res, IchiBonDj and Bucktown Beast are the only people who seem to know what the **** they are talking about... the rest of you guys in this thread and in this entire forum area are basically the reason why hip-hop in the present day is POP...

i can't believe all you cats are buying into this thug/pimp, black on black crime bull****... here's something ****ed up for you to think about:

1. over 70 percent of all rap records are bought by white kids who live in the suburbs... almost all have never been to a ghetto, and almost all rely on MTV TRL and **** like that for music... they don't know where the culture came from and they don't give a **** either... they love calling each other the 'n word' when they are with their friends, alot of them want to be black, but i'd like to see what happens if you throw them into a ghetto for a day...

2. the major record distributors are run by white guys... they are the real pimps, making money off of *****s killing other *****s, black women getting disrespected, people worshipping material objects like houses and cars etc... these rich white guys don't know **** about the culture, but they don't care as long as it's making money...

i don't mean to offend anyone and this is just my opinion, but you know it's the truth if you're not a new jack like most people in this forum...

res, IchiBonDj and Bucktown Beast are the only people who seem to know what the **** they are talking about... the rest of you guys in this thread and in this entire forum area are basically the reason why hip-hop in the present day is POP...

i can't believe all you cats are buying into this thug/pimp, black on black crime bull****... here's something ****ed up for you to think about:

1. over 70 percent of all rap records are bought by white kids who live in the suburbs... almost all have never been to a ghetto, and almost all rely on MTV TRL and **** like that for music... they don't know where the culture came from and they don't give a **** either... they love calling each other the 'n word' when they are with their friends, alot of them want to be black, but i'd like to see what happens if you throw them into a ghetto for a day...

2. the major record distributors are run by white guys... they are the real pimps, making money off of *****s killing other *****s, black women getting disrespected, people worshipping material objects like houses and cars etc... these rich white guys don't know **** about the culture, but they don't care as long as it's making money...

i don't mean to offend anyone and this is just my opinion, but you know it's the truth if you're not a new jack like most people in this forum...

awesome post man....
i agree 100%....

i hate mtv...

1. over 70 percent of all rap records are bought by white kids who live in the suburbs... almost all have never been to a ghetto, and almost all rely on MTV TRL and **** like that for music... they don't know where the culture came from and they don't give a **** either... they love calling each other the 'n word' when they are with their friends, alot of them want to be black, but i'd like to see what happens if you throw them into a ghetto for a day....

Do you have any real statistic for that or are you just making that up? I agree to a point that MTV has something to do with the new stream of the gangsta rap, but I also think It's been happening for a while (Since N.W.A) I mean you can't really blame young kids, I mean thtey wanna listen to THEIR generations music, not music that came out before they were born. We can only hope that one of the few "Alternative" rappers make it big.

Hip Hop is not dead, its just changing. Mainstream hip hop may be more popish now a days, but if you were a true fan then you would still know that there is plenty of great music out there if you just look.

Do you have any real statistic for that or are you just making that up?

this statistic is news to you? damn... i'm surprised... what cave have you been living in? this figure has been well known for a long time and has been quoted many, many times... by everyone from ****e lee to chuck d and dr. dre since the '90s... check out arthur kempton, 'boogaloo: the quintessence of american popular music'... or a documentary called 'beyond beats and rhymes'...

to Antonio: of course there are still artists in the mainstream who manage to spit realness, while still being commercially viable... like mos def, common, nas, talib kweli etc... and of course there is the underground... but i'm talking about the vast majority of 'artists' in the mainstream today...

but this isn't a mainstream vs. underground issue... public enemy, krs-one, and wu-tang were selling platinum records back in the day... who do we have now? g-unit, p. diddy, nelly etc... you scared yet? you should be...

then again, i don't even know why i'm bothering, when there is some cat in one of the other threads dissing rakim and krs-one...

It's not dead if you look around. MTV doesn't even play Hip Hop videos most of the time.

