HipHop Missing Its Elements

Hip Hop music, as one nameless artist described it, "is dead." When we peer into the origins of what rap music was once about, it's hard to imagine it on the stage it remains at today. Hip Hop today is mainly geared for the younger thinkers with its flashy percussions and its non-intriguing content. Unfortunately, radio stations consistently host annoying rap artists with spooky beats, childish threats and nursery style lyrics that contain no meaning or none of the elements of what hip-hop is all about. What happened to the good ole days?

I am proud to say I remember a generation when Hip-Hop was about expression & meaning. Artists represented contrasting tastes of clothing, styles, and persona. They also instilled more thought and schooling into their approach & deliverance. Back then artists were proud to represent who they were on a microphone. They took criticisms in stride and didn't play into the change that has plagued most rappers today.

But every story with a beginning must have an ending. After beginning eras of rap in the late 1970s, vibrant and passionate eras of the late 1980s and into the mid 1990s, many top selling artists have begun to fade from the scene. Thus, making way for new faces to take stage. Some of those faces have contributed in eroding this game out of the time line from which it originated.

Rap Artistry:

Innovative rap artistry no longer exist in this game. Perhaps that's part of the change, the evolution of hip-hop in this day. Too many artists are similar in style & technique; there's less originality in content & deliverance. One of hip-hops strongest points of its greater days was the difference that each rapper brought to the table. With so many contrasting styles to choose from back then, Hip Hop was an extraordinary form of art that blew away music charts and loud speakers. Unfortunately the spunk that this category of musical art once favored is now becoming extinct.

Lyrical content substituted for bass

Lyrics are passed along for anything now and days. Where's the passion? Where's the meaning? Where's the love? Unfortunately many lyrics today are missing these key elements that honored such great philosophers like 2PAC, B.I.G., Punisher, Nas, Geto Boys, Scarface, Fiend, KRS-one, Eric B. & Rakim, Guru and many more. Obviously, the new thing today is bass. As the stereo speakers rumble glass-shaking affects, lyrics become less important.

Paraphernalia

Just as lyrics and rap artistry remains the same amongst most artists, so does paraphernalia. Too many rappers are sporting a mouth full of expensive platinum teeth and overpriced jewelry. Today, platinum teeth are becoming a very popular commodity. With all do respect, perhaps this is the new face of expression in this game.

The message

Too much flash is being flashed. How many more music videos of beautiful Lamborghini's and Bentleys need to be shown so viewers can know how good artists are living? It's wonderful to survive against the odds and call upon the hand of success. But artists are also lying to its many under-aged supporters; not emphasizing the odds of the struggle and how difficult it is to achieve such a position to call the shots. And also the difficulties of everyday life, pressure and the amount of dedication it takes to keep talent flowing. Thus, many young persons are being stringed along to believe that what they see on TV is what they can do. The message is conflicting to our children; leading many of our children on a path to destruction.

A peer into Hip Hops future

Despite some of the developing flaws, Hip-hop continues to bask in the light of success. Newer artists on the scene are introducing new traditions and changing the face of the game. For the better? It's really difficult at this moment to make that call. Especially, when there's still radio stations that remind us of the good ole days when Hip-hop was at its stronger points. But those days are gone. Every now and then we'll watch out for an aspiring new or older artist who looks to introduce some of those throwback qualities. For the more stubborn crowd, we shouldn't count on it. Instead count on the many CD's we collected over the years; souvenirs of when we enjoyed rap a lot more.

In the end, we shouldn't limit ourselves to only the influence of hip-hop today. There are several other great musical categories in modern or old jazz, rock, r&b, alternative, country and every other imaginable. In other words, if hip-hop happens to burn out our ears in another five years, at least we still can find a home in the flavor of music.