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685 Comments
- inactive, on 10/14/2007, -131/+420"Hip hop first and foremost is a musical art-form"
ya okay sparky. whatever you say.
What Stevie Ray Vaughn did was an art form. Cramming CZ Diamonds in your buck teeth and bad rhyming about the "ho" who blew you last night is a passing fad at best.
And if RAP and HIP HOP is music, then the film 8-Mile was a Musical. Just like grease. - Osjpr, on 10/14/2007, -14/+228It's because of music piracy [/sarcasm]
- kronix2, on 10/14/2007, -24/+193All it takes to qualify as a "rapper" is black ancestry and the ability to repeat a set of words in normal everyday tone whilst cavorting around in expensive jewellery and slapping the asses of several prostitutes as the jelly jiggles. All this, while making outlandish claims about your wealth, sexual prowess and what will happen to your enemies if they cross you.
All the work can be done by lyricists, musicians, producers and image consultants. The rapper is there to monotonously repeat some irrelevant dribble about non-existent hardships and shooting people who they don't like. No talent required - just like pop. Hip-hop is like pop, except with more violence and false bravado. - loki440, on 10/14/2007, -5/+138You're totally right. Hip hop is dying because the music is so ***** formulaic. I feel like I've heard the same song for the last fifteen years. Here's the formula to 80% of all hip-hop:
1. Claim you're the world's best MC. Your claim should include boasts of sexual prowess or physical toughness (preferably both)
2. State that all other MCs are either substandard or homosexual. Threatening violence is ok.
3. Reference your high net worth.
4. Describe in detail the material goods your high net worth affords you.
5. Include at least one reference to a club. Make sure it contains the words "Cristal" and "VIP" .
6. Don't forget the bitches in the club. As a rule of thumb, if there's no bitches, it's not hip-hop.
7. Describe how the bitches are impressed with either: a) the size of your financial estate, b) the size of your *****, or c) both.
8. Brag about how your large______ enabled you to have sexual relations with the bitches and then send them packing.
9. Reiterate your claim as being the world's best MC.
10. Give a shoutout to your producer.
Done. I'm going to send this to 50 Cent. He'll probably use it as is... - inactive, on 10/14/2007, -13/+122He'll always be P. Shiddy to me
- JuyLe, on 10/14/2007, -9/+117"Hip Hop Isn't Dying, But The Website Is"
- BeefBaron, on 10/14/2007, -4/+104Maybe people have just wised up to the fact that the singers who say they're "from the streets" or similar crap are spouting a complete fallacy; living in luxury, with limos and your own clothing line and making millions more bitching about being poor doesn't even make sense.
Furthermore, hundreds of artists saying the same generic lines about "'burbs", "streets", "hos" etc is expected to make people bored eventually.
Hip hop artists dig their own grave, but at least they're lining their coffins with sweet sweet money in the process! - PYREX, on 10/12/2007, -116/+207no *****. it's always sucked. always
99.99999999999999% dont even write the music. they just repeat the same basic rhyming *****.
I'm so hard yo' i ***** bitches all night yo' i get da dolla dolla bills yo'
yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhheh boooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwweeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyy!!!! - kinesis8, on 10/14/2007, -22/+108"Hip Hop isn't dead, it just went underground"
http://www.okayplayer.com/artists.htm - indorock, on 10/14/2007, -18/+102shadowsa you moron, Wu-Tang definitely does not count as mainstream "crap". In fact when the year in which they appeared on the scene, it could be considered the finest year in the history of hip hop, maybe never to be bested. It was the year in which west and east brought out some definite classics....despite east-west rivalies, the love and unity for the hip hop culture as a whole was at an all-time high...sure there was some breaking through into the top 40 lists, notably Dr. Dre, but others as well, but that was so beautiful, to see something coming from the underground to finally be recognized and respected by the masses. Nothing wrong with that.
