Several years ago a Grade 10 history student of mine wanted to do a research project on the history of Rap/Hip Hop (a good choice for a topic, as it happens). He told me that rap was 'his culture' (He was from Sierra Leone). I said that while Rap/Hip Hop did have a distinct and interesting history, I didn't think it could be called a 'culture' - it can't be compared with Chinese Culture, Muslim Culture, Ashante Culture etc... So my question(s) to you is (are): what IS a culture? Is Rap/Hip Hop a culture and if so, what makes it a culture? Or is it part of a larger culture - and if so, what are that culture's traditions and values? Thanks!
Rap/Hip Hop Culture - does it exist?
Hi,
yes, it is a culture.
A culture is a way of life. There are many cultures and sub cultures. I think hip-hoip culture comes under "youth culture"!
Reply:it is a culture by the way i see it;
simply because it has became their life style
altho its clear to see that rap and hiphop cn also conclude frm the sense of music yet how they delivers their music is basicly showing how their lifes are. its something tht ppl would do, in a society tht is. Report It
Reply:The culture of rap/hip-hop....
Saggy pants, tank-tops, boomboxes, bling... Is this not a definition of culture? There is a metal culture.
It's basically a way of life, shaped by the music that a person listens to. it's a culture, but not in the same sense as Muslim/Chinese etc culture.
Sometimes music can define the clothes a person wears, the language they use and the general way people lead their life.
That, for me, is a definition of the word culture.
So although I agree with you 100%, I disagree that it is not a culture. It's just a different form of culture. One that is not shaped by beliefs or geographic location.
Reply:Well... according to the legendary KRS1 Hip Hop is officially recognised as a culture by the United Nations. To me it is very much a part of inner city culture, a reflection of city life. To me culture is a way of life, the necessary thoughts and practices needed to form a group of people. Think of a plant from it is seed. All the nurturing it takes to grow it into a fully developed flower is culture.
There was a time when Hip Hop promoted the more cultural aspects of being a black community in a white mans world, however that has been shadowed by the more individualist capitalist idea as pushed by the likes of 50cent and Jay Z type m.c's. Your question should be a real thinking point for all these rappers 2day.
Reply:Does it exist?
Not at this white man's house.
Reply:come and live in Louisiana, and you will change your mind.
Reply:It is a culture.
Reply:What makes the Chinese or Muslim cultures? How would you define someone of the chinese culture? By their appearance? By their customs?
I know a B-Boy on sight. I know the "customs" of a battle. I believe that Hip Hop is a culture and I have been a part of it for over 20 years.
I'm not going to try to "explain" to you what being a part of this culture is because I don't think it's something that could be explained in a forum like this.
Reply:i dont know where happy gets his info from but, whatever
ignorance is bliss right happy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ loser...
anyway in my opinion hiphop/rap culture can only fall under a larger culture
which is african-american culture
if you look back at the history of hiphop youd see.
granted it has a wide following of races now, it cant be denied that hiphop is a major part of african-american culture.
to the girl below me, HIPHOP is as much a part of black culture as gospel, R%26amp;b, jazz, and soul
it is celebrated as a part of african-american culture just watch BET....
just because it has a wider following more than one race listens in doesnt mean its any less of a part of black culture
just because there white buddists doesnt mean its any less of a asian culture
just because JAPAN has a baseball league doesnt mean baseball is any less part of american culture
and just because hiphop is celebrated world wide
doesnt erase the fact that it is a major part of our culture
Reply:Hip Hop is a culture (encompassing MC-ing, DJ-ing, break-dancing and artistic expression through graffiti). It shouldn't be confused with rap. Coming from one of the original pioneers Busy Bee, rap is just a medium of expression.
True Hip Hop is about peace, love, unity and having fun. All of the materialism, sexism and violence that present in today's "hip hop" (e.g. what artists like 50 Cent promote) has no real place there. It has skewed the original meaning of Hip Hop and why it was born (with Afrika Bambaataa in the Bronx).
Reply:Yes, it is a culture. Perhaps best stated as a sub-culture because it still has to blend itself with the main culture of the U.S. in order to work. One of the tell-tail signs that it is a culture is from the ethnocentrism that surrounds it. Ethnocentrism is an instinct that ALL humans have. It, basically, means that we think that our way of doing things is the best way --- period. If you stop for a moment and look at the answers that have been given, so far, you will see that ethnocentrism coming from both directions.
Rap or hip-hop cultures most likely arose from the isolation that came from being rejected to a certain degree as a race. All humans need culture and if they are not getting enough of it, they will invent their own.
Reply:^^^^^^ I'm black and I am not claiming that hip-hop is a part of "African-American" culture (and you shouldn't either). BUT hip-hop is a culture that has brought dance, urban fashion and music to mainstream society.
Reply:Have you looked up the definition of the word 'culture'? In an online dictionary, it's defined as "the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc."
While not always beneficial, hip hop has brought about 'qualities' within sub societies of mainstream civilisation. You think about how the lyricists of hip hop express themselves in such a huge variety of ways, from the highs and lows of everyday personal life, to their views of historical and current events, and man's progression to the current political and economical climate.
Think about how hip hop has its own genre of art in the form of graffiti. The language and mannerisms adopted by the members of this sub society that consider the words, views and art expressed to be great enough to be both revered and developed.
By looking at the definition of the word 'culture', it can very easily be shown that Hip hop can most definitely be viewed as a culture, far more so than 'Muslim' culture, which is actually the religion of Islam and not a culture at all!
I think a good question would concern whether or not anything should be defined in terms of culture at all. All it does is cause division (between 'cultures'), and can lead to outdated and potentially dangerous customs to be carried out simple for the sake of traditional values that lie within the confines of a culture. Just my opinion.
Reply:Dearly beloved
We are gathered here today to discuss some interesting sh!t! Is this hip hop thing of ours a culture. I’ll spit some of my opinion,….
Hip hop began as a reaction to the gang problems in NYC in the 60s. It was zip gun time and the art of the switch blade was in effect. Gang members (Bambatta most famously) decided to get into the whole deejaying thing as a positive outlet for their crews. Didn’t take long before the battling was on the turntables, break beat selection, fat laces (later to become phat laces!) and the break boys. Hip hop heads that waited to showcase their talents at the break of a soul or funk song where the instrumental break… well… broke down. It was the soul of the record and thus was born sampling (Kool Herc %26amp; FLASH).
So music enthused non-violent confrontation.
Clothing, beatboxin, breakin, slang, clothes, etc are all part of the ‘culture’ but the source of telling street stories, battling with the MIC and a showcasing talent vehicle (in a harsh white corporate world) was the original ethos of hip hop. You should be able to figure out where hip hop culture stands on the Rodney King beating, Iraq conflicts, poverty in the US, etc.
Hip hop is also about love %26amp; humour %26amp; bringing people together %26amp; ingenuity. Using obscure breaks, introducing a generation to Rick James or James Brown can only be done thru this culture.
Reply:a culture is refered to as an appreciation of literature,art,music and etc. hip hop is an appreciation of a type of music, it appreciates literature in the form of the lyrics and poems e.g tupacs poems..the art of dressin is also appreciated. hip hop has its leaders it has its own style and one can also say it has its own race but besides that there are also rules in hip hop...hip hop was once part of a larger culture but has grown and seperated from that larger culture.
Reply:the traditions of rap/hip-hop are to STEAL "samples" of GOOD rock-n-roll/metal music, twist their stupid words like "yo, biotches, mah n***as" to computer-generated drumbeats, with NO actual musical talent needed. values....? *scoff*
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Can someone please tell me the difference between hip hop and rap?
I have always thought of hip hop as guys like Common, Kanye, Mos, etc. and rap as guys like Tupac, Bone Thugs, Crime Mob, etc. Some say rap is industry whereas hip hop is "real." To me hip hop is more of a cleaner sense of rap. Rap is ghetto. Hip hop is the anti-ghetto. Rap is more street. Hip hop is more flow. Am I wrong? Am I in the ballpark? Someone help me out here. I love 'em both. I just hate it when people say hip hop is dead when I feel they are talking about rap. They are different genres, and those who say hip hop is dead should at least say it about hip hop and not rap.
