IS HIP HOP REALLY DEAD?

[DJ LUMINATI]

THE QUESTION OF THE YEAR AND FOR YEARS TO COME IS HIP HOP REALLY DEAD? MANY COLUMNIST AND ARTIST SAY THAT HIP HOP HAS LOST IT"S WAY. LET ME KNOW HOW YOU FEEL LET THE WORLD AND THE HIP HOP COMMUNITY KNOW HOW YOU FEEL................
SOME SAY THE DJ'S ARE SPREADING THE CANCER OF LACK LUSTER MUSIC, OTHERS SAY IT'S THE LABELS THAT KEEP FEEDING THE RADIO THE MUSIC, AND THEN THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT SAY THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS THE CAUSE BY LISTENING TO WHATEVER THE RADIO PLAYS, WHICH CAUSES THEM TO CATCH ON TO THE WATER DOWN MUSIC AND BEGAN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SPREAD OF THE CANCER.(SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES)

[DJ LUMINATI]

WELL THATS A POINT WELL TAKEN BUT I DON'T THINK THE DJ'S ARE SPREADING THE CANCER, I DON'T THINK THERE IS A CANCER IN HIP HOP. WHAT IT IS EVERYONE WANTS A QUICK FIX ARTIST,MANAGERS AND MUSIC LOVERS IN GENERAL. A QUICK NUMBER #1 HIT THAT WILL SOLIDFY THEM FOR THAT SEASON OR THAT YEAR AND THE LABELS ARE AT FAULT TOO,BECAUSE THEY WANT THE SAME THING, ANYTHING THAT WILL PUT THEM ABOVE THE REST AT THAT POINT AND TIME. YOU CAN'T BLAME A DJ FOR BREAKING A RECORD. AS A DJ MYSELF IT'S ALWAYS COMES DOWN TO THE PUBLIC OPINION AND VIEW. IF A PERSON PLAYS A TRACK AND THE PUBLIC ENJOYS IT AND JIGGS WITH TO IT WHO IS AT FAULT? NO ONE. BUT THE QUESTION I POSTED, IS HIP HOP REALLY DEAD? I POSTED THAT FOR A REASON. THERE IS NO LONGEVITY IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY NOW. EVERYONE WANTS TO DO WHATS HOT AT THAT POINT IN TIME INSTEAD OF BEING CREATIVE ,BEING THEMSELVES OR BETTER YET THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. MY PEER SAYS B-BOYING AIN'T STRONG WELL THE REASON IT AIN'T STRONG NO MORE BECAUSE EVERYONE WANTS TO BE A D-BOY(DOPE BOY). THERE IS NO TIME FOR BOUNCING AROUND ON THE DANCE FLOOR, PEOPLE GOTTA LOOK AND FEEL REAL ROUGH AND TOUGH NOWADAYS. GRAFFITI ARTIST YEA THEY HAD TO GET JOBS BUT NOW ITS A WHOLE NEW ERA, TIMES HAVE CHANGED PEOPLE DON'T EXCEPT THE PAINTINGS AND WRITINGS ON BUILDINGS AND TRAINS ECT. THE REAL TALENT LIES WITHIN. THE ARTIST HAVE SO MUCH SKILL AND TALENT THAT THEY FAIL TO USE IT IN CORPORATE AMERICA, I.E... DESIGNING LOGOS,CLOTHING LINES, AND SHOES. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT A LOT OF THE CLOTHING MATERIAL AND DESIGNS THATS HOT RIGHT NOW, DO THEY NOT LOOK LIKE GRAFFITI ARTIST WORK ON SOME OF THE NOW POPULAR CLOTHES?

[JaWar]

Hip Hop isn't dead, but like everything in existence it is going through a change and growth process.