However the fame and fortune and oodles of Benzes & Bitches gets to peoples' heads, and rap as a music form and hip hop as a culture are suffering as a result. It's becoming a get-rich-quick/pyramid scheme for just about everybody with a gold tooth. And that sucks. But there is freedom of expression, so they must not be discouraged in making "music", even if it is crap. It's up to the consumers to filter through the crap and find the gems hidden in between.
There still is good hip hop out there, it's just become a lo harder to find nowadays. - Flon, on 10/14/2007, -2/+81This reminds me of what Chris Rock said
"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named 'Bush', 'Dick', and 'Colon.' Need I say more?” - scottauth, on 10/12/2007, -5/+80It seems like people always complain about the lack of quality on mainstream radio. Why are you still listening to the radio? Turn it off. This is the age of the Internet, it's not that difficult to discover new and exciting artists that entertain you. The only time I turn the radio on is to listen to hockey games when I can't see them on TV. Hip-hop isn't dead, radio is and you should let it die in peace.
For those interested in hip-hop here is a list of a few artists that are making some solid music (hell, a few even cracked into the mainstream): Talib Kweli, El-P, Cadence Weapon, Mos Def, MF Doom, Madlib, Clipse, Kanye West, Common, the Roots, J Dilla, the Streets, etc... - teethman, on 10/12/2007, -6/+75First of all, if you are basing a music genre based on what is being displayed on MTV or BET, you would think all music sucks. This isnt a rule, but a circumstance created by the major label business practice which basically is to manufactures music as toelit paper. Although there is always going to be a few talented artists that make it through, most are to be thrown out in order to make way for the next roll in which to wipe your ass. Focus groups will sample teens for what the latest "cool" trend is. Is it rap? punk? metal? emo? Whatever it is, they will exploit it until it is "not cool" or "dead". Everything is pretty shallow, requiring no investment to the listener. This is what they think will ensure a steady cash flow, with hope that little johny will move on to the next trend and spend his $15
The fact is, the toilet paper model is steadily failing. They are losing money due to their own failure to adapt. These people are the same ***** who fight the internet rather then embrace it. The playing feild is now level. Independant lables are maintaing a respectable fanbase. Of course the majors are losing money. When you release the "newest hot *****", little johny who cares nothing about the music, is going to download that new hot *****, and flush it in 6 months. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+72I blame Puff Daddy
- PYREX, on 10/12/2007, -19/+83whoever dugg (sic) me down. you know im right. just turn on "your MTV" and youll see. ***** is played out. its just engineered garbage by half-wit producers who see what 16 year olds w/ an IQ of 70 are inclined to buy.
- n33b, on 10/14/2007, -18/+79"How could hip hop be dead if Wu-Tang is forever?" - RZA
Word up. - fatbyjhnsn, on 10/12/2007, -27/+84Well, you're kind of right. The lack of good mainstream music is reflective of a crappy underground scene. So while I might not care about mainstream music, the hip hop underground ain't in good shape either.
- spamzor, on 10/12/2007, -7/+59The quality of the music they are *making* us listen to is just terrible. I listen to a lot of electro and all the various forms of house music, it seems to really be taking off now. And most of it is never played on the radio, thank-you internet and thank-you club DJs.
- teethman, on 10/12/2007, -14/+66My point is, hip hop doesnt suck. All music sucks, if you go by what its worst artists are.
- kronix2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+52"Who sustains dumb-asses like Diddy, Chingy or Nelly in long careers?"
Middle-class white children. - orientis, on 10/12/2007, -9/+5750 Cent is a *****.
Check out Sage Francis, Eyedea and Abilities, Clouddead, Penpushers etc etc for good American hiphop. It's not dead, it just got smarter.
Aussie hiphop ***** rules. Hilltop Hoodz, Butterfingers etc. We don't take it as seriously. - codmate, on 10/12/2007, -16/+64Enter The 36 Chambers is one of the best rap albums of all time!
- resprung, on 10/12/2007, -3/+49Remember "hair metal"? The stupid clichés and posturing wore themselves out in 5 years, ending up a complete joke the instant Nirvana got exposure.
Rap clichés have somehow survived unchanged for 20 long years.
How the hell does the market not move on?