You see zeronowhere, it's a lost cause...that’s why I never started this thread earlier. People are actually arguing against your case like they have no idea…and dissing Rakim and KRS WTF!?!?

hip-hop at mainstream level is dead... with the payola schemes and overall lack of quality music out there for the past 5 years. there is no reason some of these guys should get the play they do....

but as far as music being put out there on a underground level, the quality is there and it is improving. not saying that all mainstream **** is bad, nas showed us that it wasnt with his last album as did ghostface and the roots..

You see zeronowhere, it's a lost cause...that’s why I never started this thread earlier. People are actually arguing against your case like they have no idea…and dissing Rakim and KRS WTF!?!?

No, you guys are just clinging to something that is a lost cause, the mainstream of course will progress since the days of Rakim and KRS in the mid to late 80's. Kids are going to listen what is "In" nowadays, not what their parents liked. It happens in every genre. I'm not saying that what's out now is better then old school stuff, but you guys can't act like people are idiots for liking what they do.

No, you guys are just clinging to something that is a lost cause, the mainstream of course will progress since the days of Rakim and KRS in the mid to late 80's. Kids are going to listen what is "In" nowadays, not what their parents liked. It happens in every genre. I'm not saying that what's out now is better then old school stuff, but you guys can't act like people are idiots for liking what they do.

I listen to 07' hip hop, i've been a hip hop head for like 14 years. I just find it kind of funny when I come on here and I can't relate to any of the you guys.

That post was complete bull****. Nobody MAKES an artist sign up to these labels. And because theyre run by white guys they obviously have no clue whereas if they are black and the fail then its all good because they are black and real rap fans are black.

That is the type of **** you have posted. Nobody killed Hip Hop, its just way past its prime.

The overall consensus it that the mainstream **** is all style and no substance. In other words its basically more about charisma and hot beats now than lyrics. I use to be really upset at it, but now I could care less. Ill just listen to my own **** and say **** the radio unless I feel like listening to that type of music.

I'm from a good area to be raised up in and I never use the 'n word' but you wanna talk about being in the ghetto for a day like you been there or some ****?

I never **** around with MTV unless I am watching Wild N Out or Rob & Big and I hardly do that anyway so your just pointing fingers everywhere and complaining about how we ****ed **** up. Just because someone wears a Hip Hop brand and if they're not african american that doesn't mean they want to be, so quit living like you see a ****ing stereotype maximized by Malibu's Most Wanted.

That post was complete bull****. Nobody MAKES an artist sign up to these labels. And because theyre run by white guys they obviously have no clue whereas if they are black and the fail then its all good because they are black and real rap fans are black.

That is the type of **** you have posted. Nobody killed Hip Hop, its just way past its prime.

this is what is wrong with people....you do not have to be certain color to listen too or appreciate hip-hop. it has nothing to do with that....its labels taking no talent artists signing them to smallish deals and than promoting the hell out if it. people are idiots, you flash something in front of there face enough, they wil buy it. especially if it has a catchy beat or hook.

Hip Hop was originally the expression of a particular community within a closed market. That means that originally both the artists and the customers came from one community so the art was a pure expression of that community. When the market opened up things changed. Suburban kids originally drawn by the appeal of gangsta rap which was only one sub-genre of Hip Hop (and one that came pretty late to hip hop) changed the balance of the market so that the other subgenres were drowned out. Kids in the Suburbs wanted to hear NWA not a Tribe Called Quest and they had far more buying power if for no other reason than the population difference (in the U.S. Blacks are just about 12% of the population) . Corporate executives saw dollar signs just as the Black sell out artists they recruited saw dollar signs. Soon there was virtually nothing around but gangsta rap. By "gangsta rap" I don't just mean rap that mentions violence, I mean an empty cliche kind of rap that dosen't say anything real to the streets and markets stereotypes to the suburbs. Now this has been going on for years so that you have kids now that have never known anything but this industry created culture. It is hard to reach them because the way things have been is all they know. MTV as a network has pretty much been falling apart in every area (not just with rap ) It's basically just a teen reality show channel now, it dosen't have anything to do with music. We have to remember though that in the early days of rap, MTV played an important role in getting rap out there; the Yo MTV rap era. People were happy when that started, they had somewhere other than Video Music Box to see hip hop.