Can someone please tell me the difference between hip hop and rap?
i see hip hop and rap as very different. hip hop aims to highlight problems in the black community while i think rap tends to try and glamorize them. to me rappers are ppl like 50 cent, lil wayne, jeezy... and hip hop artists are ppl like common and talib kweli. i prefer hip hop to rap but i do also listen to rap music. i jus dnt like it so much b/c i think some rap lyrics are irresposibly made because they encourage minority youths to engage in bad behaviors and make them think that committing crimes and havin to hustle is cool. but its really not. i agree with nas that hip hop is practically dead.. at least in mainstream music. there is underground hip hop. but hip hop is not the same as it was in the past. i mean what happened to artists like black star, a tribe called quest, pharcyde, etc.
if i were a hip hop artist i would be insulted when ppl consider music by 50 cent or like artists to be hip hop cuz its really not what hip hop was meant to be about.
Reply:I've always known rap to be the actual act of rhyming, and Hip-Hop to be the whole culture (graffiti, cazelle glasses, Kangol hats, beat boxing, breakdancing, etc.). Whew! Took myself back for a moment. Now, I think the Hip-Hop culture is plain old garbage. It's too polluted now.
Reply:rap could be ghetto and be clean like point blank-born and raised in the ghetto
cause u see rap started and it was about being FUNKY
but then ice soemthing screwed up and made a new sub-genre called gansta-rap
and thats when it well down hill....
anyways...
ok hiphop=is a culture , away of living
rap=a genre of music
gansta rap=****.crap.
Reply:there is no diff
Reply:hip hop is useally faster and able to dance 2 rap is like a ryhme fest usally slower and more cousing
Reply:Like others have said, rap is a subset of hip-hop, which consists of 4 core activities (emceeing/rapping, graffing, breaking and djing). Rap contains many subgenres in itself...nerd/backpacker, gangsta, west coast, east coast, etc.
I think KRS-One said it best when trying to differ mainstream rap (pop-rap/gangsta) from other rap (which I really think your question is about) - "Rappers spit rhymes that are mostly illegal, MC’s spit rhymes to uplift they people. Peace, love, unity, and Havin’ fun"
Reply:the spelling?... lol
Reply:lol, what a bunch of newbs!
(except crack-is-bad)
'hip hop' is made of of 4 elements...
djing
rapping
breaking
grafitti
krs1 'rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live'
accept no other answer
/thread
Reply:Now i feel that without Hip hop, there wouldnt be Rap. and as long as there is Rap, there will be Hip hop. the difference i think between hiphop and rap is creativity. hip hop cant be as clean as rap. hip hop spoke about the hood, they spoke of drugs and guns. hip hop made MC's. hip hop was and is a culture and a form of music, just like Rap. hip hop also spoke just a street as rap. in hip hop, when a show was about to go down, the DJ he commanded attention from the people. the people of hip hop know that the DJ is essential. But the DJ wouldnt give the MC his time until he was ready to rock. MC's couldnt get heard without the DJ. hip hop MC's had beef but they didnt threaten each other with gunplay, MC's battled. all a MC needed to battle was a mic, crowd and a beat boxer. The difference is that hip hop didnt care of $200,000 cars. they spoke with a message. hip hop MC are teachers. they spoke of how to get out of the hood. hip hop didnt degrade black/ all women. Rap isnt like that. as you can see as an example, rap today lacks creativity. the rappers are consistent, they glamorize the hood, glamorizing gangsters. they talk about causing bodily harm, talk about jewelry, and ridiculous analogies and metaphors. i dont agree when SOME people say that there isnt a difference. what I HAVE noticed with todays rap, is that there arent any risk takers. rap dont bring people together to celebrate. in Rap, it sounds like eveyone is supposed to be hard or tough. for what??? I THINK that rappers dont make their own lane. SOME rappers today got that "if it aint broke dont fix it" mentality. so lets make the snap record, the club record.
Reply:I can't coz there ain't no difference bo!
Reply:oh yes your defenitley right when you said "I just hate it when people say hip hop is dead when I feel they are talking about rap. They are different genres, and those who say hip hop is dead should at least say it about hip hop and not rap." people dont understand that when I get mad when people ask is "hip hop dying?" or is "hip hop dead?" because HIP HOP artists are doing their thing like the ones you named(lupe, common, kanye, mos def,etc yall know who they are), and the RAP artists(anyone can be a rapper even you) are making music you dont like because your thinking that it is hip hop when they are two different genres... I like some RAP and mostly HIP HOP and I like some of the RAP music because I know the difference between the two, I dont get it mixed up and then say"omg HIP HOP is dead" when I know Im not listening to HIP HOP Im listening to RAP.
Reply:It's all the same. Rap lyrics—often a brash mixture of profanity and street slang—seem to be another reason for the popularity of rap. Unlike traditional rock lyrics, many of which dwell on the subject of teenage romance, rap lyrics often have a more serious message. Some rap speaks out against injustice, racism, and police brutality. At times, though, the rhyming refrains are stated in the most foul, shocking language imaginable. Rap also seems to constitute a rebellion against standards of dress, grooming, and sexual morality. Not surprisingly, rap has become a life-style in its own right. Its adherents are identified by their flamboyant gestures, street slang, and garb—baggy jeans, unlaced high-top sneakers, gold chains, baseball caps, and dark glasses.
At Ephesians 5:10, Christians are told to “keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the Lord.” Considering the reputation rap has made for itself, do you think it would be “acceptable to the Lord” for you to get involved with it? Would a Christian youth want to be identified with a life-style that is deemed unacceptable even by many people of the world?
Can someone please tell me the difference between hip hop and rap?
i see hip hop and rap as very different. hip hop aims to highlight problems in the black community while i think rap tends to try and glamorize them. to me rappers are ppl like 50 cent, lil wayne, jeezy... and hip hop artists are ppl like common and talib kweli. i prefer hip hop to rap but i do also listen to rap music. i jus dnt like it so much b/c i think some rap lyrics are irresposibly made because they encourage minority youths to engage in bad behaviors and make them think that committing crimes and havin to hustle is cool. but its really not. i agree with nas that hip hop is practically dead.. at least in mainstream music. there is underground hip hop. but hip hop is not the same as it was in the past. i mean what happened to artists like black star, a tribe called quest, pharcyde, etc.
if i were a hip hop artist i would be insulted when ppl consider music by 50 cent or like artists to be hip hop cuz its really not what hip hop was meant to be about.
Reply:I've always known rap to be the actual act of rhyming, and Hip-Hop to be the whole culture (graffiti, cazelle glasses, Kangol hats, beat boxing, breakdancing, etc.). Whew! Took myself back for a moment. Now, I think the Hip-Hop culture is plain old garbage. It's too polluted now.
Reply:rap could be ghetto and be clean like point blank-born and raised in the ghetto
cause u see rap started and it was about being FUNKY
but then ice soemthing screwed up and made a new sub-genre called gansta-rap
and thats when it well down hill....
anyways...
ok hiphop=is a culture , away of living
rap=a genre of music
gansta rap=****.crap.
Reply:there is no diff
Reply:hip hop is useally faster and able to dance 2 rap is like a ryhme fest usally slower and more cousing
Reply:Like others have said, rap is a subset of hip-hop, which consists of 4 core activities (emceeing/rapping, graffing, breaking and djing). Rap contains many subgenres in itself...nerd/backpacker, gangsta, west coast, east coast, etc.
I think KRS-One said it best when trying to differ mainstream rap (pop-rap/gangsta) from other rap (which I really think your question is about) - "Rappers spit rhymes that are mostly illegal, MC’s spit rhymes to uplift they people. Peace, love, unity, and Havin’ fun"
Reply:the spelling?... lol
Reply:lol, what a bunch of newbs!
