Hip Hop: Dead or Alive ?
In recent years the album sales has been tumbling because of illegal Internet downloads. Ringtones has emerged in Hip Hop as cell phones become more popular which causes labels to search for songs that is a sure thing for a ringtone. Southern rap artist has come to the forefront mastering the formula widely used by major labels now. Now a lot of East Coast artist are being shelved because they are not fitting the mold of this new formula.
East Coast artist now claims because of this Hip Hop is Dead. Rap music has taken a circle around the map of the United States from New York, West Coast,Mid-West, and now the South. Hip Hop is a diverse culture so when the music reaches different regions and then is considered dead I don't understand. I very much believe Hip Hop is alive and kicking like a newborn baby but the East Coast, particularly New York doesn't agree.
Every southern rapper isn't a "ringtone" rapper like artist such as Soulja Boy who Ice T. accused of single handely killing Hip Hop. You have artist like T.I. and Ludacris who has substance on their albums and can go 4 or 5 singles deep on every album released. West Coast produces artist such as The Game and Icon artist like Snoop Dogg and Dr.Dre is still producing music. Nas and Jay-Z are still releasing albums representing the East Coast as well as artist like Saigon and Papoose.
Rather or not Hip Hop is alive is up to " the people" I suppose. I guess you can say it is dead because it shifted around the map or that a new generation is coming up and doesn't understand the concept of "real" Hip Hop. You can even make a case it is dead because of the recent album sales but one may counter with 50 cent and Kanye's record sales. Both going platinum and selling records all around the world and doing Europe tours. Jay-Z recently was the first Hip Hop artist headlining the Glastonbury in the UK and Lil Wayne sold an amazing million albums his first week with the Carter III.
Regardless of which region is the most popular or the highest selling, Hip Hop is Alive.
Published by Fourth Down
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7 Comments
Post a CommentI think when most people say that hip hop has dies, they are not saying that record sales are slumping or that people aren't listening to what people consider hip hop. Instead, the death of hip hop is really the loss of the messages and spirit Hip Hop used to hold. Today's Hip Hop is highly commercialized and centers on materialism and images of gangster culture. This article sheds a little more light http://www.daveyd.com/commentaryishiphopdead.html, or if you don't feel like reading, listen to this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C99iG4HoO1c. I personally don't think Hip Hop has died but like Common says, she needs to be taken back
I agree with you guys. I think it is very strong. Record Sales doesn't have to be the deciding factor of rather it is alive or not.
Madlib. MF Doom. Aesop Rock. Lil Wayne. Atmosphere. It's all going pretty strong, I'd say.
Hip Hop has restarted thats what that is homie and i feel your article homie thats the truth in there!
It's far from dead. If more people joined the anti-radio moment, they would realize how many top notch emcees there are.
thanks for the comment and the new information because I wasn't aware of Universal buying the first million copies. That is crazy ! I was wondering how he sold so many copies first week .
Good write up, hip hop aint really dead just movin in another direction if you ask me. And everysince Universal was exposed for buying the first million copies of Wayne album, album sells aint been the same.