Binary Star - Reality Check
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PZBOESX7

Binary Star - Honest Expression
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JE1J1HXR

Doesn't anyone know that there are different styles of rap? I really think the big fuss is that people like Nas and Jay-Z are being eclipsed monstrously to where they're hardly noticed as much as artists like The Game and Lil Wayne are.

res, IchiBonDj and Bucktown Beast are the only people who seem to know what the **** they are talking about... the rest of you guys in this thread and in this entire forum area are basically the reason why hip-hop in the present day is POP...

errrrrrrrrrrr.. NO...:lol1:

res, IchiBonDj and Bucktown Beast are the only people who seem to know what the **** they are talking about... the rest of you guys in this thread and in this entire forum area are basically the reason why hip-hop in the present day is POP...

errrrrrrrrrrr.. NO...:lol1:

Since the backstreet boys were Pop I never heard em singing to a Mannie Fresh beat or anything like that...sounds a little crazy for that ill-observation huh?

Doesn't anyone know that there are different styles of rap? I really think the big fuss is that people like Nas and Jay-Z are being eclipsed monstrously to where they're hardly noticed as much as artists like The Game and Lil Wayne are.

If the Game and Lil Wayne was what most of Hip Hop was like I wouldn't have atleast half the problem with the industry that I have. In the case of the Game, he goes deeper than guns and gangbanging even though he also talks about that stuff, and Wayne atleast displays some skill in the lyrics he writes.

If the Game and Lil Wayne was what most of Hip Hop was like I wouldn't have atleast half the problem with the industry that I have. In the case of the Game, he goes deeper than guns and gangbanging even though he also talks about that stuff, and Wayne atleast displays some skill in the lyrics he writes.

Who do you feel is 'killing' hip hop then? People like Mike Jones can go grill their mouth shut..

Gee, and to think Imus said Nappy Headed Hoes! (double standard?) Is there such a thing as a rapper that plays an instrument? The 808 does not count, come to think of it, neither can they.

Everything The Roots do is with instruments

Gee, and to think Imus said Nappy Headed Hoes! (double standard?) Is there such a thing as a rapper that plays an instrument? The 808 does not count, come to think of it, neither can they.

Rock and metal music are dead, adjust.

Who do you feel is 'killing' hip hop then? People like Mike Jones can go grill their mouth shut..

lol well 90% of the people Wayne raps with are wack. Plus Lil Flip, Three six mafia, Slim Thug, the crime mob, all that Crunk and snap stuff...I can't name all of these people, I don't care enough to remember their names. I also don't care how many people worship T.I. he is wack. On the East Coast you ofcourse have garbage like Jim Jones and the Dipset crew but the greatest modern perpetrators when it comes to making rap look like a cartoon are ofcourse the great 50 cent and G-Unit.

Since the backstreet boys were Pop I never heard em singing to a Mannie Fresh beat or anything like that...sounds a little crazy for that ill-observation huh?

if you didn't understand that statement, then you're even more hopeless than i thought... justin timberlake doing collaborations with clipse and other rappers... christina aguilera doing collaborations with redman and nelly... the neptunes doing beats for britney spears... ja rule doing almost every track with ashanti... g-unit and eminem singing every single hook so that their retarded fans can sing along to something catchy... the list goes on and on and on...

this is happening more and more because of the sheer amount of money involved in hip hop today... back in the early '80s hip hop was viewed as a fad by large music corporations... as a passing trend that would go nowhere... therefore, we had real pioneers who were hungry, making raw music, that continues to be influential even now...

but in the present day, even mcdonald's and many other corporations are using hip hop to sell products... so why are you surprised if mainstream rappers are going towards a pop direction? if you asked nelly if he thinks that he's pop, he would definitely say no... ja rule would say the same and so would many other so-called artists... they are so clueless, they don't even realise how pop they have become...