(except crack-is-bad)
'hip hop' is made of of 4 elements...
djing
rapping
breaking
grafitti
krs1 'rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live'
accept no other answer
/thread
Reply:Now i feel that without Hip hop, there wouldnt be Rap. and as long as there is Rap, there will be Hip hop. the difference i think between hiphop and rap is creativity. hip hop cant be as clean as rap. hip hop spoke about the hood, they spoke of drugs and guns. hip hop made MC's. hip hop was and is a culture and a form of music, just like Rap. hip hop also spoke just a street as rap. in hip hop, when a show was about to go down, the DJ he commanded attention from the people. the people of hip hop know that the DJ is essential. But the DJ wouldnt give the MC his time until he was ready to rock. MC's couldnt get heard without the DJ. hip hop MC's had beef but they didnt threaten each other with gunplay, MC's battled. all a MC needed to battle was a mic, crowd and a beat boxer. The difference is that hip hop didnt care of $200,000 cars. they spoke with a message. hip hop MC are teachers. they spoke of how to get out of the hood. hip hop didnt degrade black/ all women. Rap isnt like that. as you can see as an example, rap today lacks creativity. the rappers are consistent, they glamorize the hood, glamorizing gangsters. they talk about causing bodily harm, talk about jewelry, and ridiculous analogies and metaphors. i dont agree when SOME people say that there isnt a difference. what I HAVE noticed with todays rap, is that there arent any risk takers. rap dont bring people together to celebrate. in Rap, it sounds like eveyone is supposed to be hard or tough. for what??? I THINK that rappers dont make their own lane. SOME rappers today got that "if it aint broke dont fix it" mentality. so lets make the snap record, the club record.
Reply:I can't coz there ain't no difference bo!
Reply:oh yes your defenitley right when you said "I just hate it when people say hip hop is dead when I feel they are talking about rap. They are different genres, and those who say hip hop is dead should at least say it about hip hop and not rap." people dont understand that when I get mad when people ask is "hip hop dying?" or is "hip hop dead?" because HIP HOP artists are doing their thing like the ones you named(lupe, common, kanye, mos def,etc yall know who they are), and the RAP artists(anyone can be a rapper even you) are making music you dont like because your thinking that it is hip hop when they are two different genres... I like some RAP and mostly HIP HOP and I like some of the RAP music because I know the difference between the two, I dont get it mixed up and then say"omg HIP HOP is dead" when I know Im not listening to HIP HOP Im listening to RAP.
Reply:It's all the same. Rap lyrics—often a brash mixture of profanity and street slang—seem to be another reason for the popularity of rap. Unlike traditional rock lyrics, many of which dwell on the subject of teenage romance, rap lyrics often have a more serious message. Some rap speaks out against injustice, racism, and police brutality. At times, though, the rhyming refrains are stated in the most foul, shocking language imaginable. Rap also seems to constitute a rebellion against standards of dress, grooming, and sexual morality. Not surprisingly, rap has become a life-style in its own right. Its adherents are identified by their flamboyant gestures, street slang, and garb—baggy jeans, unlaced high-top sneakers, gold chains, baseball caps, and dark glasses.
At Ephesians 5:10, Christians are told to “keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the Lord.” Considering the reputation rap has made for itself, do you think it would be “acceptable to the Lord” for you to get involved with it? Would a Christian youth want to be identified with a life-style that is deemed unacceptable even by many people of the world?
Hip Hop Body!! Being Serious What is their secret and How do I get this look and I know it possible?
Check out the link, 36-22-42 is her measurements, mine is **-38-44 so How do I get my stomch to be smaller then my boobs without losing my hips or Cup size. I dont know what workouts to do, but I do know that all these hip hop honeys are not born with these bodies some have to workout to look like that, maybe the butts but not the 22 waist line, some are and I think most are not www.absolutelyamber.com %26amp; http://www.hhdb.com/hip-hop-honeys.php
Hip Hop Body!! Being Serious What is their secret and How do I get this look and I know it possible?
Get off the computer and start doing an hour's worth of cardio workouts. No pain, no gain.
Reply:personal trainers and an eating disorder.
Reply:CUT your calories. do the 1200- 1500 cal diet
Reply:Some people call it plastic surgery.
Reply:Ay yo .For one dawg ,you nids 2 luv urself.U dig. 4 Shizzle.Be happy of whooat you gotz B. Some people r just born with the rite curbs..Whoo Whee..
WWWHHHHHOOOOOAAAAAAATTTTTTTT !!!!!!!!!!!
OOOOOOKKKKKKKKAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY...
Exercises and dieting will help..
Reply:Weight training!
Hip Hop Body!! Being Serious What is their secret and How do I get this look and I know it possible?
Get off the computer and start doing an hour's worth of cardio workouts. No pain, no gain.
Reply:personal trainers and an eating disorder.
Reply:CUT your calories. do the 1200- 1500 cal diet
Reply:Some people call it plastic surgery.
Reply:Ay yo .For one dawg ,you nids 2 luv urself.U dig. 4 Shizzle.Be happy of whooat you gotz B. Some people r just born with the rite curbs..Whoo Whee..
WWWHHHHHOOOOOAAAAAAATTTTTTTT !!!!!!!!!!!
OOOOOOKKKKKKKKAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY...
Exercises and dieting will help..
Reply:Weight training!
North Indian or South Indian - got the real Hip Hop Grime songs enceeing with back beats & scratching?
I mean a real hip hop genre with Grandmaster Flash %26amp; the Furious Five backbone rythm - something that goes that way or atleast parallel .
I'm collecting and getting to knnow Indian true HIP HOP
I discovered two Indian Hip Hop so far that somehow is hip hop.
These Indian Hip Hops are something like 50 Cent or perhaps better though and I sincerely would like to know if there are any other genuine Indian Hip Hop out there.
** I never meant Indian rap songs or other pop songs with rapping or anything else but HIP HOP genre - because many missunderstood what HIP HOP songs are
Song 1 ( Listen full )
********
( song name = Indian Girl [ I guess] )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_CoLkz9L...
Song 2 ( Also Listen fully till complete )
********
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSRGdiV14...
P/S - Since anyone can answer it , so I post it on the most participated Y/A category
North Indian or South Indian - got the real Hip Hop Grime songs enceeing with back beats %26amp; scratching?
Its the south Indian definately , the links to the HIP HOP song you have in your question is a TAMIL hip hop song . Actualy there are more Tamil hip hop songs around - Tamils are the first Indian to invade this HIP HOP culture and I belive the next wave in HIP HOP songs are also from another south Indian nation - Kerala .
North Indian ( Hindi , Bengali , Bojpuri ) songs are more Authnetic and hip hops songs are considered weird and out of culture.
If you want more Indian Hip Hop search on Tamil label
Reply:And this has to do with Religion %26amp; Spirituality because...?
Edit: Touche, Glitter Girl—you beat me to it. Great minds think alike.
Reply:And this belongs in R%26amp;S how?
Reply:These guys sound and look more like a "wanna be" rappers .
gold teeth
I'm collecting and getting to knnow Indian true HIP HOP
I discovered two Indian Hip Hop so far that somehow is hip hop.
These Indian Hip Hops are something like 50 Cent or perhaps better though and I sincerely would like to know if there are any other genuine Indian Hip Hop out there.
** I never meant Indian rap songs or other pop songs with rapping or anything else but HIP HOP genre - because many missunderstood what HIP HOP songs are
Song 1 ( Listen full )
********
( song name = Indian Girl [ I guess] )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_CoLkz9L...
Song 2 ( Also Listen fully till complete )
********
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSRGdiV14...
P/S - Since anyone can answer it , so I post it on the most participated Y/A category
North Indian or South Indian - got the real Hip Hop Grime songs enceeing with back beats %26amp; scratching?
Its the south Indian definately , the links to the HIP HOP song you have in your question is a TAMIL hip hop song . Actualy there are more Tamil hip hop songs around - Tamils are the first Indian to invade this HIP HOP culture and I belive the next wave in HIP HOP songs are also from another south Indian nation - Kerala .
North Indian ( Hindi , Bengali , Bojpuri ) songs are more Authnetic and hip hops songs are considered weird and out of culture.
If you want more Indian Hip Hop search on Tamil label
Reply:And this has to do with Religion %26amp; Spirituality because...?
Edit: Touche, Glitter Girl—you beat me to it. Great minds think alike.
Reply:And this belongs in R%26amp;S how?
Reply:These guys sound and look more like a "wanna be" rappers .
gold teeth
"The 25 Things That Killed Hip Hop" list, What do you think of this list and how many do you agree with?