"THINK, PLAN, EXECUTE!" -JaWar

[The Infamous1EfCuttin]

Nope it's just the Over Commercialization of it all especially the allure of having what money brings now that everything is so widespread and generations are clashing Old School v/s the New School lifestyles and everything. And all of the newer and improved user friendly technology is outrunning some if not all of us we gotta remember what it actually is and what it means to all of us Hip Hop is the party the people in it as well as the music being played and how the music makes you get up and dance.Hip Hop is also The Heads who perform it Emcee & Dj or CREW as well it's all Creative Expression an ART FORM like most if not all have forgotten what it is and what it means.

[Don Profit]

OK time for some real talk: This thing we call Hip Hop has gone through a steady evolution and before I address whether or not it is dying or dead, let's take a look at it's life. You have a lot of opinions on what killed or is killing Hip Hop: some would say that it is the musical content or lack thereof. To them I say remember that hip hop started out in the park, but the 1st songs recorded were done so over party, disco style beats, and nobody was really talkin about anything then either. (see rappers delight) Some say it is the hypermaterialism i.e. bling bling...to them I say remember that this is how it has ALWAYS been it's just that before rappers were rapping about things that they wanted and did not have, and now they have it and rap about it....that's the only difference. Slick Rick's fur coat in "Hey Young World" video was Rick Reuben Granny's...Feel me? So that element has always been there too. Niggaz BEEN frontin. back in the 80's the REAL 50 Cent was taking chains off rappers like LL Cool J and Rakim....so keepin it real and somebody keeping it REALER aint new either. You can say that the music changed because of the changing of the times, but how much have they really changed? We are getting ready to welcome a Democratic President after 8 years of Republican policy that almost completely ignored minorities and any issues surrounding them and we're in a recession.....so is it 1992 or 2008? The biggest change from then till now is admittedly he internet, but other than that, the social conditions are almost identical. So what does that leave us? The problem is not at the bottom but at the top...Industry heads went from not wanting to touch hip hop, to conceding that it had an audience, but that it would not last 10 years (remember the 1st hip hop grammy and the boycott?), to making hundreds of millions of dollars off exploiting the talent of these young people. BUT they did not anticipate that the music COULD have a message. (see Public Enemy, Afrikka Bambatta, X-Clan, PRT). And they didn't want people feeling empowered so they changed the message...Enter "Gangsta Rap" Now the labels instead put their money on killing the message and signing anybody talking about killing anybody else. BUT even that music had a message (see NWA, Ice Cube, 2Pac). Finally, they figured out how to control this massive monster of a movement. All of a sudden you stared seeing the radio playlists getting shorter and shorter and what they were playing was less and less potent. So now you have the "underground" and the "mainstream", "East Coast Rap" and "Gangsta" and all these other titles meant solely to divide and conquer. I was a time when rappers were totally against "selling out" and going "commercial" now every rapper has his own commercial, shoe, clothing line, video game, tv show, ect...(Thank MC Hammer all you ingrates!!) THEY did it!!! THEY convinced us that we weren't the same because of where we were from, or how we talked or our style or whatever, THEY convinced us that one of us was better than the other because he/she has "ice". Remember that Major labels are corporations run by a board of directors and various investors including banks, credit card companies, and really rich fat cats. The same people who never liked this culture to begin with. Remember how much they loved but hated Eminem? They thought he was going to be their Trojan Horse to the culture, (see Vanilla Ice) but he turned out to be a real Hip Hop dude. Same folks who run these labels go to McCain/Palin fundraisers before Nov 4th. THEY ARE KILLING HIP HOP ON PURPOSE BECAUSE THEY NEVER WANTED IT TO SUCCEED. You think these people are happy about 50 and Vitamin Water, or Jigga and the Nets? They HATE that shit!!! And it's not a black thing or a White thing, it's a GREEN thing!!! The Internet and all this Piracy was the BEST thing that could have happened to the industry from an artist perspective. HOW? Niggaz was stuck in bad deals anyway, so when the industry DEREGULATED, they got dropped for lack of sales and in turn, gave themselves a raise when they went indie and started using these new internet options to get to the fans. Everyone says there is not artist development or A & Rs anymore, that's because these labels are dying like old dinosaurs and they know what you don't which is you don't NEED them....Soon as more folks figure that out, then the "underground" comes to the surface and all the Bullshit stops. If you don't like the music these days, (and I don't for the mos part) then do something about it!!! Start a podcast, build a site (see Core DJs), establish a label and lock down your little area, do an internet radio show and play what you like, OR do like me and mines and MAKE the stuff you wanna hear. SUPPORT INDEPENDENT MUSIC!!!! In a few years, everyone will be out there for themselves and then it's gonna be sink or swim on your own accord. If you don't wanna see Hip Hop become like Jazz, then the task of preservation is yours. WE either keep Hip Hop alive, or allow it to die by leaving destiny in the hands of others. REAL TALK!!!