if you didn't understand that statement, then you're even more hopeless than i thought... justin timberlake doing collaborations with clipse and other rappers... christina aguilera doing collaborations with redman and nelly... the neptunes doing beats for britney spears... ja rule doing almost every track with ashanti... g-unit and eminem singing every single hook so that their retarded fans can sing along to something catchy... the list goes on and on and on...

this is happening more and more because of the sheer amount of money involved in hip hop today... back in the early '80s hip hop was viewed as a fad by large music corporations... as a passing trend that would go nowhere... therefore, we had real pioneers who were hungry, making raw music, that continues to be influential even now...

but in the present day, even mcdonald's and many other corporations are using hip hop to sell products... so why are you surprised if mainstream rappers are going towards a pop direction? if you asked nelly if he thinks that he's pop, he would definitely say no... ja rule would say the same and so would many other so-called artists... because they are so clueless that they don't even realise how much credibility they have lost by going towards the pop direction...
seems like u forgot about ****ing "hip hop harry" they marketing that **** to babies nowadays.

Doesn't anyone know that there are different styles of rap? I really think the big fuss is that people like Nas and Jay-Z are being eclipsed monstrously to where they're hardly noticed as much as artists like The Game and Lil Wayne are.

Do you think when you type?

Is there such a thing as a rapper that plays an instrument?


schoolly d plays guitar and drums, just to name one off the top of my head.


rap has been dying since the mid nineties. the commercialization of gangsta rap looks like it has had a huge contribution to it.

since then, having a hardened image started gaining as a selling point and eventually became more popular than rap that was more quality focused(focused more on content than image.)

btw, i sort of liked redman's collab w/ aguilera. of course, i am a redman fan however.

Do you think when you type?
I take it your mad about Nas not being in the media like Wayne is? Hip Hop is only dead to him because he's jealous about everyone else who is making it big.

Besides everyone here who is complaining about how hip hop is so dead can't have their cake and eat it too.

I take it your mad about Nas not being in the media like Wayne is? Hip Hop is only dead to him because he's jealous about everyone else who is making it big.

Besides everyone here who is complaining about how hip hop is so dead can't have their cake and eat it too.

Well one of the problems with Hip Hop is that it is full of self centered narcisists that think the world is all about them. This kind of thinking in the industry explains the comment quoted above. Art is about a standard that is beyond you, that is greater than you. NAS IS NOT TALKING ABOUT HIMSELF! Every thing is life is not about you. Nas is talking about the quality of what is produced in Hip Hop now.

Well one of the problems with Hip Hop is that it is full of self centered narcisists that think the world is all about them. This kind of thinking in the industry explains the comment quoted above. Art is about a standard that is beyond you, that is greater than you. NAS IS NOT TALKING ABOUT HIMSELF! Every thing is life is not about you. Nas is talking about the quality of what is produced in Hip Hop now.

You need to get off your high horse and quit alienating me because I like a different style of hip hop. And boo hoo if this is what hip hop is all about now, you don't see the sky falling do you?

if you didn't understand that statement, then you're even more hopeless than i thought... justin timberlake doing collaborations with clipse and other rappers... christina aguilera doing collaborations with redman and nelly... the neptunes doing beats for britney spears... ja rule doing almost every track with ashanti... g-unit and eminem singing every single hook so that their retarded fans can sing along to something catchy... the list goes on and on and on...

this is happening more and more because of the sheer amount of money involved in hip hop today... back in the early '80s hip hop was viewed as a fad by large music corporations... as a passing trend that would go nowhere... therefore, we had real pioneers who were hungry, making raw music, that continues to be influential even now...

but in the present day, even mcdonald's and many other corporations are using hip hop to sell products... so why are you surprised if mainstream rappers are going towards a pop direction? if you asked nelly if he thinks that he's pop, he would definitely say no... ja rule would say the same and so would many other so-called artists... they are so clueless, they don't even realise how pop they have become...