I did not create this list but what do you think about this list?.....source below.....
http://www.soulbounce.com/soul/2008/04/2...
25 Things That Killed (and are Still Killing) Urban Music
In the midst of everyone's declarations that "Hip Hop is Dead" we somehow forgot the slow death that is spreading across all aspects of "urban" music, as the legacy of Soul and its close cousins has devolved into a writhing mass of commercialism, homogenization, thuggification and overall laziness. Now, in no particular order, we present to you the "25 Things That Killed (and are Still Killing) Urban Music" because you love lists and SoulBounce isn't afraid to say what you're thinking. Keep in mind that there will be some overlap, as certain items gave way to others that deserve their own spanking.
1. The End of the "Event" Album: There was a time when albums encompassed an era that included a look, a feel, and a style that informed an artist's videos and live performances for as long as they (or the label) could squeeze revenue from a project by releasing singles. The "event" album can chiefly be credited to Jacksons Michael and Janet, who have entire timelines built around the idea of a "Thriller Era" or a "Rhythm Nation Era". Nowadays, instead of treating albums as what they are (a collection of songs with one unifying theme) artists are more likely to seek out the most ubiquitous Hip Hop beatmakers of the moment and record over a hundred songs from which to "pick" singles. Also, when you have artists that are too scared to release music with a healthy 3-5 year gap in between, the lines to between albums begin to blur, and the eras become indistinguishable, rendering them null.
2. Big Name Hip Hop Producers: With respect due to the beatmakers that introduce a track with the name of their production imprint, ad-lib all over it, and insert themselves as guest rappers 50% of the time, they overshadow the actual vocalist of a song. We certainly don't begrudge any of them the right to employment, but when an artist has to do an inventory of who produced her project to qualifiy it instead of telling us what the album is about, we have to take exception. Reality check: If you're trying to goad me into a purchasing your album because you have a Pharrell beat on it and I'm a Pharrell fan, then that's the only song I'm buying. Your album has to have legs of its own.
3. Deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. %26amp; 2Pac: You can probably draw a direct line from the deaths of Biggie and 'Pac to the current state of Hip Hop. The two of them cultivated a style that even a decade later is re- and misappropriated to the nth. Perhaps if they were still alive, they'd have pushed the genre forward. Or maybe they'd be wack and irrelevant. Hey, at least they died while they were still good.
4. "Neo-Soul": We understand the emergence of the "neo-soul" genre as a response to the growing commercialization of modern R%26amp;B. But even the artists lumped into this category began to the see that the term was as much a marketing ploy as the very things they eschewed. The language used to describe these artists ranged from "organic" to "avant garde" and any press materials would claim that he/she looks up to Stevie, Marvin and Donnie. And don't stand too close to the stage lest you get burned by the candles and frankencense! Before long, the audience would be fooled and we would either grow to love or loathe this music, defending the art of its purveyors and loudly wondering why they couldn't move as many units as their mainstream counterparts. Simply put, "neo-soul" has become a term used by people to describe music they respect but would never buy.
5. Reality TV: Aside from the manufactured Pop idols that are struggling to stay signed within their prize contracts, we have to question the motives of Sean Combs, Robin Antin and Missy Elliott, who have all aped the reality television format to generate acts for their own stable of artists. To be sure, reality TV has replaced proper Artist Development as a means for these entrepreneurs to cash in, stroke their egos and embarrass people who, 9 times out of 10, deserve it. Speaking of which, what's O'so Krispie doing?
6. Lazy A%26amp;R Departments: Did you know that A%26amp;R people are also responsible for Artist Development? Probably not, since these days a newly-signed artist is more likely to be stripped of their identity and given one that falls in step with what's popular or, even worse, none at all. Take Cheri Dennis for example. While her album has a respectable amount of solid R%26amp;B tracks, we still don't know who Cheri Dennis is, what sets her apart from everyone else or even what she sounds like. But, she has earned the distinction of being signed to her label for nearly a decade with no album to speak of. Did the A%26amp;R department utilize that time by playing Spades? Probably.
7. Scarface and The Untouchables: Okay, rapper, we get it, Scarface and The Untouchables are the greatest movies ever made; your life in celluloid, even. But, if you look close enough, you'll come to learn that you are neither Pacino or De Niro and should stop emulating them by using audio clips from the films in your interludes and the script in your lyrics. Too many of you are still doing this after all these years. Also, tell members of your crew to stop calling themselves "Ness" and "Nitti". Just, please, cut it out. Thank you.
8. Thugs: Not only do we have "Studio Thugs" that use de Palma films to inform their image (see above) but there's the "Corporate Thug" (robs an artist of his publishing and signs him to a hellified contract he could never fulfill) and the questionable "R%26amp;B Thug", which happened somewhere between R. Kelly and Jodeci and continues to this day. Along the way, labels got the bright idea that the way to a woman's heart was by selling drugs and beating up people. Sexy! This trend has also given rise to something else we'll never understand: "R%26amp;B Beef", in which two singers talk trash about each other to the media. Unfortunately, this doesn't result in a "sing-off" but pretty much makes everyone involved look kind of retarded.
9. Crime: Between violating probation, not paying child support, being pulled over and caught with an ounce of weed or cocaine, assaulting nail technicians, shooting people, tossing concertgoers off the stage, committing perjury, tax evasion, and urinating on minors, we have to wonder if being a good artist means being a bad citizen.
10. Ringtones: "Real Music Ringtones" were created as a way to distinguish your ringing cellular from someone else's while also bringing you closer to your favorite artist. Unfortunately, the labels realized this was the only way to generate revenue and started making music for the sole purpose of selling ringtones. Now, we have stripped-down keyboard beats and grunts and "yaahhs" instead of lyrics. Is that my cellphone ringing or yours? We'll never know, because we both downloaded Soulja Boy.
11. Lack of Music Programs in Schools: Programs like Garage Band have not only made producers lazy, but undercut the importance of immersing young would-be musicians in music history as well as basic composition. Unless a popular musician was trained in the church, they probably lucked into a contract without knowing how to write, play an instrument, or worse, sing a note.
12. BET (and by extension its corporate owner) is on a mission to not only destroy urban music, but poison the perception of Black people in the process. If we were to use this network as a guide (and people unfortunately do), we would believe that "drug dealer %26gt; rapper %26gt; pimp" is a logical career path, alcoholic beverages can be used as bodysplash, women of exotic or indeterminate race are the standard of beauty, darker-skinned women are only valuable if they have a big *** and a tiny waist, a person's worth can only be determined by what they drive and what they wear, you ain't sh*t if you're over 30, and a week's worth of debauchery and decadence can be undone with a Sunday marathon of religious programming. It's funny because it's true.
13. The Radio: Used to be, you would turn on the radio and hear a variety of artists with a variety of sounds. But due to the "Clear Channeling" of Urban Radio, you'll hear a T-Pain song followed by 15 minutes of commercials, followed by a song featuring T-Pain, some shucking and jiving by unbearable radio personalities for five minutes, then something that resembles a T-Pain song, but isn't because just about everyone sounds like T-Pain now. And it's probably a commercial.
14. Spineless Club DJs: If you're going out to a club, you might as well sit in the house and blast the radio instead of paying the inflated cover charge. Once upon a time, DJs were tastemakers, but now so many of them are afraid they'll clear the floor by spinning something new that they just play album versions of songs people are tired of but are too drunk to notice. Then, they add insult to injury by showing off their "skills" with poorly-timed scratches, blends that don't line up and screaming over the music. And consider yourself lucky if you happen upon a DJ with ACTUAL! VINYL! RECORDS!
15. Mainstream Hip Hop Publications: Back in the 90's, holding one of these rags in your hands was like holding a monthly Bible to all things Hip Hop and R%26amp;B. Now, they've all been relegated to chasing blogs and reiterating things we already knew weeks ahead instead of properly utilizing the print medium to do something unique. Changes in personnel and ownership aside, they were already marching towards irrelevance. Even the covers suck now, but you probably won't get the damn thing delivered on time in order to find out.