Who sustains dumb-asses like Diddy, Chingy or Nelly in long careers? - mdnash, on 10/12/2007, -1/+46i think hes just Diddy now.
- Tyr7BE, on 10/12/2007, -6/+50"What Stevie Ray Vaughn did was an art form. Cramming CZ Diamonds in your buck teeth and bad rhyming about the "ho" who blew you last night is a passing fad at best."
That's exactly what he's saying. The cheap content is a passing fad that's about to pass. At its core, hip hop is just as much an art form as any other sort of music. It uses skillful word play and complicated rhythm and rhyme to produce its sound, just like blues guitar uses rhythm and skilled guitar work, opera uses depth and range of voice, etc etc. Don't claim it's an invalid art form just because you don't like what's out there now. I think there are a lot of ***** metal bands out there right now. Does that mean Stevie Ray Vaughn was a hack because he also played guitar? - davymac, on 10/12/2007, -8/+50Saul Williams? Mos Def? Talib Kweli? GZA and RZA? Dan the Automator? Del The Funky Homosapien?
It's not dead.. the good stuff's just not promoted - Tyr7BE, on 10/12/2007, -3/+43"My problem with most of Hip Hop, is I can't respect it artistically. It's not what it's intent is, but it's the fact that there is no originality in it. Taking the music from two or three songs and mixing it together, then putting down some new lyrics on it, which half the time are pretty freaking lame, doesn't qualify as being artistic to me. Up until the mid-90's, that was called RIPPING OFF. That is how I still feel about it. Especially, from a$$hats like P-Diddy, that jackass couldn't write and original piece if his d1ck depended on it."
1) I have roughly 200 hip hop albums, so I consider myself a fairly heavy listener. I can think of less than a dozen songs that are mashups of old recordings. Pre-1995, that was called a COVER. And it still is. The vast majority of hip hop out there consists of original works. Often it's a set of MCs and a DJ. The DJ is responsible for coming up with good backings and beats. A good lyricist is nothing without a good DJ.
2) The fact that you're including P-Diddy in a discussion regarding hip hop pretty much gives the game away. That's like me talking to you about how punk music is too provocative because Britney Spears used to dress down in some of her videos.
It's frustrating to see some of these posts that are made out of pure ignorance. I used to feel exactly the same way. I thought hip hop was unoriginal, and thought the content was ridiculous. A bunch of marble-mouthed rappers talking about how they like to 'git dey DRANK on'. It's because I was taking what was fed from MTV and MuchMusic without really exploring any deeper. ***** acts like 50 cent and P Diddy are what's marketed on the airwaves because that's what the 15 year old kids are going to buy. Boy-Punk like Blink 182 is being pushed as punk, Bubblegum like Britney Spears is being put out as pop (or was until a while back, I sort of checked out of that whole scene when I got too disgusted a few years back), and ***** Rock like Nickelback is being pushed as rock. You have to realize that what you see on TV and hear on the radio is the bottom of the bucket, most watered down, unoriginal, generic, lowest-common-denominator CRAPOLA that exists in music today. It's the companies that make up the RIAA going for a big old cash grab. Put together a sad excuse for a song, hire some sexy dancers / kids they can primp up to look cool / some dude with a bad attitude and make a video that sells. It's cheap to produce, lasts about 2 weeks on the charts, and means money keeps pouring in.
You want the good stuff? Dig deeper. This applies to any genre of music that you find distasteful. Ask some people who have extensive collections of a genre what's good. Tell them you really hate what you see on TV, that you're not really a fan of genre X, and ask them what they would recommend to a beginner to get them hooked. Tell them your musical tastes and see if they can find a match that mixes some of genre X with whatever you listen to. Chances are pretty good that you'll find something you like, and eventually your tastes might change. This is what happened with me. I HATED hip hop. Hated it with a passion. Then someone introduced me to the album 'Phrenology' by The Roots. After that my whole perspective changed. Hip hop eventually became my favorite type of music, and remains one of the top contenders to this day. All because I heard something I liked and did a bit of digging. I can tell you that even though I have those 200 hip hop albums, I've seen pretty close to none of them on TV. I still hate what the TV passes off as hip hop. Probably always will. Set your standards higher than what they're spoon-feeding you, put a bit of effort into your listening habits, and you will be rewarded eventually. - DatoeDakari, on 10/14/2007, -15/+53Two words... Immortal Technique!
