What Happened To You, Hip Hop? By Dan Gathers.

   This is a good week to talk about music, since so much of it pisses me off lately. Namely what has happened to hip-hop is what needs to be discussed, in a deep and serious manner. One of which clearly hasn't happened, and it leaves me wondering how the fuck it is still the pink elephant in the room. So yeah, get ready for a white dude going on an unnecessary diatribe about how modern hip-hop sucks. Check it.


Hip-hop.

   Ok, so I know I'm not the best authoritative figure when it comes to rap and hip-hop. I did, however, put in my time while growing up listening to the shit a lot. And a lot of what I remember was pretty fucking legit. The fathers of hip-hop is what we're talking about here. People like Nas, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Biggie, etc. And all these dudes did was rap about important social and economic issues. Yeah, granted they did say things like fuck, and shit, and bitch a lot. But they rapped about what they knew, which was typically about some pretty hard shit. And about weed. Lots, and lots of weed.


Fucking hip-hop.

   Then, suddenly, it started to fade and warp into something new. New isn't always a bad thing, because it is this change up that makes the art and poetry of rap a dynamic and living thing. And all was hot. A younger generation of rappers took hold of the helm and turned out some of the best, socially conscience rap yet. But then, and there is always a but it seems, it morphed into this ugly, sterile monster when the unthinkable happened: people suing over sampling. Sampling was the, the cigarettes to coffee. Or the cigarettes after sex. Or cigarettes and any type of alcohol. And then it just gets taken away from artists, just like that. The water that helped this long-standing redwood survive gets shut off. Yet, there were some who could rise above it, and write and/or  produce their own samples and music.


Motherfuckin' hip-hop.

   Others, however, have taken their own path down this new road. Now I am not asserting one is inherently better than the other, I clearly have my own preference. But this half, this yin to the yang, is a smash up of what used to be considered (something along the lines of) electro, along with whatever the fuck else it may be. I guess it could be because these particular artists enjoy certain drugs, like ecstasy for example, and do them fucking a lot. So then, on this other half, we have an amalgamation of crazy shit.


Not exactly sure what this is all about, but it's probably not what we're looking for.

   You have to admit, a mothafucker could get tired of hearing about all of your guns, and bitches, and cars, along with all of your other crazy awesome shit. Maybe, instead of hearing about your grill, a listener wants something with substance. It doesn't always have to be serious, it can be just someone wanting to rhyme for the sake of rhyming. It's that open mindedness and shared experiences that can appeal to just about anyone willing to put forth a keen ear. Life is a hard, and fucking insane journey. Sometimes people want to hear some good music while they burn one down.