[Theodore S. Taylor]

HIP IS NOT DEAD IT JUST LOST ITS IDENTIY LIKE BLACK PEOPLE HIP HOP IS NOW RAP MUSIC NO CULTURE THAT IS DEFINE, BUT ITS OUT THERE IN MIAMI WITH MAKE JOOK MUSIC WITH DANCE CALLED WUTANG JOOKING AND BOPPIN AND WE SHONE WHICH IS FINDING A DATE THAT IS A SURE SHOT WE VIBING IN OUR ZONE AND THATS HIP HOP LIKE LOUISANA GOT RACHETT THATS HIP HOP WE MUST DEFINE WHAT IS OUR DEFINITION FOR OUR CREATIONS

[C-O Tha Politician]

IT CANT BE DEAD CAUSE IM THE LIVING TRUTH! PEEP ME OUT

[Kadlac the hot female rapper]

I FEEL LIKE THE TRUE ESSENCE OF HIP HOP IS DEAD. THE LOVE OF MONEY TAINTED THE GAME I been thinkin about quitting the rap game. It aint cus i cant take the grind cus I grind harder than somma my male counter parts and its not because im lazy. I am a ful time mother and work full time. and after these conferences when the club closes and others go to sleep. im clockin in for the night shift at wally world. I see my self running on a tread mill. Ive ran thousands of miles, but im still at point A. Why with so much talent (cus i can rhym tighter than bout 99% of these dudes, and ive yet to see a female artist rip me). Im not being big headed its just that GOD gave me a gift of words.Its because its too many dream pimps in this industry. too many people trying to eat off my dream. You gotta pay for this and that.wonder why its so much dope boy music, cus the dope boy can afford to be pimped. Bottom line the music industry aint lookin for music they aint lookin for talent. Now all that is the reason i wanted to give it up. but you know what realization ive came to. When you are great at some thing the enemy always throws obstacles in the way. I have to remember GOD gave me this gift and GOD can take that gift and do with it what he pleases and it wont matter what dream pimp stands in the way. I vowed imma stop runnin after this person and that person hoping to get my big break. Im just gone contiue to make the good clean meaningful music i make and GOD will take care of the rest. Keep up lifting

[monstaro]

HELL NO , FOR RECORD LABELS YES
BUT FOR INDEPENDENT ARTIST WHO NETWORK NO
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[tandee]

No .... but RAP is choking the shit out of it !!! ....

[tandee]

No but...RAP is choking the SHIT out of it !

[shakuwra edwards]

Hell no hip hop has not lost its way. We have a black president now and their are newer this to poetize about. TIMES ARE TRUELY CHANGING. ; ) AND THAT'S SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE. THOUGH I HAVE TO ADMIT IT STARTED TO FEEL ROCKY AT ONE POINT.

[PAM GREER]

C-O- What you know about FreeMasons? What causes them to be busters?

C-O Tha Politician said:

IT CANT BE DEAD CAUSE IM THE LIVING TRUTH! PEEP ME OUT