Now those of you would say that hip hop and rap are the same but to me it's not. To me rap is what today's urban music is while hip hop is what it was. Back in the day in the early years of hip hop for someone to be successful you had to have skill and be respected but more importantly you had to give respect. And today's artists just don't get that. Any wannabee can have a few girls and a little jewelry and be a rap superstar and I just hate it.
They just do the same thing, follow the exact same formula and become popular and the rap kids just eat it up like it's hot. IT'S NOT HOT IT'S CRAP. It's crap blended and mixed by corporate america and spit back out like rap but it's actually rap lite, half the calories and none of the fat. And none of the soul either. The sad part is this will keep going on until the public takes a stand and makes our voice clear; no more of the bullshit, we want real music, we want the real shit. "Come wit it."
Now there are some artists that make good music like common, kanye west, ninth wonder, nas, and I'm sure they would be more but the artists today care more about their bottom line then their catalog and it's funny because Outkast is a diamond selling group and they did it by being themselves and just doing different things, it's too bad that the rest of the hip hop world didn't get toe memo because they probably would actually have more money if they followed outkast's amazing lead.
I compleatly agree. This goes for every genre of music as well. While listening to the radio at a friends house, i found myself listening to the same 4 songs over and over again. The songs were, in my opinion, pointless and never ending. I am really getting sick of people with little or no talent lowering the bar and overtaking realy good musicians. It is madning to see just how many people actuly like that "music". . I wish that people would open there eyes and see that music is a form of exspression, not just a way to make a quick buck off the public.
This is actually the reason why i don't listen to "rap" music anymore. I switched to rock, mainly older stuff. Like vampire pointed out this has been common in all music groups. I used to listen to the eagles and they released a new album, and I sampled it on youtube. It was country and I was like wtf happened? It is really really sad. Alot of music is crap now.
Most rap now talks about how big a woman's booty is, and how much money they make more than it used to.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I am voting for Lewis Black.
DrifterDani~
Sometimes I hear music nowadays and I feel so sick that I have to put on some santana or nas to get the bad taste out of my mouth or in this case out of mind.
The thing that really sucks the most is when you hear a song you do not like to much on the radio and it gets stuck in your head...Maybe I am the only weird one.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I am voting for Lewis Black.
DrifterDani~
If you want to get technical, hip hop is actually a descriptor for a cultural movement which encompasses everything which is now largely filed under the title 'urban'. Everything from break-dancing, to rap, to turntablism, beat-boxing etc. Rap is the art of rhyming, usually to a beat.
As for your stance on todays rap artists, well, you clearly don't know shit about today's rap scene. This is highlighted by the fact that you name Kanye West as one of the top rappers around today; West is cheese.
You then go on to herald Outkast as worthy of leading the rest of the rap world; Outkast are a wishy washy pop outfit, I don't even file them under rap on my hard-drive, they go into my 'pop etc' folder. They're pretty good as pop music goes, but pitted against real MCs, they'd get eatin alive. You may not think so, but then again, you are clearly blissfully unaware of the existence of real MCs, as evidenced by this blog entry.
Here's a shortlist of MCs who are puttin it out harder and better than ever: R.A. The Rugged Man, Screwball, NYOil, Vinnie Paz, Immortal Technique, Special Teamz, King Magnetic, Reef the Lost Cauze, Timbo King, Sean Price, Black Market Militia, King Syze, Apathy, Celph Titled...The list could go on, but I think that makes the point.
Also you mention 9th Wonder; what about Bronze Nazareth, Beatnuts, The Alchemist, Cut Chemist, Snowgoons? All those guys outrun 9th Wonder.
There are shit-loads of serious MCs out there, dropping much heavier tracks than they were in the past two decades. Name me a few tracks that can compete lyrically with R.A. the Rugged Man's spit on 'Uncommon Valour' or on his track 'Super'. We're talking supreme, unprecedented wordplay and flow. Even Biggie was quoted as saying 'Shit, I thought I was the illest" when he heard Rugged Man spit.
If you think rap today is really reduced to a point where Outkast and Kanye West are leading the pack, then you clearly don't even know what rap is or where to find it. I think you summed up my feelings about the WestKast connection pretty well when you said:
"It's crap blended and mixed by corporate america and spit back out like rap but it's actually rap lite, half the calories and none of the fat."
_____________________________________________________________
I am the people my mother warned me about.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tuffgong
TUFFGONG
Senior Executive Administrator™
I was just about to call you out but Tuffgong beat me to it. Hip hop is a culture not just a genre of music. Hip hop can be seen through the people who live and BREATHE hip hop- the graff artists, the emcees, the B-boys, and DJs. It is not dead, but because of the market for commercialized "hip hop", there are just a few cats out there keeping it alive.
It is a sad to think that hip hop will never be the same, with "bubblegum" artists blowing up because of some kind of gimmick- a dance, a catchy hook, etc. The unfortunate thing is that there is only a small market for people who actually KNOW what a good lyricist is. If Lil'Wayne is the hottest thing in hip hop or Kanye is on top, then the best thing for you to do is turn off the radio and do some research on some music that might actually interest you. That's the beauty of technology and the internet.
I came to the realization a long, long time ago that commercializing hip hop will always be around as long as it's making someone (whether it's corporate america or some non-talented artist) decent money. I'm all about business, and if it's making money then hey- I won't hate. The emcees off the grid (MF Grimm, Doom, Sean P) don't live lavish lifestyles but then again, you never hear them on mainstream radio. The truth is that our generation isn't necessarily interested in good lyrics, with word play, and a message....and not to bring ALL of us down, but our generation and generations to come have lost their standards in EVERYTHING, not just music.
The market these days want something catchy, something poppy...something easy to understand. Something they will remember. To be straight up, I think today's generation is a wee bit dumber overall. That's a whole other blog subject since the finger can be pointed in several directions to blame.
Anyways, I understand the gist of your post, but I just don't agree with most of it...I probably have the hip hop vs rap debate once or twice a week, and for everyone who thinks today's music is crap....there is decent hip hop accessible right at your fingertips. It's called GOOGLE.
I don't even have words to comment on your Outkast reference...I'm happy they quit making albums and have focused on acting/fashion though I think I heard Big Boi was dropping a solo album? I'm not sure but who cares, I'm not coppin' it.
"I'm happy they quit making albums and have focused on acting/fashion"
Well, at least they'll have a back catalogue of their own suitabley fluffy music for their fashionshows and perfume ads.
"I think I heard Big Boi was dropping a solo album?"
Hopefully he'll consider a redraft of their Miss Jackson track. The chorus could go something like this:
Say sorry to rap son (OOOH)
We ain't for real
Never meant to make the whole scene cry
I apologize a trillion times
Say sorry to rap son(OOOH)
We ain't for real....
_____________________________________________________________
I am the people my mother warned me about.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tuffgong
TUFFGONG
Senior Executive Administrator™
"The sad part is this will keep going on until the public takes a stand and makes our voice clear; no more of the bullshit, we want real music, we want the real shit."
The public are the people gobbling this crap up. So I don't think anything will change. Unfortunately the general public will pretty much go along with anything that is deemed to be popular or cool... even if it sucks.
People don't ask questions.
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." -F.N.
"The sad part is this will keep going on until the public takes a stand and makes our voice clear; no more of the bullshit, we want real music, we want the real shit."
The public are the people gobbling this crap up. So I don't think anything will change. Unfortunately the general public will pretty much go along with anything that is deemed to be popular or cool... even if it sucks.
People don't ask questions.
http://www.youreadygrandma.blogspot.com
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." -F.N.