I ask this question because it seems to be the general consensus among many people I know(including myself, but we’ll get into that in a bit). I understand the statement is rooted in frustration, disillusionment, and a dash of confusion, but I must admit their arguments are not baseless.
Whenever the topic of hip hop comes up in many circles I’m in, it’s usually met with silent grunts, frowns, angry mumbles and someone quickly changing the subject (I once had someone switch the damn topic to shitty diapers…Wow!)
I hear the same gripes time after time”….It’s repetitive…they don’t talk about anything real…the music hasn’t evolved…I’m tired of the gun talk..” The remarks can be rather brutal(and in my opinion well deserving).
If the topic survives for more than 30 seconds it usually transforms into a stroll down memory lane to revisit “the good ol’ days”. I swear when they speak I can smell the commanding scent of fresh vinyl, and used jan sport back packs filling the air as I am regaled with stories of crews long gone who “kept it real”.
If not visited with caution, nostalgia can behave like an invisible narcotic. Addictive, and as mind altering as any illegal substance picking at your spirit and leaving your mind stagnant ready to be devoured by the wolves of change.
Okay all mellow drama aside…
HIP HOP FUCKIN' SUCKS NOW!!
YES I SAID IT…WHAT?
Now let’s be clear, I’m not talking about hip hop’s underground. There are a few cats I check for who are doing some interesting things, but what sucks is many of them aren’t as publicized (read:popular) as the latest hip hop beef, shoot out , or chain snatching .
It’s a sad case when hip hop beef has become more entertaining than the music itself. The media and a lot of the acts are too preoccupied with pulling off publicity stunts, flooding the game with forgettable songs, and reminding their fans how tight their swag is. All in hopes of diverting your attention from the fact that their music is about as tight as SupaHead’s vagina.
I’m willing to bet you a cool 100 bucks that you can name a shit load of publicity stunts, out of the blue incidents, or diss records that were presented to the public in the last six months before you can name 10 classic game changing albums that were released in the last three years. Fuck it…give me some classic songs if that’s too difficult to pull off.
Ladies and Gentleman hip hop has officially reached rock bottom. Much like the inauguration of Barack Obama…I never thought I’d live to see it.
Rappers have become a tired cliché. I’ve gotten more entertainment from those two dudes who always do those hip hop skits on SNL. I’ve tried to work with other emcees in the game but I find it hard to work with cats with an ego the size of the Washington Monument on steroids. Some of you dudes need to seriously humble your fuckin selves and learn to behave a little more professionally. I make it my business to treat people with an equal amount of respect regardless of profession or social status.
I’m a music fan first and foremost. Therefore I believe I speak for many frustrated fans when I say:
Fuck your swag, your block, the size of your crew, how many birds you flip, and all that other bullshit you clowns are lying about. We all know your jewels are rented, your cars are leased, and your two child support payments away from being locked up and being somebody’s “down ass chick”.
And before I receive any stupid pointless comments dubbing me “a hater” let me ask this question: Since when does having a difference of opinion with someone, or calling someone out on their bullshit make you “a hater”?
Are you fuckin’ shittin’ me? Has it gotten that bad? Are you muthafuckas that pussy that you’d rather keep your thoughts to yourself because you don’t want to be seen as a hater? Are you that desperate to fit in? Man, I’m going to save that for another rant. I’m disgusted. What happened to hip hop’s fuckin balls. Maybe corporate America slashed them off , bagged ‘em up and dropped them off in the middle of the desert for the vultures to feast on.
Being an emcee used to mean something. Pride, dignity, our words were weapons. Now they’ve been reduced to humorous anecdotes, catch phrases, and dance steps to sell lame products and shit tasting beer. Disgraceful. We’ve gone from being the voice of a generation to a fuckin punchline on Leno.
Who’s to blame? Who gives a shit! If your house is burned down to the fuckin ground, which would be your biggest wish? To find the person who burned your house down or wishing your house didn’t burn down in the first place.
I don’t know man. The Roots are retiring from touring, Jean grae retired, Common’s doing movies, Nas is still out there, but he’s not enough. We need a movement damn it.
It was a movement of collective forward thinkers that brought hip hop to it’s prominence eons ago. Ehh…whatever. The fans have moved on so maybe it’s only fitting that the acts have moved on.
Maybe subconsciously I’ve moved on in some way, that’s why I went out and created my own style of hiphop/rock.
Yes…Rock. Yes I play a guitar…yes I listen to metal..yes I support other genres of music, and yes it ain’t “traditional hip hop” which if I may add is the dumbest fuckin phrase I’ve heard in a minute.
Hip hop can not be confined to a sound. It’s about a feeling, and expressing real emotions. Creativity lives at its core and creativity can not (and should not) be married to conservative ideals. *Sigh…you know what? Fuck it.
My band and I are going to concentrate on doing what it is we do. Giving people our 200 percent on each song, breaking rules, following our ideas and pissing a few people off a long the way. And that’s about as Hip Hop as we can keep it.
“I'm an intellectual/Of rap, I'm a professional and that's no question, yo..”
-Nas -Halftime
Heron Demarco
http://indisorderwetrust.blogspot.com/
http://myspace.com/indisorderwetrust