Hip-Hop Music: Past, Present and Future

It is now 2007. I see myself standing here and looking at very different but still familiarly beautiful hip-hop. She has come a long way. Lets step in her shoes for a second and see where she has been, where she is now and where I think she may go.

As I read different articles, and talk to different people, I get many different views of hip-hop. Hip-hop music to me is my Tribe Called Quest, my Grandmaster Flash, Busy Bee, Run DMCs. The more people I talk to the more I hear the word hip-hop being misused. To me hip-hop is not your Chris Browns, your Snoop Dogs, your Lil Wayne's. To me thats a total different genre. Now that you understand my version of hip-hop lets explore her world.

Past:

Hip-hop music began in the early 1970's, somewhere in New York if I'm not mistaken. Smooth MCs like Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Kurtis Blow, and the Sugarhill Gang, flowed over what they called break-beats, and scratching and cutting. Hip-hop in the 70's brought alot of break dancers. Breakdance, an early form of hip hop dance, often involve battles, showing off skills without any physical contact with the adversaries. In this time hip-hop was more about party music and having a good time. It did not become lyrically strong until the 1990's. It kept inner city kids out of trouble. By 1985, we had our music by Run DMC, LL Cool J, the Fat Boys, Herbie Hancock, EPMD, Soulsonic Force, Jazzy Jay, Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, and Stetsasonic, just to name a few. Hip-hop also started to become diverse in different countries by this time like Europe and Asia. In the 1990's we started to see a new kind of hip-hop. This is the hip-hop that I fell in love with.

Present:

The 1990's in my opinion brought on some of the best and freshest hip-hop ever. MCs turned it up with the lyrics, and DJs did the same with beats. In the 90's I saw my Tribe Called Quest, Nas, KRS-One. The late 90's was were we saw the hip-hop artists we largely know and love today; like Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli (also BlackStar), The Fugees, J Dilla, the list can go on and on. This is the time when hip-hop evolved lyrically. It became more about the people and focused on whats going on today. Some artists even started getting politically involved. Hip-hop started to diversify widely in the 90's. It brought people together who shared the love and passion of music and poetry. It opened our eyes to the different things going on and gave us hope for better days, a new day, a day Dr. Martin Luther King only dreamed about. I take those lyrics with me everyday. Alot of people felt hip-hop was dead around 2002. Nas even named his CD "Hip-hop is Dead". Alot of people believed true hip-hop died with J Dilla in 2006. True it seemed hip-hop faded in 2000, but it was still very much alive in artists like Slum Village, Little Brother, Common, Talib Kweli, yes hip-hop was there it was just over-shadowed by empty lyrics from gangster rap. We saw our Eminems, and our 50 cents, and our Lil Bow Wows, and The hot boys. True hip-hop fans, like myself held on to Common, Mos Def and the tracks Dilla left behind. Then finally in 2007 Common saved us and dropped his long awaited album "Finding Forever" to remind us that true hip-hop was still out there, we just had to look for it. Then followed Talib Kwelis album "Eardrum" I believe in these Cd's they also gave us a look into the future of hip-hop.

Future:

I feel hip-hops future will be a good one. I feel she might even be on top of this hype of rap and and gangster rap. Don't get me wrong I love my Lil Wayne, and J.R. Writer for their talent as lyricists, but music is lacking that substance that hip-hop seems to bring. Hip-hop is starting to embrace produced beats, hooks and melodies. I feel hip-hop will evolve even more and we will start to see more collaborations. I feel names like Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and even J Dilla (although no longer with us) will continue to hold on to hip-hop and lead fans back to her. I even feel that Kanye West might bring us a little something to hold onto. I also feel hip-hop artists and fans will begin to become more in tune with political and racial issues. I believe in the near future hip-hop artists and their fans will become more aware of and more involved in political issues. I have seen Common lately supporting the views of Barack Obama, and urging us to vote and to make a difference. Hip-hop will start to heighten our awareness and make us look more closely into issues going on in the world today, such as the starvation and and government cruelty going on in third world countries. I'm starting to see more and more hip-hop artists traveling to Africa and Asia, making controversial videos, trying to open our minds, hearts and ears to whats going on around us. Hip-hop will be a caring, enlightened and giving hip-hop in the years to come. No matter how old I get I will still continue to listen to my Tribe Called Quest, my Nas, my Talib Kweli, my Little Brother, my Slum Village, my Mos Def, my The Roots. I know people are probably wondering why I refer to it as mine. I have had a relationship with hip-hop since I can remember, and fell in love. With a little passion and love for music you too can find it to be yours. Every hip-hop lover has their own little piece of hip-hop. Hip-hops future begins with the fans. I hope the future brings some new artists to light and help some older artists continue to provide that light to lead us back to hip-hop. I'm excited for what the future will bring. Hip-hop is my forever. After reading this I hope we can share her beauty and her word. Hip-hop will never die.