Jun 26 2008
Hip-Hop
With most people sayin Hip-Hop is dead what you do you think?
Every Hip-Hop fan should have an opinion on this topic. Is it dead? Is it alive? Who is killin it? Who is to blame? When did it start? And many questions like this..
This is a topic I can talk for days about. I don’t think it is ‘dead’ because to kill it you must destroy all recordings of Hip-Hop legends, tha culture, tha style, and so on. Hip-Hop is to big to destroy. But just like everything else that expands and grows, it can get corrupt. Clearly Hip-Hop has been dumbed down by media. Compare tha start to tha past few years. It began as a socially aware and inspiring art, today it is just some dancing and snapping bullshit. There are so many rappers and singers who sell their souls and sell out daily to major labels for big time deals thinking they will get big time money. But lets compare someone like Lil Wayne, a huge sellout, to Immortal Technique, a real underground emcee. When IT sells an album or song, he get full profit, while Wayne only gets a very small percentage. So is it really worth selling out when indie makes more money, and rappers claim they want all tha money right?
Plus when you sign a major record deal you become their puppet, their slave, their product to market. You are no different than a brand of soda or brand of child’s toy. They create you, design you, and then sell you to tha public. They make insane profit and you get their change. Plus alot of major dudes have ghost writers, how’s that being real to Hip-Hop when you don’t write what YOU spit. Its YOUR music, YOUR story, not a label rep or another rappers. So fuck selling out. Unless tha deal works in your favor, gives you 100% rights and nice profit, don’t sign, stay underground.
There are so many talented underground emcees with love for Hip-Hop. Thanks to tha internet you can access real shit pretty easy. But there is alot of wack underground dudes also. I am personally an underground emcee. I have been writing my entire life, and began recording in 2007 on loud.com/dynamite23. With no money, no support, no label its hard to get out there. But I’m doing all I can until I get enough money to market on a larger scale. My myspace and soundclick both have nice hits, blogs have a nice amount of views. I’m not doing great, but good enough to be heard. I was on SNS’s On Da Grind and have had my tracks on internet playlists. There are many good rappers underground online, just search. MySpace, SoundClick, YouTube, IMRadio, Loud, Imeem, and so many more sites.
Compare rappers like Slaughterhouse and Talib Kweli, they are pretty underground in comparision to others…Now compare them to Soulja Boy and Lil Wayne. Who’s more lyrical? Has more heart? Has more truth? S.H. and Talib easily. Because Soulja Boy and Wayne are controlled by business men at their labels who design them to sell to tha ignorant fans. If you’d put today’s mainstream/major label artists up against some of tha top underground artists, tha majors would be demolished. No contest. Because for us underground cats, we ain’t got money, cars, and jewelry to brag about. We got our struggle to spit about. Our pain and hunger to make it. I personally grew up in a horrible home, and today it ain’t much better. We’re poor as fuck and ain’t got shit. So you will never here me brag about how I got this or got that. If I ever do, its once every few songs, if that. I tell about my life, what I’ve seen, and my pain. I tell about Hip-Hop, tha culture, tha music, tha other artists, and all that.
I hear most people sayin, well this dudes good because he is rich, this dudes good because his beat is hot, this dudes good because his clothes is hot..And so on….
Thats bullshit.. Money and a hot beat does not make you an emcee.
Lyrics and truth make you an emcee. Speaking on tha world, tha music, tha culture, makes you an emcee. Understanding tha world, tha government, tha industry, makes you an emcee. So I say fuck money, fuck cars, fuck clothes, and fuck these dudes ruining Hip-Hop. You can have one mill, 22’s on your Benz, tha newest clothes, and hottest beat, but if you song has no content, you ain’t shit. And no matter what tha general public thinks, real recognize real. So remember that.
Do you honestly think people consider Soulja Boy an emcee?? Fuck no..
That dude has no talent, no skill, no content, no truth, he has nothing.
Crank That was one of tha worst songs in music history. Chorus over and over, verses don’t have any meaning, and just overall a bad song. I have listened to alot of his tracks, and they all are not good. He should not be called a rapper, an emcee, Rap, or Hip-Hop. He is a Pop artist doing Pop music, if that. It barely considers as that.
Bubblegum bullshit, fuckin soft ass music, a soft as artist. And don’t say, oh your hatin cuz he rich, your a hater, and all that. I don’t care if he is poor or rich, talent is talent, which he lacks. Somebody good today would be Talib Kweli, he speaks on tha world, things around him, Hip-Hop, overall he is an emcee. Even if you do not like him you still gotta see his ability on tha mic. Cats like Soulja Boy make it hard for real artists, major, indie, and unsigned. Labels are now lookin for one hit wonders, hot beats, and quick money..Not overall talent and skill. Most real emcees actually take tha time to sit down and write. We actually put thought into our words, theres a meaning behind everything we spit. I saw tha videos of Ice-T speaking on Soulja Boy and Soulja Boy speakin on Ice-T. I agree with Ice-T
By supporting Soulja Boy and similar pop figures you are helping to kill what 2Pac, Eminem, DMX, Immortal Technique, Slaughterhouse, Nas, Ice Cube, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Wu Tang, Outlawz, D12, Jadakiss, Talib Kweli, Chamillionaire, Scarface, Geto Boys, Run DMC, Canibus, Big Pun, Big L, KRS, and so on…Built and turned into a culture, a dynasty, a fuckin empire.
