Blogs


ABOUT ME


  • » Name: Meka Soul
  • » Location: Los Angeles, CA
  • » Member Since: 04/09/07
  • » Bio: Providing clarity in hip-hop since 1981.
  • » Contact Me:
  • » Syndicate: RSS RSS

MY RECENT POSTS



MY CALENDAR


  May 2007  
S M T W T F S
    1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31    
« Apr Jun »

MY TAGS




MY FAVORITES




Slap-Boxing With Jesus

Hip-Hop Ain’t Dead


May 22, 2007 | Tags: none

Before everyone’s favorite Gotdamn Editor decided to give yours truly a slot on this esteemed site[1], I was nothing more than your typical c-boy relegated to talking shit on the Internets. Like everyone else, if I felt that if the opinion of a blogger didn’t match mine, I’d politely tell the writer to lay down their pen and kill themselves immediately.

One of the prevalent trends I notice a commenter centers around is the whole “Hop-Hop Is Dead” phenomenon. And with ever-advancing technology making stealing music is easier now than it has ever been before, rap music selling next to nothing, a lack of fresh, creative artists and labels being splintered and subsequently ceasing to exist, those four words may have some validity.

But let’s be honest: that whole thing was created by Nas to garner interest for his latest hit-and-miss album[2]. At the same time, it’s renewed efforts by artists and fans alike to keep the flames most of us hold so dearly to our hearts brightly lit and ultimately prove him wrong. In a sense, Nas is somewhat responsible for your favorite rapper stepping up their respective game in an attempt to show him as well as the various detractors that the spirit of hip-hop is still very much alive. Hell, the shit even inspired KRS-One and Marley Marl to join forces, and those two were on opposing sides during one of the greatest beefs of the 80s.

Many people say that hip-hop is dead because the South is yucking it up with minstrel-era dances and asinine material, but that really isn’t the case at all. As I’ve stated before, although Southern music has its fair share of craptacular music, they are currently responsible for at the very least curbing hip-hop music’s downward spiral into obscurity, as well as forcing other coasts to upgrade their sounds to validate their relevance. Southern music is merely an example of our culture’s ever-evolving sound, and it’s essentially forcing other rappers to adapt, adjust or implement new techniques.

Hip-hop music is a fighter’s music, not unlike the blues and jazz sounds of the early 20th century. If hip-hop were really dead, most of the humps on this site wouldn’t resort to verbal slobber knockers to defend their favorite artists, while our resident cracka-ass musical deity/aspiring Iraqi War victim Nystradomus wouldn’t claim to know hip-hop more than yours truly because he owns a gajillion mixtapes. I guess by that logic anybody could be the defining source for all things hip-hop because they can recite an obscure lyric from Funkdoobiest, but I digress.

Hip-hop’s not dead as long as there are rappers rapping, breakers breaking, graf artists painting and deejays spinning. Hip-hop’s not dead as long as it continues to inspire the youth. Hip-hop’s not dead as long as you, me and the rest of its denizens continue to defend and support it. And anybody who believes that hip-hop has dies should either immediately kill themselves or spare the rest of its true fans from their melancholy bullshit.

***

Although I missed it this Saturday as I was out of town, I’d like to dedicate this post to the birthday of perhaps the gulliest person ever, Malcolm X. To honor his memory, here is my favorite use of his voice.

Ghostface Killah – “Malcolm”
http://www.zshare.net/download/ghostface-killah-malcolm-m4a.html

[1] I know. I have no idea what the hell he was thinking either.

[2] “Black Republicans?” Hit. “Who Killed It?” Miss. Tell me I’m wrong.




The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

23 Comments