16. Bloggers: Guilty as charged! Trifle few of us are qualified to be writing about music with any authority, especially since most of the people behind blogs haven't been alive long enough to have a healthy perspective on the subject. Although it can be argued that record companies rely on blogs for buzz, most of the music championed by popular websites is the same music that would've gotten attention anyway. Also, we have to point out that the commenting system has turned discussions about music into an unholy war of "haters" versus "stans", where everyone is an expert on what they hate or love, but have no concept of anything else including real life. Oh, and providing your readers with the URL to full album leaks doesn't "help" the artist.
17. Youtube %26amp; Myspace: On the Internet, everyone is a star (thank you, thank you). But while sites like Myspace and Youtube can provide mainstream and indie musicians with a means of cultivating and connecting with an audience, it becomes a chore to sort through the muck of people with a webcam and a login classifying themselves as "artists". And damn you all to Hell for having the crap you made in Grandma's basement on auto-play.
18. Singing Rappers, Acting Rappers %26amp; Rapping Athletes: We'll keep this short. Every now and then you'll happen upon someone that has been able to organically transition from one career to another. Will and Latifah come to mind. To everyone else (coughCurtiscough), stay in your lane. Again, we don't begrudge anyone the chance to make some extra ends; it just shouldn't be at the expense of the audience.
19. The End of Real Singing Groups: Once upon a time, you not only had singing groups that weren't put together by a reality show, but wherein each member contributed a distinct voice or purpose to the group. Sometimes they had members that barely sang a note, but who actually produced or wrote the song. Point is, throwing a bunch of strangers in a house with one phone and giving them makeovers doesn't create synergy. Also, name a recent singing group that wasn't created for a television show or for the purpose of launching someone's solo career. Exactly.
20. "Kanyitis" is a temporary, yet frequent, illness that afflicts singers and rappers alike, wherein an artist waits until the precise moment they are in front of a camera, microphone or reporter to say something shocking and stupid, which will then be quoted by bloggers and searched on Youtube ad nauseum. Then the artist has to explain what they "really" meant, but by that time everyone already thinks they're nuts and doesn't care about a retraction.
21. Death of Aaliyah: Not that Aaliyah took an entire genre of music with her to the grave, but it can be argued that her passing made way for a wave of young, pretty dancers with okay voices and no personality. Only difference between them and Aaliyah is, Aaliyah had personality along with talent, ideas and a willingness to experiment. Also, she wasn't so full of herself.
22. Money: Even worse than artists releasing garbage because they know it sells is the audience's obsession with how much an artist makes. Unfortunately, we've given lack of artistry a pass because someone's "making that paper", which totally undermines the hard work of true creative talents that are constantly writing, recording, and performing. When I buy an album I don't want to hear an entrepreneur, which brings us to--
23. Products %26amp; Brands: Whether rappers and singers are inserting the names of designer alcoholic beverages into their lyrics or cable companies are inserting rappers and singers in their ad campaigns, things come to a point where we need to start realizing how owned these artists are. There's a thin line between businessperson and corporate slave. We'd also like to reiterate a fact that has been pointed out time and time again over the past 10 years: If you can't pronounce it, why should we care that you're wearing it, driving it, or drinking it?
24. People That Aren't in Any Way Associated with Music: Opportunities in the industry are built on connections and there's almost never been a time when someone didn't rise to stardom on someone else's coattails. But now, things have gotten way out of hand. Why be an actual artist when you can be someone that danced in videos, screwed a bunch of rappers and got a book deal? Or, you can be a butler or Executive In Charge of Umbrella-Carrying? Or, worse, be the "Fifth Mic" guy on stage and reliable instigator? Who needs a recording studio?
25. Teenagers: Young people have always had the power to determine trends in all genres of music, which is why corporations defer to them. However, today's teenagers seem to be slightly more insipid than they were in previous generations and definitely have a shorter attention span. Whether it's the teens themselves driving the garbage labels are releasing, or the labels that are leading teens down a path of ignorance, is totally up for debate. It's the chicken/egg question in its purest form.
"The 25 Things That Killed Hip Hop" list, What do you think of this list and how many do you agree with?
Actually it's..."The 26 Things That Killed Hip Hop"
#26: George W. Bush
Reply:when will we all realize that the real culprint is My Penis?
Reply:i agree with this list.....especially with number22
Reply:A lot of that list is right on point, I do agree with most things on this list, but I'm judging that by what I saw, not the details(too much of a read, haha)
But I especially agree with 2, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 22
Reply:i think #22 mainly
lmfao but u neva kno it coulda been rent-a-cop's pickle
Reply:Big Name Producers, Lack of Music Programs is schools, Spinless Club Djs, Money, People who are in no way associated with music, Teenagers ------ I agree on.
Also the fact that, ANYBODY CAN MAKE MUSIC NOW. I mean, ANYBODY. All you gotta do is DL FL Studio or Reason and you are set. Record a song over a prototypical loop, with some heavy drums about killing ,put it on myspace and you are set. Its that easy now. Used to take 3 months(no lie, im in a music history class) to push a song. Love in this Club by Usher was released in a day from Polow the Don's computer.
Reply:wow what a question :D
http://itunes.com, http://mp3legal.org, http://mp3netz.com
Reply:Why isn't lil wayne on the list?
Reply:I agree with every reason completely except for the last one. I partly agree with that, but I think there are many exceptions to that rule. Yes, teenagers who listen to hip-hop with substance (including myself) are becoming hard to find but there are still many who would prefer to listen to Nas instead of Souljah Boy.
I think the 25th reason would be better if it wasn't so specific and included a wider age group.
Reply:damn, this ish is just about flawless, thanks for puttin this up, mad good read homie
Reply:Ok well i didnt read all but most of the dam thing and some of that is true but hey what u gonna do cause tellin pple bout this and getin bout 6 answers isnt gonna help i mean thats just life it sucks and ull just have to get over it or sing or higher some one to sing a good hip- hop songs cause mostly everyone is just tryin to worry bout how they gonna make it in life cause of gas prices and food prices goin up, so thats some thing u should be rlly worried bout right now and save all this fo later when some one or all of the U.S. fixes this. And any ways most but not all us black pple can only do is rap cause some of us been through alot and is tryin to tell the world and some just want money so they can at less make it through with out problems that most non rich pple have to worry bout. But not to start any thing im just sayin that rap, metal, soul, jazz, r and b, HIP-HOP, ect, is the less of our problems for right now.
Reply:this is on point
Reply:Not number 4, but 12 and 18, oh yes! Read my profile. It'll tell you how I feel about it.
Reply:its the teenagers. teens these days are lame. they like the gayest stuff and listen to music with no meaning. they like the same beat over and over. everyteen i know now is pretty much a dork. this generation of teenagers should be considered generation dork. i also blame eminem for hip hops death. he should be number 26
Reply:i agree with every single reason that has been stated.......i reakon all those reasons are why hip hop is dead!
the music everyone calls hip hop these days isnt really hip hop...it is the stuff that kills the real hip hop and it is all trash!
http://www.soulbounce.com/soul/2008/04/2...
25 Things That Killed (and are Still Killing) Urban Music
In the midst of everyone's declarations that "Hip Hop is Dead" we somehow forgot the slow death that is spreading across all aspects of "urban" music, as the legacy of Soul and its close cousins has devolved into a writhing mass of commercialism, homogenization, thuggification and overall laziness. Now, in no particular order, we present to you the "25 Things That Killed (and are Still Killing) Urban Music" because you love lists and SoulBounce isn't afraid to say what you're thinking. Keep in mind that there will be some overlap, as certain items gave way to others that deserve their own spanking.
1. The End of the "Event" Album: There was a time when albums encompassed an era that included a look, a feel, and a style that informed an artist's videos and live performances for as long as they (or the label) could squeeze revenue from a project by releasing singles. The "event" album can chiefly be credited to Jacksons Michael and Janet, who have entire timelines built around the idea of a "Thriller Era" or a "Rhythm Nation Era". Nowadays, instead of treating albums as what they are (a collection of songs with one unifying theme) artists are more likely to seek out the most ubiquitous Hip Hop beatmakers of the moment and record over a hundred songs from which to "pick" singles. Also, when you have artists that are too scared to release music with a healthy 3-5 year gap in between, the lines to between albums begin to blur, and the eras become indistinguishable, rendering them null.
