Although the Norma Desmond factor is evident in interviews and legacies, what about simple album releases? In late 2006, Ice-T released Gangster Rap, an album that was more talked about for its revealing cover art than its contents. As somebody who doesn’t watch Law & Order: SVU, I find it comforting to know that Ice-T, whose time is worth a fortune, would still bother to attempt another album, full-knowing that the profits are not there. Moreover, Ice brought along fellow veterans Smoothe Da Hustler, Trigga Da Gambler and Grand Daddy I.U. to help him make this masterpiece. Rest assured, as Rock outfits like Scritti Politti or The Cure attempt new releases decades after their glory, the journalism and media embraces them, making a big to do over the effort, the art and the footnotes in history. As Hip Hop, we simply don’t care. I recall that Gangster Rap sold less than 1,000 copies in its first week of sales, and nearly every press campaign – the one I participated in included, focused much more on relic news like “Cop Killer” or his TV show than what Iceberg was even attempting to get at in the album.

Every week, I marvel at the retro artists still attempting careers, still looking for glory. Artists like MC Eiht, Too Short, 8Ball, Grandmaster Caz, Melle Mel, K-Rino or Crucial Conflict release albums in weeks where we pay more attention to over-hyped, under-qualified spitters with nothing to talk about, except how they plan to be a boss in five years, be the next Jay-Z, or in different words – change the minds of those who picked on them (two years ago) in high school.

On the song “Blame Game,” Atmosphere’s Slug beautifully rhymed, “Put your hands up if you remember the Juice Crew / They don’t make ‘em like they used to.” I agree. I miss the quality Hip Hop artists that thrived throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. Yes, (most of) The Juice Crew performed at this past weekend's A3C Festival in Atlanta, alongside legions of fledging faces who release three albums a year in search for a better deal. Meanwhile, do you know how long some of us have anticipated another Big Daddy Kane release, or how often a Biz Markie sample will appear in other peoples' miscredited production? The Juice Crew is a cool thing to talk about, make a retro t-shirt about, get a picture for your Myspace page with a camera phone with... but how many of us would respect them in releasing an album before being about, what we've deemed, "some next shit"?

Perhaps I sound like Andy Rooney even in writing this. This is hardly a rant; if it appears so, I apologize. But I'll never forget The Beatnuts saying they were calling it quits after Milk Me, or the break-up of Jurassic 5 or Organized Konfusion simply because we don't care. I listen to Snoop Dogg's "Can't Say Goodbye," and I wish a million young people in the struggle could hear this. For as much as I dug "Gangbangin' 101" on the last album, this what The Game, Young Jeezy and even 50 Cent aren't likely to tell you in their records. The song chronicles how hard it is to grow up, get looked at differently, and still want to access where it is you came from. Sort of like Carlito's Way, but most rappers must not have seen how that movie ended. Snoop Dogg, although he'll chase platinum, as always, with Ego Trippin', isn't getting the respect he deserves for changing sounds late in his career, and doing it with Teddy Riley and DJ Quik no less. Instead, we brandish, "Aw man, Snoop sold out," but when Ice-T made Gangster Rap, the argument was reversed.

Neil Young, David Sanborn and even Madonna put up numbers after 30 years, with or without radio, because these voices meant something to listeners then, now and always. In Hip Hop however, we seem to much prefer to drink from the fountain of youth every Tuesday, disregard our pioneers, veterans and torch-passers, but then have the nerve to redo their sacred classics, run up on them for pictures and casually mention their names in interviews, so we appear to be up on it. And on that note, I'm off to the car to play my EMC album; Masta Ace and crew remind me what Freddie Foxxx told me years ago, "Never trade youth's energy for experience's wisdom." And there it is.