T sent me a link to a post claiming that hip hop is dead. I felt compelled to respond.
Yea, yea. I know. Suburban-bred white boy from the midwest…how much *less* street can you get, right? Well, to me that’s like saying that someone that didn’t live in France during the reign of the Sun King can’t *possibly* know anything about The Rennaisance. So, point made, let’s move on.
The article is not all that unfamiliar in tone and content to many sentiments held among the baby-boomer era hip hop heads. Constantly you hear about how mainstream ain’t sh*t and so and so selling-out. Many people gripe about commercial rap destroying the once pure art forms (all elements of hip hop) that comprised hip hop in years gone by. Even moreso, the author of this article (which sadly is not cited) goes as far as to claim that hip hop is outright dead. I beg to differ.
Perhaps I’m offbase on this because i’m too young and not from “that culture.” But from my (modestly extensive) study of hip hop culture (all forms), there’s one important thing to note: hip hop was meant to be enjoyed by all, and to entertain. Hip hop was not some idealistic, based-in-theory movement about “keeping it real” and “representing the streets.” It was street because it came from the streets, from the people, or to be French Renaissance: the proletariat class. Hip hop wasn’t devised in some basement somewhere, intended to only be enjoyed by people that lived between Queensbridge and the Bronx (as people claim it is). It wasn’t developed to be an accurate reflection of what was going on in the poor urban areas of our country. Hell, it wasn’t “made” at all. It was expression, just like all other art forms. And just like most art forms, it gets exploited when it gets popular. Do you think that Raffaello Sanzio knew that his paintings would be mass produced and sold at Target to hang in your half-bath? Would he be partially upset if he knew? Sure. But any artist (read: ANY) artist does their craft knowing that it will be enjoyed by other people and they want it to be enjoyed. Expression (like love) is wasted and futile if not shared. So therefore the only expressed element of hip hop culture is visability. Read writings of many of the early graffiti artists in NYC or pioneer DJs of the era to hear them say, in their own words, they just wanted to “come up,” “get money,” and do what they love.
I too shudder with nausea when i see true, talented MCs make a teacher’s salary (that’s another issue) while BS rappers write their millionth song about their pretty necklace and come out with more ugly-ass shoes to sell. It pains me when any artist is doing what they love and not getting respect, while struggling with the notion of abandoning it for sake of prosperity. Just because all the MCs on TV and radio and charts are “posers,” does this mean that hip hop is dead?
No. Later in the article, the author even self-admits that there are still plenty of groups out there, talented cats that are producing true, raw material. Stuff that’s “more street” that what’s on the radio (because clearly, Clear Channel cares about real talent). So how can hip hop be dead? If hip hop really is from the people, from the street, then it can never die. Sure, what’s on MTV and Sprite commercials might pretend to be hip-hop, but we know it’s not. Hell, Thomas Kinkade paintings are supposed to be great art, but we know it’s not. We can’t change what the omnipresent Media chooses to exploit. But we can make sure that we don’t give up on those that are out there still doing their art, making their works and staying true to the movement that got them doin’ their thing in the first place. Hell, everyone in NYC hated most of the graf writers of the late 70s and 80s…but that didnt’ stop them did it? No, because there were always some people that loved the art. People belived.
So instead of letting bitter feelings of negativity get the better of you, don’t be so quick to proclaim that a cultural movement is dead. Just because the rules aren’t the same as they were when hip hop was in its infancy, doesn’t mean it’s less of an art form. Things evolve, and we should change with it. If we claim that it’s dead and all give up on it, we abandon those out there that are still trying to make it.
Don’t believe the hype. Support artists that deserve support. And if a Ludacris song makes you bob your head, damnit don’t feel guilty for enjoying music. Because after all, it *is* just music.
***EDIT: Don’t get it mixed up though, i *do* really dislike the horrible, phony, fake rap out there today…i’m just tryin’ to stay positive. Also, I enjoy reading this site a lot.***
