HipHop is Making a Come Back

Hip Hop is jumping on a plane and headed back to New York. Guess who's springing for the ticket: Nas and Jay-Z.
With their respective upcoming releases, it looks like the stint in the Dirty South will end. Real music will make its way back. This should open the door not only for the East Coast Hip Hop, but for more conscious rap acts. Such as Talib Kweli, The Roots, Common, Dead prez. The buzz will continue on and the competition amongst rap acts will again surface.

Real Hip Hop has taken a back seat to a more club friendly circuit. Songs that make you dance, songs that scream more material items than a weekend flea market has taken mainstream. Some artist are forced to turn in their creative minds for one that conforms to radio and video. Music is missing its art form and that art form lies in the streets of New York: The Birthplace. Dance tunes are cool, but when today's youth think the way to live is based on what they see in videos or hear on the radio, it's a problem.

Everybody doing the same thing nowadays. Every song sounds the same. Everyone even dresses the same. Back in the days, artist was just artist. You had many hot rappers. Everybody did there thing in a different way. You had acts like Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Eric B. & Rakim, Slick Rick, Public Enemy, and many more. Each one had a different appeal, yet all did their thing musically.

The days of Yo MTV Raps are over. Today's youth has no idea what that was like "back in the day." Rushing to the store to get the new tape or hearing that new song on the radio. It was crazy. Now people are accustomed to downloading music. I can understand why too. Why buy a CD when all your going to get is 2 good songs. The music industry has forced this.

Artist can't make good music because the public has been brainwashed on what's good music. I personally download music because I love to hear new songs. I still support artist and buy their music in stores. Online
you are able to get music that you would necessarily hear on the radio or see on a video. For the love of music,
the internet is great, but for the creativity and the business for artist it is a terrible thing.

Music these days has no substance, no plot, and no story. Here is the format: one song for the club, one for the ladies, one with an R & B singer, and the rest filler songs with hot producers. No theme. Music use to be done by one producer. Each act had their own sound. Take for instance, Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, and The Roots now. Albums back in the day told a story. Legendary groups like NWA.....It was a feel you had when you listened. Now its like, let me get a Just Blaze track, give some Kanye, and let's use Swizz Beatz. Its repetitive.

I use Common's latest CD Be for example. The closet thing we have to that old feel. Many would say it was boring or didn't live up to standard. STANDARD..I say. Simply because it had one theme, just to BE! The CD was gem but because it didn't have 10 guest spots, 5 different producers and a club song, it wasn't classic. This is what's wrong with music.

It is clear that we have a lot of work to do musically to restore what once. The key will be to just give it chance. With the release of two powerful figures in music, expect changing in the guard. I am eager to listen to what is put out after the new year. Groups can sense what's taking place. Are you ready for the change..I know I am.