Okay, I'm a 70's baby so I got a chance to see hip-hop evolve from the baby stage through its adulthood. We should be proud of hip-hop for it's longevity. Even my dad told me when I was young that hip-hop would fade away like disco did. But back then, hip-hop was refreshing. It was full of variety, and it's vast flavors could be heard when you turned on your radio.
Now, the influx of corporations, and even more key, the merging of corporations have put hip-hop in a box. Yes, outsiders have come into the urban culture and now play chess with the future of hip-hop. As an aritst, producer, manager of a hip-hop entertainment company and a fan of the art, I am highly disappointed with where hip-hop has gone in the last 5 years.
You know as well as I know that the bulk of what we hear commercially is overly processed garbage. To put it mildly, there is not much soul in mainstream hip-hop anymore. Now, the music is so distorted that though the most hits seemingly are made for teeny boppers, I see grown men playing some of these hideous tracks. I'm not "dissing" the artist because everybody has to make a living. I don't mind a Souljah Boy or two either, but when Souljah Boy opens up a whole new market of artists and listeners, I see how stupid this game has gotten.
Meanwhile, the artist that do have something to say lack promotion and are put on the back burner of major labels. Could hip-hop be brainwashing the minds of are youth? Any smart man would atleast say possibly. This is why I don't play this trash in my car when my son is in the vehicle. Heck, I barely even listen to the radio these days. I know about swag, understand balling, don't sell dope, and don't have 20 inch rims. In addition, I dislike the terms bitch, nigga, dog, hoodnigga, hoe, etc....How can I relate to the majority of these horrid tunes?
Lastly,where is the political presence in hip-hop? I can tell you that there is little to none on a mainstream level. But there was a point when you could turn on the radio and learn about your culture, gain pride for your ancestors, and gain new uplifting knowledge. Lets let YouTube affirm my notion.
Of course my eyes were searching for one YouTube clip that would initiate this week's blog in the right spirit. As you can see by the title, I have something special for you.
The urban world of Hip-Hop is forever growing, changing, and pulling more "youngins" in everday. Unfortunately, the Hip-Hop culture has become so influential, that without wholesome parenting, today's youth often can be lured into the dark world of balling, pimping, and drug trafficking. After all, most of your top ten Billboards hits in Hip-Hop deal directly with these topics.
Moreover, it is rare to see one who is not a member of the Christian Rap genre state boldly, "Jesus Save my Soul." Indeed I have found an emcee that is clearly (atleast according to the lyrics) still embracing a life of sin. Upon watching it, one feels as if they are listening to the wacky Christian Rap that I blogged previously. Not so. This brother is pimpin on 24's, and even will "smack a hoe" to get his point across. Notice, while speaking to God, you here alot of "You know I had to..."
There is a thin line between confession and repentance. We can learn an even deeper lesson from this demonstration. One thing that I give this brother is that he is in tune with who he is. Doesn't that count for something? How can one change if they are in denial of their faults or their inherent nature. In other words, for this gentleman, half the battle is won. Repentance in short is: "to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better; be penitent."
The problem with Mr. Save My Soul is that I don't sense much sorrow. That same sorrow should be used to help one change and walk a straight path. Okay-enough of the serious talk. Watch this and don't feel bad if you laugh your but off. It's okay-it's hard to take him serious.
Just when you thought hip-hop had revealed all its demons, possibly another one is on its way out the closet. Joaquin Phoenix, a premier hollywood actor (Gladiator, Walk the Line), was spotted on January 19th rocking the mic at club Lavo in Vegas. He apparently dropped three tracks, and I had the honor of listening to the first track. If you know how sensitive my ears are, you would know that it was no need to continue to listen to Phoenix.
In addition, yes, we do have Times Online.com admitting that Phoenix is working on a hip-hop project, and this is coming out of the horses mouth:
“My experience afterward was I had a lot of dudes come up and say, `We really respect you for doing it, putting yourself out there, and going with it.' Because I think true hip-hop heads know that it's hard, it's going to be a hard transition, and people are going to be lining up just to make fun of me."
My discrepancy is that the YouTube video clearly shows that Phoenix is not a rapper. In fact after his performance, he tripped and fell off the stage. And as much as I like to admit that I love Phoenix as an actor, so far, his music sucks.
Meanwhile, I'm more curious with why so many people want to rap and feel that they are competent to represent the art form. Aren't there enough rappers out there already? I meet young and grown folks alike that swear they have the hot skillz. Phoenix exemplifies my point. However, people that aren't passionate or are simply incompetent only bring degradation to any art form.
In the Times Online.com article, Phoenix admits that most people will not take him seriously. In fact, the article's main thesis is that Phoenix is serious though many will ridicule him. I personally think that Phoenix's album at your local music dealer goes to show how far hip-hop has deviated from it's original theme. With our luck (true hip-hop fans), Phoenix's album may take off, go gold, and then we'll see Russell Crowe, Ben Afleck, Denzel Washington, and Al Pacino all release albums (give me a break).