I'm not shocked but I can say Wayne's majority of songs isn't pop and he's bout the only artist I could give a damn about.

lol well 90% of the people Wayne raps with are wack. Plus Lil Flip, Three six mafia.....
Three 6 Mafia used to be the **** before they sold out and signed to Relativity (or whatver) and were still underground. The album "Mystic Stylez" (http://www.amazon.com/Mystic-Stylez-Three-6-Mafia/dp/B000003L71/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-9258172-5603837?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1176976327&sr=8-1#moreAboutThisProduct),which came around 95' is probably their best and the only one I recommend. Lyricism is top-notch and it's just pure Satanic. Nothing is sugar coated. Instead of rapping about "blingin" and "sizurp", They spit out complex and intricate ryhmes about worshipping Satan and even refered to themselves as "The Triple Six Anti-Christians". (You can probably categorize it as "Horror-core", since there's not too much "gangsta" stuff. It's more brutal and Satanic. There's more mutilation and torture, not people getting shot! That's too quick! I highly recommend it.

But that's what happens when any so-called "skilled" rap artist/group become big time. They are forced to change their style. They are forced to mirror the image of what's popular and are told to tone down their vocabulary so that the target demographic can understand and not become confused. It's what sales records.

Look at the classic Wu-Tang Clan from the early 90's. That was pure top-notch ****. They are not the same now as they were before. Sure, there are still a few of the clansmen (Killa Beez or whatever) that are wicked lyricist, but really... Who are the most popular and possibly richest of the Wu Tang?
Method Man is obviously the most recognized out of the Wu Tang, but in my opinion, he is one of the ****tiest rappers of the group. And he has also sold out. The ones who should get recognition, never do. It's all about what sales in the specialized target demographic

So ask yourself this: If Hip Hop is Dead... Who Killed It?
Answer: THE ARTISTS THEMSELVES!

And by they way, Hip hop is still alive and popping, it's just refered to as "Pop" now, plain and simple!

Now, I'll leave this thread with a video of the RZA aka Bobby Digitial. (one of the founding masterminds and producer of the Wu Tang, but you probably didn't know)
Just listen to the 1st verse of the song. It's one of the greatest hip hop verses I've ever heard, by unknown artists "Holocaust". Check it out!

<div><object width="425" height="306"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/6F9Dt8fMSYOlDc2qW"></param><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/6F9Dt8fMSYOlDc2qW" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="306" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1phym_rza-holocaust">RZA - Holocaust</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/jekyllah">jekyllah</a></i></div>

Now, I'm white, I'm 14 and i live in a suburb of Boston, and I struggle to listen to mainstream. About 90% of stuff nowadays is fake. The only mainstream i can honestly listen to is Nas, Wu-Tang, Ice Cube, Dr.Dre solo albums (not his producing, I can't stand 50 Cent, G Unit and Eminem), ooooooooooooooooooooold Mobb Deep before they sold out, and a few Jay-Z songs. The rest I listen to is 100% underground. I am the only person around me that knows what is real and what isn't, and 90% of stuff nowadays isn't real. Now, the video above me is real. The GZA/Genius is my favorite rapper of all time, and i consider him one of the top 5 MC's ever. The RZA is the best producer around.

Now, I'll leave this thread with a video of the RZA aka Bobby Digitial. (one of the founding masterminds and producer of the Wu Tang, but you probably didn't know). Just listen to the 1st verse of the song. It's one of the greatest hip hop verses I've ever heard, by unknown artists "Holocaust". Check it out!

holocaust is unknown? not true... he is actually well known in the underground scene, and also known as warcloud...

you're assuming that we don't know about him... maybe these mainstream fans don't, but i do... and i'm sure some of these other underground heads who have posted do too...

if you want more holocaust, check out a collaboration he did with blue sky black death (two producers), it's called blue sky black death presents the holocaust, and it's a full LP:

http://www.undergroundhiphop.com/store/detail.asp?UPC=BBG1000CD

mainstream fans won't like it because there are no R 'n' B hooks on this album, no ****ty eminem beats (worst producer in the history of hip-hop), and no one had to get shot nine times to make it credible...

oh and no collaborations with that shemale known as akon... since when did it become okay to sing like someone kicked you in your balls?

the south killed it.......the ny era is what made hip hop....the fans of that cared about lyrics and wordplay..the south only gives a **** about heavy bass lines and laffy taffy, bubblegum choruses...except ti,and few others.... AND DONT EVEN try to prove this wrong...

the south killed it.......the ny era is what made hip hop....the fans of that cared about lyrics and wordplay..the south only gives a **** about heavy bass lines and laffy taffy, bubblegum choruses...except ti,and few others.... AND DONT EVEN try to prove this wrong...

