Ruminations on the state of hip-hop.
Anybody who's known me for a long time knows that I love hip-hop. I've been a part of three different hip-hop projects, starting in 8th grade. It's never been my principal musical interest, but we've been well aquainted for years. I still own my original copy of A Tribe Called Quest's "The Low End Theory" and always have at least three hip-hop albums on my MP3 player. That being said, I want to make what will be a very controversial statement.
The two worst things that ever happened to hip-hop were NWA and 2 Live Crew.
Sure, NWA was groundbreaking, but the ground they broke, ultimately, was better left undisturbed. Public Enemy made us aware to the struggle in impoverished black neighborhoods. NWA, in turn, glamorized the violence, making it seem acceptable instead of deplorable.
Sure, the 2 Live Crew court case was important because of its free speech implications, but it showed rappers that exploitation of women was an acceptable and profitable career decision.
As a result of this, anything politically or socially conscious falls by the wayside and anything ignorant and deplorable finds itself in heavy rotation on hip-hop radio stations and MTV/BET playlists.
So, instead of this:
we get this:
I think it's disgusting that something that was such a vibrant artform with such potential to change the world, like punk, has become a parody of the culture it claims to represent, also like punk.
If you are a fan of hip-hop, elevate yourself. Help the emcees and labels that have something to say that's actually worth saying get their words out there.
The two worst things that ever happened to hip-hop were NWA and 2 Live Crew.
Sure, NWA was groundbreaking, but the ground they broke, ultimately, was better left undisturbed. Public Enemy made us aware to the struggle in impoverished black neighborhoods. NWA, in turn, glamorized the violence, making it seem acceptable instead of deplorable.
Sure, the 2 Live Crew court case was important because of its free speech implications, but it showed rappers that exploitation of women was an acceptable and profitable career decision.
As a result of this, anything politically or socially conscious falls by the wayside and anything ignorant and deplorable finds itself in heavy rotation on hip-hop radio stations and MTV/BET playlists.
So, instead of this:
Click to viewwe get this:
I think it's disgusting that something that was such a vibrant artform with such potential to change the world, like punk, has become a parody of the culture it claims to represent, also like punk.
If you are a fan of hip-hop, elevate yourself. Help the emcees and labels that have something to say that's actually worth saying get their words out there.