- yensed, on 10/12/2007, -2/+40Its not just Hip Hop that sucks recently.
- UO07, on 10/12/2007, -2/+37@loki440
The 22" rims.. don't forget the 22" rims. Oh, and bling. - piesforyou, on 10/12/2007, -13/+47"Well, it would be amusing if so many of the responses didn't reek of racism. *shrug*"
What on earth are you talking about? How come some people can see racism everywhere they look? - MrFlesh, on 10/12/2007, -1/+34Hip hop has been playing the same damn song since '92.
I knew hip hop jumped the shark as soon as I heard the lyrics "It's goin' down, at the mall"
Nothing ever goes down at the mall. And if you think something goes down at the mall you need to go other places than the mall. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -7/+39I go to a school where one of the top musical engineering degrees in America is taught (so says Rolling Stone Magazine, that is) - and I can tell you for a fact why Hip-Hop is failing.
It's the exact same reason our recording degree program is going obsolete. Too many people flooding the market. How many times have you heard someone who owns their own studio, or wants to be a rapper? The market is so ***** saturated with it (just like the emo-style boy bands) that those that are skilled or good musicians are often times drowned out.
Now, I've never been a fan of rap music - but if you want to make a statement in life, I'm sure that it probably shouldn't talk about "***** You" to the very people who buy you're music (and I'm talking about white people.) - mickeyknoxxx, on 10/12/2007, -3/+34Hip-Hop as far as I'm concerned was a movement destroyed by commerciality and over saturation.
The way ALL movements have been in the history of this country.
The way you silence a group of rebels, is over saturate their messages, and give them so much money that they completely lose focus on the purpose of their movement.
Also, the young kids decide whats cool and what worth listening too. It's just a bunch of us that think hip-hop is dead. Every 13 year old girl with an iPod has Young Jeezy's new single.
It doesnt matter what we think. Just like it didnt matter what our parents thought. - MrSpookyPants, on 10/12/2007, -1/+31Hip hop sucks these days because any no talent ass clown in somebody's entourage can make a rap record and get airplay for it.
- livestradamus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+31More Good Rap:
Immortal Technique, The Roots, Jurassic 5, Atmosphere, Common, Nas, Rakim, Dialated Peoples, Zion I, Living Legends, 2mex, Chino XL & many many more.
Hip Hop isn't music, Hip Hop is culture and a way of life. Rap is only one of the four elements.
In all honesty, I pray mainstream quickly loses interest because thats whats ***** "killed" it. Then Rap can do full circle and return to its roots.
Growing up in NYC in the 80s and 90s when living the Hip Hop life was, not a secret but rather it had a smaller following it felt real cool and special- kind of like our little thing and movement.
Then when it went popular and appealed to the masses- the money makin mother ***** labels and crooked A&Rs ***** it over to stopping all creativity and recycling ***** over and over again.
Where has originality and creativity gone? Bring that ***** back. - UO07, on 10/12/2007, -5/+34I blame all the new artists who have no talent. Like that one guy "MIMS" or whatever. His song is on the top10 song list on itunes but its honestly one of the worst rap songs I've ever heard.
Lyrics go something like "Im hot cuz I'm fly, your ain't cuz your not" ...Wow thats deep! Not.
I'll stick to rock, thanks. - Kurisuku, on 10/14/2007, -16/+44RIP J Dilla
- Mothrog, on 10/12/2007, -5/+31Wiggers.