2. Big Name Hip Hop Producers: With respect due to the beatmakers that introduce a track with the name of their production imprint, ad-lib all over it, and insert themselves as guest rappers 50% of the time, they overshadow the actual vocalist of a song. We certainly don't begrudge any of them the right to employment, but when an artist has to do an inventory of who produced her project to qualifiy it instead of telling us what the album is about, we have to take exception. Reality check: If you're trying to goad me into a purchasing your album because you have a Pharrell beat on it and I'm a Pharrell fan, then that's the only song I'm buying. Your album has to have legs of its own.
3. Deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. %26amp; 2Pac: You can probably draw a direct line from the deaths of Biggie and 'Pac to the current state of Hip Hop. The two of them cultivated a style that even a decade later is re- and misappropriated to the nth. Perhaps if they were still alive, they'd have pushed the genre forward. Or maybe they'd be wack and irrelevant. Hey, at least they died while they were still good.
4. "Neo-Soul": We understand the emergence of the "neo-soul" genre as a response to the growing commercialization of modern R%26amp;B. But even the artists lumped into this category began to the see that the term was as much a marketing ploy as the very things they eschewed. The language used to describe these artists ranged from "organic" to "avant garde" and any press materials would claim that he/she looks up to Stevie, Marvin and Donnie. And don't stand too close to the stage lest you get burned by the candles and frankencense! Before long, the audience would be fooled and we would either grow to love or loathe this music, defending the art of its purveyors and loudly wondering why they couldn't move as many units as their mainstream counterparts. Simply put, "neo-soul" has become a term used by people to describe music they respect but would never buy.
5. Reality TV: Aside from the manufactured Pop idols that are struggling to stay signed within their prize contracts, we have to question the motives of Sean Combs, Robin Antin and Missy Elliott, who have all aped the reality television format to generate acts for their own stable of artists. To be sure, reality TV has replaced proper Artist Development as a means for these entrepreneurs to cash in, stroke their egos and embarrass people who, 9 times out of 10, deserve it. Speaking of which, what's O'so Krispie doing?
6. Lazy A%26amp;R Departments: Did you know that A%26amp;R people are also responsible for Artist Development? Probably not, since these days a newly-signed artist is more likely to be stripped of their identity and given one that falls in step with what's popular or, even worse, none at all. Take Cheri Dennis for example. While her album has a respectable amount of solid R%26amp;B tracks, we still don't know who Cheri Dennis is, what sets her apart from everyone else or even what she sounds like. But, she has earned the distinction of being signed to her label for nearly a decade with no album to speak of. Did the A%26amp;R department utilize that time by playing Spades? Probably.
7. Scarface and The Untouchables: Okay, rapper, we get it, Scarface and The Untouchables are the greatest movies ever made; your life in celluloid, even. But, if you look close enough, you'll come to learn that you are neither Pacino or De Niro and should stop emulating them by using audio clips from the films in your interludes and the script in your lyrics. Too many of you are still doing this after all these years. Also, tell members of your crew to stop calling themselves "Ness" and "Nitti". Just, please, cut it out. Thank you.
8. Thugs: Not only do we have "Studio Thugs" that use de Palma films to inform their image (see above) but there's the "Corporate Thug" (robs an artist of his publishing and signs him to a hellified contract he could never fulfill) and the questionable "R%26amp;B Thug", which happened somewhere between R. Kelly and Jodeci and continues to this day. Along the way, labels got the bright idea that the way to a woman's heart was by selling drugs and beating up people. Sexy! This trend has also given rise to something else we'll never understand: "R%26amp;B Beef", in which two singers talk trash about each other to the media. Unfortunately, this doesn't result in a "sing-off" but pretty much makes everyone involved look kind of retarded.
9. Crime: Between violating probation, not paying child support, being pulled over and caught with an ounce of weed or cocaine, assaulting nail technicians, shooting people, tossing concertgoers off the stage, committing perjury, tax evasion, and urinating on minors, we have to wonder if being a good artist means being a bad citizen.
10. Ringtones: "Real Music Ringtones" were created as a way to distinguish your ringing cellular from someone else's while also bringing you closer to your favorite artist. Unfortunately, the labels realized this was the only way to generate revenue and started making music for the sole purpose of selling ringtones. Now, we have stripped-down keyboard beats and grunts and "yaahhs" instead of lyrics. Is that my cellphone ringing or yours? We'll never know, because we both downloaded Soulja Boy.
11. Lack of Music Programs in Schools: Programs like Garage Band have not only made producers lazy, but undercut the importance of immersing young would-be musicians in music history as well as basic composition. Unless a popular musician was trained in the church, they probably lucked into a contract without knowing how to write, play an instrument, or worse, sing a note.
12. BET (and by extension its corporate owner) is on a mission to not only destroy urban music, but poison the perception of Black people in the process. If we were to use this network as a guide (and people unfortunately do), we would believe that "drug dealer %26gt; rapper %26gt; pimp" is a logical career path, alcoholic beverages can be used as bodysplash, women of exotic or indeterminate race are the standard of beauty, darker-skinned women are only valuable if they have a big *** and a tiny waist, a person's worth can only be determined by what they drive and what they wear, you ain't sh*t if you're over 30, and a week's worth of debauchery and decadence can be undone with a Sunday marathon of religious programming. It's funny because it's true.
13. The Radio: Used to be, you would turn on the radio and hear a variety of artists with a variety of sounds. But due to the "Clear Channeling" of Urban Radio, you'll hear a T-Pain song followed by 15 minutes of commercials, followed by a song featuring T-Pain, some shucking and jiving by unbearable radio personalities for five minutes, then something that resembles a T-Pain song, but isn't because just about everyone sounds like T-Pain now. And it's probably a commercial.
14. Spineless Club DJs: If you're going out to a club, you might as well sit in the house and blast the radio instead of paying the inflated cover charge. Once upon a time, DJs were tastemakers, but now so many of them are afraid they'll clear the floor by spinning something new that they just play album versions of songs people are tired of but are too drunk to notice. Then, they add insult to injury by showing off their "skills" with poorly-timed scratches, blends that don't line up and screaming over the music. And consider yourself lucky if you happen upon a DJ with ACTUAL! VINYL! RECORDS!
15. Mainstream Hip Hop Publications: Back in the 90's, holding one of these rags in your hands was like holding a monthly Bible to all things Hip Hop and R%26amp;B. Now, they've all been relegated to chasing blogs and reiterating things we already knew weeks ahead instead of properly utilizing the print medium to do something unique. Changes in personnel and ownership aside, they were already marching towards irrelevance. Even the covers suck now, but you probably won't get the damn thing delivered on time in order to find out.
16. Bloggers: Guilty as charged! Trifle few of us are qualified to be writing about music with any authority, especially since most of the people behind blogs haven't been alive long enough to have a healthy perspective on the subject. Although it can be argued that record companies rely on blogs for buzz, most of the music championed by popular websites is the same music that would've gotten attention anyway. Also, we have to point out that the commenting system has turned discussions about music into an unholy war of "haters" versus "stans", where everyone is an expert on what they hate or love, but have no concept of anything else including real life. Oh, and providing your readers with the URL to full album leaks doesn't "help" the artist.
17. Youtube %26amp; Myspace: On the Internet, everyone is a star (thank you, thank you). But while sites like Myspace and Youtube can provide mainstream and indie musicians with a means of cultivating and connecting with an audience, it becomes a chore to sort through the muck of people with a webcam and a login classifying themselves as "artists". And damn you all to Hell for having the crap you made in Grandma's basement on auto-play.
18. Singing Rappers, Acting Rappers %26amp; Rapping Athletes: We'll keep this short. Every now and then you'll happen upon someone that has been able to organically transition from one career to another. Will and Latifah come to mind. To everyone else (coughCurtiscough), stay in your lane. Again, we don't begrudge anyone the chance to make some extra ends; it just shouldn't be at the expense of the audience.
19. The End of Real Singing Groups: Once upon a time, you not only had singing groups that weren't put together by a reality show, but wherein each member contributed a distinct voice or purpose to the group. Sometimes they had members that barely sang a note, but who actually produced or wrote the song. Point is, throwing a bunch of strangers in a house with one phone and giving them makeovers doesn't create synergy. Also, name a recent singing group that wasn't created for a television show or for the purpose of launching someone's solo career. Exactly.