Agreed for the most part, with the exception of Outkast & The Justus League.

You need to get off your high horse and quit alienating me because I like a different style of hip hop. And boo hoo if this is what hip hop is all about now, you don't see the sky falling do you?

nah the sky won't fall, Hip Hop will just fizzle out, at least as far as the market is concerned. As I have said before, if it happened with rock music in the 80's ( and that seemed impossible ) it can happen to Hip Hop. When i was talking about self centered narcisists I was talking about the artists themselves but i do think that this mentality gets ino the fans too which is why you hear people repeating statements about it being all about the money. That was the essence I think of the first statement you made, Nas is just mad because he is not getting more money. You were also talking about style. I don't think what is going on in the industry now is about style. Real style is about art, but the industry is not thinking about art, it is thinking about the bottom line. It is about mass manufacuring cliches that you think you can trust to make money over and over again, not creativity.

lol, u people crack me up. i went through all the stages of anger and finger pointing, just like all yall. hell, i blamed mc hammer, then i blamed the west coast, then i blamed down south, then i pointed the finger at jay-z, nas, 50, em. i even wanted 2 blow up the record companies for the mainstream junk that all the new kids seem 2 love so much. the truth is, is none of that stuff has ruined real hip hop because nobody can ever really ever ruin real art. the mainstream has always sucked since the radio was invented. real artists dont give a **** bout money, cars and all that other bull****. they just care bout originality. and thats the problem with hip hop now is that everybody sounds like carbon copies of each other! not many artists anymore. seems like these cats is scared to be different or somthing u know! i mean its not just the south that ruined hip hop because alot of pioneers of the game came from the south. u do remember the geto boys right? same for the west coast to. i remember when there use to be alot off different styles in the rap game. hip hop started with a handfull of fans just like the fans on this board, hip hoppers. it started with us and it can only die with us so **** the mainstream! lift up those few artist that do it with originality heart and skill and just like when it first started say **** everything else. its still some cats out there that keeps it alive for me like, m.o.p, canibus, little brother, lupe, gravy, papoose, and everybody else that comes with original ****. who else do yall think fits in this catagory, please let us know so a handfull of us can lift this real **** up....

the mainstream has always sucked since the radio was invented.

nas's 'illmatic', public enemy's 'it takes a nation of millions', wu-tang clan's 'enter the 36 chambers' all went at least platinum... those were all MAINSTREAM albums...

back then, mainstream was actually good... i'm sure you guys can think of even more examples of high-selling mainstream albums that came out in the early 90s... today the definition of mainstream has changed so much... it's ****ing pop... and that's partly what this thread is about...

of course it's not all bad... at least cats like common, lupe fiasco, nas and ghostface are still successful on a mainstream level... but the fact is, they deserve to sell more... the reason why they don't is because of these pop rappers who dominate the industry, and their stupid ****ing TRL fans...

hip hop isnt dead

I mean since it's popularity grew I think it was expected that the skill level would decline. Being that alot of these people who run the businesses persuade the artist to confrom to a certain image. And it all depends on fanbase. Most of those who complain about the qualtiy probably don't support the artist they respect.

nas's 'illmatic', public enemy's 'it takes a nation of millions', wu-tang clan's 'enter the 36 chambers' all went at least platinum... those were all MAINSTREAM albums...


naw, wrecks n effect, vanilla ice, kris cross, mase, ll cool j, sir mix alot all came from the 90s and all these cats made music, not art for the mainstream.

nas's 'illmatic', public enemy's 'it takes a nation of millions', wu-tang clan's 'enter the 36 chambers may have went platinum and been ACCEPTED by the mainstream but they wasnt intended for a mainsteam audience.there is no commercial twist on these albums, do you see what i mean? i do see what you are sayin though, but what im sayin is that the mainstream will always try to commercialize everything, but only the real hip hop artists and fans can let the real hip hop die.

