compare it to where this all started. The shit Waca Flaca and Gucci man and whoever else you wanna name isn't really on anything that hasn't been done before. Huge chains, guns and drugs and hoes is nothing new in Hip Hop. Not even autotune. Roger Troutman was all over that shit back in the day and the west coast never let vocoder music die.
I don't think it is controlled or regulated. I just think it reflects where society is in general.
Like God said, the consumer is guided into what they want, by marketing that is deeply subconsious and very effective. Sometimes what we think we want isnt really what we want, we have just been made to believe thats what we want. Some people are more suseptible to fashion trends and are easier to market to, other require deeper subliminal messages through imagery. The world of subliminal messages is what advertising is all about, its a very fine science, based on studies into human psychology.
Oh yes sir! I couldn't agree with you more...IMO it creates "a loop" (so to speak...). The businesses say "you want this" in whatever subconsious manner...in return the consumer says "yes I want this" however, its up to the consumer to be "convinced" or "not"...like you said there are people on different consious levels that will accept the subconsious messages of the businesses and there are people that won't...overall, its the consumer that must be "convinced", ultimately still making them the final say.
I have seen the power of subliminal messages personally, probally at higher levels than anyone around ILL...I see it all the time here at Ft. Bragg. I wrote in another post how G.I.'s here have to be "debriefed" whenever they return from war. Some of these cats aren't allowed to even go home until they pass an evaluation saying that they are ready to go back into regular society. It all stems from being so psyched on fighting through military training and "subconscious stimulation".
At the same time...Im not very paranoid about subliminal messages, I feel like we would be forced into "living in a near perfect world" if it were all that serious.
I have seen the power of subliminal messages personally, probally at higher levels than anyone around ILL...I see it all the time here at Ft. Bragg. I wrote in another post how G.I.'s here have to be "debriefed" whenever they return from war. Some of these cats aren't allowed to even go home until they pass an evaluation saying that they are ready to go back into regular society. It all stems from being so psyched on fighting through military training and "subconscious stimulation".
At the same time...Im not very paranoid about subliminal messages, I feel like we would be forced into "living in a near perfect world" if it were all that serious.
All I'm sayin is that you cant stop the truth from coming fourth to the light so dope music is on the comeback...even wack cats no what the dopeness is...they've been AVOIDING it all this time. Alot of cats love the way hip hop has "evolved"....evolution is not always good because it depends on HOW one has evolved...for better or worse. Its gonna take enlightened artist to bring back lyricism cuz a dumb mufucka cant spit rhymes with substance. We need cats like Rakim as "overseers" of the culture, cats like KRS- 1 heads of Hip Hop unions and what not. We need Hip Hop museums that show the true beginnigs of the music, the first artist and all that. This music is worthy of all that.I caome from an era where if anyone talked shit about Hip Hop in general...it was a physical FIGHT poppin off. We've lost that fight because the same wack cats we were fighting are in control of the wack shit thats being played now. I feel so old at times...but yet fortunate to have lived in a era so true and pure. Cats can holla all day that that era is dead and never returning but you cant deny music thats hits home and touches the soul....and I have heard "new" stuff on the underground circuit that has moved my soul. 9th Wonder moves the soul.
UNORTHODOX
Father Timeless
DOPE Vid, This what I'vebeen saying all along.