It happened again. You sit around anticipating your favorite artist to drop they’re CD, then, while browsing the web, you see it; Eardrum (advance) or Desire (UK retail). What to do…..to some the answer is easy, download that shit. Some who do music themselves say fuck that, I’m not downloading anything, I support the artist, and I wouldn’t want anybody downloading my shit. To download, or not to download, that is the question I ask.

“CD’s ain’t holding down, the record industries fucked up, it’s all about them downloads now, fans figure why pay, when the music is free, but never mind what it’s doing to me, fuck that, I give money and time to this game of rap, I love the respect, but I can’t get paid off that.”
Chace Infinite of Self Scientific “Tears”

                So the internet has been set ablaze with the leak of Talib Kweli’s “Eardrum” and Pharoahe’s “Desire”. Some of the most critical muthafuckas is talking classic. I haven’t heard one bad thing said about either album. Isn’t this a good thing? Isn’t it good that people are running around crazy all around the country saying these albums are dope? Well that’s not what some say. I decided to write about the downloading of music yesterday, after I had already made my decision, I was chilling watching music choice listening to some Eminem song, and it said at the bottom of the screen “Eminem says the downloading of music almost destroys the point of making it” Excuse me? Even though Eminem is a huge artist now, considering he rose from the underground, I wouldn’t expect him to make a comment like that. Ain’t nothing wrong with people trying to get their money, but to me, that whole sentence says “I only do this shit for money, if you download it, there’s no point in me making it”. I remember the Xzibit song “Paparazzi” and then dude from the Outlawz response on “Bomb First”, but this shit is a culture first and foremost, if you don’t give a fuck about the culture, should we really give a fuck about you? I like Chace’s line a lot better. Artists say that downloading music is like stealing. Is it? Well let’s look at it. If I go into the store, see a CD, pick it up, go to the bathroom and take the sensor of it, then leave the store, that’s stealing. However, most downloaded music (well at least on my part) is done before the album drops. So instead of me picking the CD and CHOOSING not to pay for it, the CD I’m picking up can’t be bought at the time. So in this case, I don’t think downloading is like stealing. It’s more like reviewing advance copies. Now for the real problem….

                How many people are actually buying the CDs they download? We don’t really know. Lupe didn’t move that many units, but by the hype the CD got after the leaked copy got judged by everyone, I can imagine a lot more people downloaded it than bought it. The Lupe situation was probably a bad example because he released a different CD, but does it really matter? If you have the downloaded copy, you can always buy the retail copy and never listen to it if you hate it so much, it’d be like you paid for the leak and got the other for free. This is the problem; I don’t think people who download really support the artist. How many people download a CD then tell their friends “Yo, you gotta cop this, its dope”……I’d imagine not many. More probably download the album, then tell their friends “Yo, copy this, this shit is dope,” I ASSume (and I hope I’m not making an ass out of myself by doing it) that if people who downloaded the album showed support for the artist the artist would be satisfied. Then again the artist could always say “Yea, I sold 3 million copies, but I would’ve moved like 10 if it wasn’t for downloading”

                So do I download music? Hell yea, I’m a hip hop fiend, I can’t resist. However, in damn near all cases I go and cop retail copies. When my friend gave a copy of “Murs 3:16” I didn’t go buy that album, I went out and bought 3 other Murs CDs. I downloaded “The Listening” then went out and bought that. I downloaded Self Scientific’s “Change” then bought the album from Dj Khalil himself at Rock the Bells last year. I like buying the music from the artist themselves, so I can actually see my money go to the dude I’m trying to support, but then again, you’d have to go to concerts to do that(which would also help support the artist). Did I download Kweli and Monch’s albums? Hell yea, they’re both hella dope. I’ll see Kweli at Rock the Bells like 2 weeks after the CD drops, I don’t know if I’m gonna get it there though, I might get it when it drops.  I’m gonna buy that Pharoahe when It comes out, I think he’s gonna be at Rock the Bells also.  Basically I’m saying, if you download music, support the artists still. (Unless you find out dude is trash, then fuck him, he should get his bars up)

Please, I repeat, Please, I normally don’t really give a fuck who checks my shit out and comments, but tomorrow I’m writing about some underground/indie dudes from out west, YOU WILL LIKE THEM. Keep sending your music too.        

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