Hip hop is art.
And art is WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU MAKE IT.
If you don't like today's hip hop, either dig deeper, or look into the past.
This ridiculous idea that hip hop is dead is invalid from the moment the phrase came out of the originator's lips. "Boo hoo, hip hop is dead because today's topics are both money, ho, and violence." So what? It' not about what is said, it's about how it's been said. You want a really good gangsta rap album with awesome lyrical content? There's Smif n Wessun's Dah Shinin. I might not like the typical rappers' topic, but I refuse to dismiss it as something that has damaged hip hop or music in general. My idea of mainstream hip hop may not be what is currently the "in" thing today, but goddamn you if you think it no longer has a chance to "resurrect" itself.
Oh, and BTW, gangsta rap did contribute to something positive in hip hop. It observed, showed, and became a symbol of, the hedonistic tendencies in Western society and culture. And EVERYONE wants to be hedonistic. If you think that gangsta rap should be REPLACED BY socially conscious rap and other topics instead of being put on the same level with others, you're an idiot. You're basically trying to guilt trip a girl into fucking you because you think her smiling and being happy about the present world is a BAD thing.
You take the good with the bad, otherwise neither exists.
If you can't figure out objectively how the mainstream mind works, and are still complaining about the state of mainstream hip hop, STFU and GTFO.
And yes it is about the party, but i miss having something memorable to dance to. Nowadays when i club (which i do pretty often), its almost impossible to tell the difference between songs. They all sound the same.
They all sound the same in clubs because IT'S HARDER TO CHANGE RHYTHM IN CLUBS WITHOUT BREAKING RAPPORT WITH THE AUDIENCE. We live in the digital age. The biggest topic of the digital age is EFFICIENCY. We use computers which compared to type writer are OVER 9000! We use the internet which compared to libraries are OVER 9000! We use broadband now which compered to dial up is OVER INFINITY X 9000+! You seriously think people have the patience these days to go staccato over their shit when they can streamline it instead, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S PART OF SOCIAL NORMS AND VALUES?
You seriously think that in da clerrb, DJs and managers wanna risk taking their audiences outta their trance by switching from a post 2008 Black Eyed Peas tune to a song on the Lyrical Lounge? Are you mad?
And when you listen for lyrical content, its the same damn stupid message. We can blame P.diddy for that message lol. Money, money, money, money and mo money. What happened to talking about social problems? What happened to being crazy? What happened to the rap battling? Now its all stuntin like my daddy and making it rain (don't even get me started on birdman). All i hear from Lil wayne is a irritating little man with a God complex. And i don't think thats a persona.
All humans have general needs. These needs are:
Affection - a desire to belong.
Excellence - the drive to win.
Esteem - a passion to be admired.
Security - a need for protection.
Greed - a want for more than the right amount.
Recognition - a need for personal worth.
Power - a desire for supremacy.
Privacy - an urge to protect personal space.
Ego - a sense of pride.
Liberty - a craving to control one's fate.
Wants answers to the question(s) of machismo in hip hop? Pick your poison(s).
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So... my favourite rapper of all time is Pharoahe Monch. The guy's way ahead of his time. As a matter of fact, despite his similar views on today's hip hop as other hardcore head, he's the reason my view of hip hop have evolve to what it is today. I might not like the current state of mainstream hip hop, but if the guidelines are learnt, any artist could change it's current state.
Shit, I'm seeing a change in mainstream hip hop. I don't remember mainstream rappers bring metaphors and flow into their track (no matter how small it is) pre-Carter 3. And I don't even like Lil' Wayne.
That's all I have on hip hop. For now, anyway.