20. "Kanyitis" is a temporary, yet frequent, illness that afflicts singers and rappers alike, wherein an artist waits until the precise moment they are in front of a camera, microphone or reporter to say something shocking and stupid, which will then be quoted by bloggers and searched on Youtube ad nauseum. Then the artist has to explain what they "really" meant, but by that time everyone already thinks they're nuts and doesn't care about a retraction.
21. Death of Aaliyah: Not that Aaliyah took an entire genre of music with her to the grave, but it can be argued that her passing made way for a wave of young, pretty dancers with okay voices and no personality. Only difference between them and Aaliyah is, Aaliyah had personality along with talent, ideas and a willingness to experiment. Also, she wasn't so full of herself.
22. Money: Even worse than artists releasing garbage because they know it sells is the audience's obsession with how much an artist makes. Unfortunately, we've given lack of artistry a pass because someone's "making that paper", which totally undermines the hard work of true creative talents that are constantly writing, recording, and performing. When I buy an album I don't want to hear an entrepreneur, which brings us to--
23. Products %26amp; Brands: Whether rappers and singers are inserting the names of designer alcoholic beverages into their lyrics or cable companies are inserting rappers and singers in their ad campaigns, things come to a point where we need to start realizing how owned these artists are. There's a thin line between businessperson and corporate slave. We'd also like to reiterate a fact that has been pointed out time and time again over the past 10 years: If you can't pronounce it, why should we care that you're wearing it, driving it, or drinking it?
24. People That Aren't in Any Way Associated with Music: Opportunities in the industry are built on connections and there's almost never been a time when someone didn't rise to stardom on someone else's coattails. But now, things have gotten way out of hand. Why be an actual artist when you can be someone that danced in videos, screwed a bunch of rappers and got a book deal? Or, you can be a butler or Executive In Charge of Umbrella-Carrying? Or, worse, be the "Fifth Mic" guy on stage and reliable instigator? Who needs a recording studio?
25. Teenagers: Young people have always had the power to determine trends in all genres of music, which is why corporations defer to them. However, today's teenagers seem to be slightly more insipid than they were in previous generations and definitely have a shorter attention span. Whether it's the teens themselves driving the garbage labels are releasing, or the labels that are leading teens down a path of ignorance, is totally up for debate. It's the chicken/egg question in its purest form.
"The 25 Things That Killed Hip Hop" list, What do you think of this list and how many do you agree with?
Actually it's..."The 26 Things That Killed Hip Hop"
#26: George W. Bush
Reply:when will we all realize that the real culprint is My Penis?
Reply:i agree with this list.....especially with number22
Reply:A lot of that list is right on point, I do agree with most things on this list, but I'm judging that by what I saw, not the details(too much of a read, haha)
But I especially agree with 2, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 22
Reply:i think #22 mainly
lmfao but u neva kno it coulda been rent-a-cop's pickle
Reply:Big Name Producers, Lack of Music Programs is schools, Spinless Club Djs, Money, People who are in no way associated with music, Teenagers ------ I agree on.
Also the fact that, ANYBODY CAN MAKE MUSIC NOW. I mean, ANYBODY. All you gotta do is DL FL Studio or Reason and you are set. Record a song over a prototypical loop, with some heavy drums about killing ,put it on myspace and you are set. Its that easy now. Used to take 3 months(no lie, im in a music history class) to push a song. Love in this Club by Usher was released in a day from Polow the Don's computer.
Reply:wow what a question :D
http://itunes.com, http://mp3legal.org, http://mp3netz.com
Reply:Why isn't lil wayne on the list?
Reply:I agree with every reason completely except for the last one. I partly agree with that, but I think there are many exceptions to that rule. Yes, teenagers who listen to hip-hop with substance (including myself) are becoming hard to find but there are still many who would prefer to listen to Nas instead of Souljah Boy.
I think the 25th reason would be better if it wasn't so specific and included a wider age group.
Reply:damn, this ish is just about flawless, thanks for puttin this up, mad good read homie
Reply:Ok well i didnt read all but most of the dam thing and some of that is true but hey what u gonna do cause tellin pple bout this and getin bout 6 answers isnt gonna help i mean thats just life it sucks and ull just have to get over it or sing or higher some one to sing a good hip- hop songs cause mostly everyone is just tryin to worry bout how they gonna make it in life cause of gas prices and food prices goin up, so thats some thing u should be rlly worried bout right now and save all this fo later when some one or all of the U.S. fixes this. And any ways most but not all us black pple can only do is rap cause some of us been through alot and is tryin to tell the world and some just want money so they can at less make it through with out problems that most non rich pple have to worry bout. But not to start any thing im just sayin that rap, metal, soul, jazz, r and b, HIP-HOP, ect, is the less of our problems for right now.
Reply:this is on point
Reply:Not number 4, but 12 and 18, oh yes! Read my profile. It'll tell you how I feel about it.
Reply:its the teenagers. teens these days are lame. they like the gayest stuff and listen to music with no meaning. they like the same beat over and over. everyteen i know now is pretty much a dork. this generation of teenagers should be considered generation dork. i also blame eminem for hip hops death. he should be number 26
Reply:i agree with every single reason that has been stated.......i reakon all those reasons are why hip hop is dead!
the music everyone calls hip hop these days isnt really hip hop...it is the stuff that kills the real hip hop and it is all trash!
Why does everyone blame hip-hop for youth violence, etc?
I cannot stand the ignorance. So how come they don't say anything about violent death metal And rock that has any hate And killing and suicide messages? No wonder so many little young white teens commit suicide. How about violent movies and videogames? You guys need to stop taking shots at hip-hop. RAP = Retards Attempting Poetry? Sorry, creating actual good rap music requires deep thought and emotion. (EX: Tupac, Nas, AZ, Jadakiss, etc) ... I am not talking about Soulja Boy or the Dem Franchize Boyz. They are not RAPPERS. They are ENTERTAINERS. It's not that hard to understand the difference, hip-hop/rap haters. Hip-Hop and Rap music has it's positive side but you guys only look at the negative side and point everything out on hip-hop. Why, why, why? I am not here to argue or complain. I am here to give you guys lessons in order to change your guys minds and opinion towards hip-hop and rap music positively
Why does everyone blame hip-hop for youth violence, etc?
I listen to rock, and I don't think you should be talking about ignorance since you have displayed quite a lot. I listen to rock and hip hop, rap, classical and country. Listening to rock doesn't make you more prone to suicide. I know more black and Hispanic people actually who have been involved with attempted suicide and self mutilation. It's not about the music, you need to understand that. People like to have a scape goat. Come on, what was Hitler listening to? Was it the music or was he just insane?
Good rap is stuff like The Roots, groups that actually talk about a message, most rap today doesn't do that. Most rock today doesn't mean anything either.
People don't want to realize that the way kids are turning out today is a lot of their fault. Uninvolved parents, father's that have left them, not being able to talk about how they feel because that would make them a fag. It's people's fault, not the music.
Your not giving anyone a lesson by the way, your just proving people right with your indignant anger. Your not proving anything. I view OLDER rap and hip hop positively. It's the "entertainers" of today that I view negatively, the rappers the glorify gang violence, screamo metal that encourages rage that I view negatively. But you can't blame music for people's actions. Yes, you can say music encourages people to do things. But in the end it is that person's decision and only they are to blame.
EDIT*
By the way, yes Marilyn Manson does get criticized, metal gets banged at every time there is a school shooting. What is racist is calling every little thing out as being RACIST. Know what you're talking about before you prove your stupidity.
I'm not saying people shouldn't be able to criticize music, they should, but they shouldn't be able to censor it or stop people from listening to it just because they find fault in it.
Reply:I am not gonna down it because I listen to it! but there is subliminal messaging in it! I think that because most rappers tend to curse and sing about hoes money and weed and things like that people only look at the bad songs! Yes there are good ones...and you are right death metal and rock is the exact same...it might also have a little bit to do with the fact that a LOT of people are still pregidous*spelling*
Reply:And yet we are supposed to be on here to ask questions...