- adarkmethod, on 10/12/2007, -6/+30firstly, know that this is coming from metalhead/rocker. I play guitar and Bass, and im biased to rock. need proof, check my last.fm @ http://www.last.fm/user/adarkmethod/ and know that that doesnt include the hundreds of times i've listened to Darkest Hour, As I lay Dying, A7X, or Bullet for My Valentine while driving around.
but if you think Hip Hop is dead you havent heard:
Dj Dangermouse
Atmosphere
Tech N9ne
Mel Gibson and the Pants
Peeping Tom
General Patton vs. The X-ecutioners
Matisyahu
Talib Kweli
MC Chris
DangerDoom
Styles of Beyond
Aesop Rock
Mos Def
Tricky
I'm sure I left off plenty of other great hip hop/rap artists. Just stop letting RIAA and the mainstream spoonfeed you what you listen to. - CornStarch, on 10/12/2007, -5/+29Rock the bells is charging 76 bucks for a ticket this year, real ***** indy. I know Rage Against the Machine is back, but ***** they're trying to rock my wallet.
- klowe, on 10/12/2007, -2/+25Wu Tang Clan aint nothing to ***** with.
- ladyarcher85, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22Who sustains them?
the people who buy their crappy music and whatever diarrhea they spew out. - walkingdogs, on 10/12/2007, -3/+24@shadowsa
"wu-tang (franchise) and busta rhymes crap"
What the ***** are you talking about!! Wu-tang and busta rhymes in no way shape or form constitute mainstream radio rap garbage even though they are mainstream names. The biggest problem is that in the most recent MTV era they have blurred the lines between Hip Hop and rap. All of these mainstream "pimps, hos and bling" rappers claim hiphop but are just rappers. The real problem is that the radio and video channels are just marketing shake yo ass no substance club joints that a whole bunch of 15-20 year old white kids and dance to. The dirty south movement has also done irrefutable damage to the hip hop scene. There are still tons of true hip hop artists that are keeping it real and doing what they have always done even though some have become household names. Wu Tang, Busta Rhymes, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, MF Doom, Aesop rock, Heiroglyphics, Smif n Wessun, Buckshot, The Roots, Redman, Royce Da 5'9", Afu Ra, Socrates, Kardinal Offishall , K-OS, Common, De La Soul, Erick Sermon, Gangstarr, Jadakiss, Papoose, Keith Murray, Jurassic 5, KRS-One, Lupe Fiasco, M.O.P., Mobb Deep, Nas, Pete Rock, R.A. the Rugged Man, Sean Price, The Beatnuts, Tha Alkaholics just to name a few. You want to hear what Hip Hop should be, peep these artists and it will restore your faith.
P.S. "Wu-Tang is for the Babies" -O.D.B. (R.I.P.) - Xeiliex, on 10/12/2007, -3/+23How could you forget the roots?
- jessekeys, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20dugg for the title alone :)
but it's not the problem of hip hop as a genre, it's a general problem as we know: commercialization sucks.
throw your radios and tvs into the trash bin, there's enough free/indie/nonRIAA music out there that's good and worth hearing (try jamendo.com) - cam503, on 10/12/2007, -3/+22I came up with a philosophy I feel applies to the majority of the mainstream music industry at the moment:
"They're trying to turn an art into a science."
I don't feel it needs to be explained. - tastypastry, on 10/12/2007, -5/+24Some of you guys are getting Rap and Hip Hop confused. There are a lot of good Hip Hop artist out there you just don't know about them because there "underground".
And Immortal Technique is ***** great. Listen to his songs and not just his political ones, he has some amazing lyrics. - cdawzrd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18Jedi Mind Tricks?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18how many ***** close-minded ***** we got here anyway, I mean, c'mon, I'm a ***** metal-head yet i see the art in true hip-hop, not ***** G-Unit mind you, I mean true hip-hop, the style Tupac and Biggie where killed over, true hip-hop has more heart and soul than most other genres.
Don't use MTV as your source for music, even metal-heads avoid it, MTV plays only the mainstreams, social reject crap that it designed for the club scene, and its corporate swill, thats all it is.
now I'm not familiar with many underground names, so you'll have to take your pick of the other posts in this FA, but I respect them, they are pushing a genre which receives nothing but over-stereotyped criticism from the media and fans alike. -
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