Good thread...

Ya know, I look at it like this...the reason for the decline of hiphop can actually be looked at it this way. Originally, and during the "golden era", hiphop almost wholly dominated by the East and the West...Then fast forward to mid-late 90s and hiphop artists from the south and midwest start blowing up. This was actually not a good thing...

Because of the spread to different areas, the art and essence became watered down. The core of lyrics and hard beats was replaced with jibberish and party style beats. People started coming with a sound that catered to people in their region...Therefore hiphop wasnt just hiphop, hiphop was now Miami hiphop,Texas hiphop, StLouis hiphop etc...The radio was forced to begin following these new trends and before we know it, hiphop as a music and art form is almost a completely new thing. The original craft was almost completely gone...

As most things, nothing can always stay true to form...as times change, people and sounds change. Right now theres very few NEW artists (especially from the south/midwest) that are practicing the original art form.

Good thread...

Ya know, I look at it like this...the reason for the decline of hiphop can actually be looked at it this way. Originally, and during the "golden era", hiphop almost wholly dominated by the East and the West...Then fast forward to mid-late 90s and hiphop artists from the south and midwest start blowing up. This was actually not a good thing...

Because of the spread to different areas, the art and essence became watered down. The core of lyrics and hard beats was replaced with jibberish and party style beats. People started coming with a sound that catered to people in their region...Therefore hiphop wasnt just hiphop, hiphop was now Miami hiphop,Texas hiphop, StLouis hiphop etc...The radio was forced to begin following these new trends and before we know it, hiphop as a music and art form is almost a completely new thing. The original craft was almost completely gone...

As most things, nothing can always stay true to form...as times change, people and sounds change. Right now theres very few NEW artists (especially from the south/midwest) that are practicing the original art form.

Good post with good points. Hip Hop was originally the expression of the soul of a region. Now people from other regions could have learned that language and spoken it too, as a few artists from other regions did in the past (the geto Boyz, Out Kast etc). But unfortunately, instead the scenario Bucktown described unfolded, and we have the status quo.

Good post with good points. Hip Hop was originally the expression of the soul of a region. Now people from other regions could have learned that language and spoken it too, as a few artists from other regions did in the past (the geto Boyz, Out Kast etc). But unfortunately, instead the scenario Bucktown described unfolded, and we have the status quo.
hip hop is dead because it has run its course, ther exhausted the political part of it, the bling part of it and the girl part of it, what kind of new issues can hip hop speak about that it has not covered?

hip hop is dead because it has run its course, ther exhausted the political part of it, the bling part of it and the girl part of it, what kind of new issues can hip hop speak about that it has not covered?

Isn't it an amazing coincidence how this "running out of material" started happening about the same time the streets stopped running the rap market and 70% of rap sales started coming from the suburbs.

The mainstream will always likely be the same. So don't expect it to change. If you guys want to make a change go cop that Wu when they come out or the new Rakim. The suburbs buy a lot of the underground stuff as well. Because a lot of people I know don't even buy albums.

This is a good thread. I agree with starter of the thread & about hip-hop being dead. Hip Hop is so water down & bubble gum that I consider it pop nowadays. Like what was said, the origin of Hip Hop was about expression from the heart & it was pure. Now it's all about hot beats, money, bling, & wannabe thugs. There are very few artists now that try to keep the essence of rap and it's sad. The younger generations don't know any better because they have been fed this garbage from the jump.

I still listen to 2pac all the time, these newer guys mostly suck, every now and then you get a good one like, (imo) Gold Digger was a good song and 50 cent (if you go through all his work) onece had a good song somehwere
eminem is good, I dont care if 12 year old girls like him, he is talented
I hate busta rhymes and people like him, Little john blows goats.