People say a lot about video-games, metal etc. Some people blame Super Mario for making kids violent, ffs. Now it's okay to blame the "Goth" subculture for school shootings. People always look for scape-goats to avoid real issues. But a lot of people stereotype rap as being meaningless.
People who say death metal etc. isn't criticised- come off it. If you think death metal causes suicide, all black crimes can be attributed to rap.
Reply:Good question....I think it is partially racial...there are metal bands that talk just as much about death and violence...take marilyn manson for instance...his/her???? lyrics are extremely violent and disturbing...no one is really criticizing him/her/it???
Reply:Society will always have a scapegoat. You have touched on several of them. Not many want to take blame for their part of the problem. Youth violence stems from the society's values and the way these kids are raised.
Reply:I used to listen to rap while I was in high school (because it was cool then, they only talked about having sex and getting drunk or dancing) Now the message is different...so I don't listen to a lot of American music anymore or watch a lot of American TV because its complete nonsense. Negativity and violence is not a good way to live, regardless of what style of music its hiding under. Since there are so many people that believe that what they see on TV is reality and/or how things should 'look' (ie. celebrity, gangster, etc.) then a lot of people will follow suit simply because they are nothing more than sheep.
Reply:What happens is that it depends on the person who is listening !
If i am hearing : im a mother fucka , and your my hoe , lets go to my crib and i know its just a song meant to entertain then what is saying doesnt really affect me , but if someone else takes it serisuly then that person may become influenced .I listen to metal /rock 85% of the time and the last thing on my mind is to kill myself , do drugs , or any other freaky thing , because in the back of my mind i know its just to entertain ! that is why is called music!
Why does everyone blame hip-hop for youth violence, etc?
I listen to rock, and I don't think you should be talking about ignorance since you have displayed quite a lot. I listen to rock and hip hop, rap, classical and country. Listening to rock doesn't make you more prone to suicide. I know more black and Hispanic people actually who have been involved with attempted suicide and self mutilation. It's not about the music, you need to understand that. People like to have a scape goat. Come on, what was Hitler listening to? Was it the music or was he just insane?
Good rap is stuff like The Roots, groups that actually talk about a message, most rap today doesn't do that. Most rock today doesn't mean anything either.
People don't want to realize that the way kids are turning out today is a lot of their fault. Uninvolved parents, father's that have left them, not being able to talk about how they feel because that would make them a fag. It's people's fault, not the music.
Your not giving anyone a lesson by the way, your just proving people right with your indignant anger. Your not proving anything. I view OLDER rap and hip hop positively. It's the "entertainers" of today that I view negatively, the rappers the glorify gang violence, screamo metal that encourages rage that I view negatively. But you can't blame music for people's actions. Yes, you can say music encourages people to do things. But in the end it is that person's decision and only they are to blame.
EDIT*
By the way, yes Marilyn Manson does get criticized, metal gets banged at every time there is a school shooting. What is racist is calling every little thing out as being RACIST. Know what you're talking about before you prove your stupidity.
I'm not saying people shouldn't be able to criticize music, they should, but they shouldn't be able to censor it or stop people from listening to it just because they find fault in it.
Reply:I am not gonna down it because I listen to it! but there is subliminal messaging in it! I think that because most rappers tend to curse and sing about hoes money and weed and things like that people only look at the bad songs! Yes there are good ones...and you are right death metal and rock is the exact same...it might also have a little bit to do with the fact that a LOT of people are still pregidous*spelling*
Reply:And yet we are supposed to be on here to ask questions...
People say a lot about video-games, metal etc. Some people blame Super Mario for making kids violent, ffs. Now it's okay to blame the "Goth" subculture for school shootings. People always look for scape-goats to avoid real issues. But a lot of people stereotype rap as being meaningless.
People who say death metal etc. isn't criticised- come off it. If you think death metal causes suicide, all black crimes can be attributed to rap.
Reply:Good question....I think it is partially racial...there are metal bands that talk just as much about death and violence...take marilyn manson for instance...his/her???? lyrics are extremely violent and disturbing...no one is really criticizing him/her/it???
Reply:Society will always have a scapegoat. You have touched on several of them. Not many want to take blame for their part of the problem. Youth violence stems from the society's values and the way these kids are raised.
Reply:I used to listen to rap while I was in high school (because it was cool then, they only talked about having sex and getting drunk or dancing) Now the message is different...so I don't listen to a lot of American music anymore or watch a lot of American TV because its complete nonsense. Negativity and violence is not a good way to live, regardless of what style of music its hiding under. Since there are so many people that believe that what they see on TV is reality and/or how things should 'look' (ie. celebrity, gangster, etc.) then a lot of people will follow suit simply because they are nothing more than sheep.
Reply:What happens is that it depends on the person who is listening !
If i am hearing : im a mother fucka , and your my hoe , lets go to my crib and i know its just a song meant to entertain then what is saying doesnt really affect me , but if someone else takes it serisuly then that person may become influenced .I listen to metal /rock 85% of the time and the last thing on my mind is to kill myself , do drugs , or any other freaky thing , because in the back of my mind i know its just to entertain ! that is why is called music!
The New Era of Hip-Hop & your thoughts on it! For Hip-Hop Lovers!?
Alright, I've been into Hip-Hop all my life, growing up arround a 6 year older brother, I grew up with Public Enemy, House of Pain, Dre, Snoop Dog, Mariah, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, Arrested Development, BoyzIIMen, Shanice, TLC, EnVogue, Excape, SWV, %26amp; then there was a chnage once Space Jam came out, I was into Alliah, Brandy, Nas, Fugees, Monica, Total, Usher, Puffy, 2Pac, B.I.G., Mase, Foxy Brown, BlackStreet, McLite, Missy, Nicole, Lauryn Hill %26amp; then I slid in a new stage listening to Mary J Blidge, Silk, Jagged Edge, R Kelly, Nelly, Juvy, Jigga, Mystical, Silk da Shocker, Devon Da Dude lol %26amp; next thing you knew it was 50 Cent, Twista, Lil Wayne, T.I. Trappin, Kanye, Destinys Child, Beyonce, J-Lo, I was doing the Manolo Timbs %26amp; da Video Girl look lol, I loved Hip-Hop I lived it...but now I am lost! Hip-Hop has become so tacky in my opinion. There r few exceptions like Chris Brown, Jeniffer Hudson, Beyonce %26amp; Jay Z that reflect a positive attitude but overal Hip Hop seems tarnished
The New Era of Hip-Hop %26amp; your thoughts on it! For Hip-Hop Lovers!?
***************BEST ANSWER HERE**************
The worst drug known to man - where he can look in the mirror and say, "There I am".
Commercialized, vanity, and the almighty dollar robbed us of that.
I grew up when Hip Hop evolved, too.
Once artists/companies began to generate revenue from this, the changes started to come.
Use for reference, back in the day, it was about content: Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Boogie Down Productions, MC Shan, Cool J - pre "I Need Love" days, Stetsasonic, etc..
This was passed down to artists like Nas, Jay Z, Talib Kweli, Common, etc..
All the other artists now are not in it for the art - but for the money. They'll tell you that, too.
There wasn't much thought put into videos, etc..
NOW, videos are seen as a marketing tool - which increased the demand and value.
I love Hip Hop - just don't forget where it came from.
"The revolution will NOT be televised"
The New Era of Hip-Hop %26amp; your thoughts on it! For Hip-Hop Lovers!?
***************BEST ANSWER HERE**************
The worst drug known to man - where he can look in the mirror and say, "There I am".
Commercialized, vanity, and the almighty dollar robbed us of that.
I grew up when Hip Hop evolved, too.
Once artists/companies began to generate revenue from this, the changes started to come.
Use for reference, back in the day, it was about content: Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Boogie Down Productions, MC Shan, Cool J - pre "I Need Love" days, Stetsasonic, etc..
This was passed down to artists like Nas, Jay Z, Talib Kweli, Common, etc..
All the other artists now are not in it for the art - but for the money. They'll tell you that, too.
There wasn't much thought put into videos, etc..
NOW, videos are seen as a marketing tool - which increased the demand and value.
I love Hip Hop - just don't forget where it came from.
"The revolution will NOT be televised"
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