Hip-Hop crossed lines and went into your personal life, movies, tv, clothes, cars, and everything you see. Movies like Juice, Boyz In Da Hood, Paid In Full..All Hip-Hop.
South Pole, Shady LTD, New Era, Air Force Ones..All Hip-Hop. Its everywhere you look. It can never die, its forever.
But wack rappers can kill it from mainstream. Hip-Hop has began to get dumbed down and its very sad to see. It is fading from mainstream. To hear real music you gotta go underground or indie these days.
Like Immortal Technique, he is a great artists with alot of talent and intelligence in his rhymes, he refuses to go major and sticks with indie. Which is a good move by his part. He is a very smart business man with tha way he runs his career, from CD’s to touring. By signing to a major, you do not get paid like tha public thinks. Indie labels and artists get more from each investment. You can make more on indie than major as a solo artist. There are less ‘middle men’ which equals out to less people and more money. Tha less people/companies you have involved tha more money in your pocket. Ice Cube is one artist today doing it smart. Handling alot of his music and cds within himself and his company. He will be making more off each sale than many other artists.
On to another topic, I personally do not like when rappers have other people write for them, ghost writers. If your in tha studio with some close friends, fellow artists, group members, etc. And you all work together I see that. But I can never sell any of my lines because its something that express’ my heart and soul. I could never spit and claim anyone else’s verse or song, that’s just not me. And I do not respect any artists that steal lines from past or current artists and do not give them credit. I understand quoting or referring to another rappers line, and giving them credit or letting it be known that that’s what it is, but straight up takin tha line and not sayin anything, thats bullshit. One artists I see do this all tha time is Lil Wayne. Tha video on youtube ‘Lil Wayne Is A Swagger Jacker’ explains some of it. He steals from Pac, Nas, DMX, Eminem, Jay-Z, Gucci Mane, OutKast, and even R&B singers. Alot of people are going to read this and say I’m hatin and all that, but no. Look at tha facts and then say something. Even if you like Weezy, you will it is true. I am not a fan of his because I think he is more commercial than real. And for those who don’t agree all I gotta say is Lollipop, that’s it. Also he spits way too many punch lines in each song. One more thing about him, I hate when people say he is tha best alive. No, not fuckin close. Did you morons forget about: Eminem, DMX, Nas, Ice Cube, Rakim, Wu Tang, Scarface, Jadakiss, Big Daddy Kane, Talib Kweli, Chamillionaire, Canibus, TI, Outlawz, Dead Prez, and so many more???
And for tha people who will say, he sold one mill in one week, sales don’t make you real, lyrics do. Any major rapper could rig it to where he sells big time like that and who’s to say that they don’t? Thats all I gotta say about that. I feel Hip-Hop is a form of expression, an art in tha form of words. And we need more real artists, more poets to take tha game. Its turning to Pop and fading from Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop is; Hip: To be Hip, relevant, understand tha times..Hop: form of movement.
Before all this shit today, dancing was cool in Rap. When there was lyrics involved and a story to go along with tha beat and dance. Shit that made you wanna move and sing along. Today tha radio is shit, I barely ever listen. I don’t wanna hear tha same track about 20 times within an hour, thats bullshit. Thats called being paid. Getting money to give spins. Same with videos, clubs, and everything else. Songs are forced upon tha public until they accept it, and that just ain’t right. People wanted to hear KRS and Wu Tang, that didn’t need force. But today labels gotta force their artist until tha public accepts. And ringtones, damn, that is fucked up. Dudes are makin millions on a fuckin 10 second ringtone! Thats crazy. I mean, get your money. But stop acting like that makes you great or something. Its a fuckin ringtone man. And when your albums gets delayed over and over, commercials everywhere, ads everywhere, promotion everywhere, you better go at least fuckin Gold. If an indie artist goes Gold with no famous promotion, thats real, thats crazy. But when you major and go Gold, that shouldn’t be bragged on so much. And labels need to look for more talent and overall skill than one hit wonders, catchy hooks, and banging beats. If Nas or Pac did a CD with no beats, just acapellas, that would sell a mill because of what they speak. For a while forget tha beats, bass, and loops, focus on tha words and tha meaning. People need to wake up and see tha truth. Stop being a follower, start becoming a leader. Don’t listen because your friends do or some shit like that. Listen to what speaks to you and you can relate too. Find yourself and get off tha industries dick..
Please turn off tha radio, listen to some real shit. Immortal Technique or Dead Prez. Begin to research underground rappers and find some you support and help them advance their careers.
Please check out my sites, my muzik, and if support if you like what you hear.
Dynamite
23
