Spin: The "Real" Problem with Modern Hip Hop.

[No_bammer_weed]

This is piggybacking off the 'Young Thug vs. Joey Badass' debate.

Im reading this thread, and it almost was an appraisal of the modern day condition of hip hop and whats wrong with it in my view.

My counter to the thread is "why cant you like both"? I dont think I read one person who even considered that as an option.

Both artists bring something different to the table, so why isnt there space to appreciate both sounds? To me both compliment each other, and have their individual appeal based on whatever mood or setting I happen to be in at that moment.

It seems as tho hip hop fans have slipped into this mindset that liking rap artists is some zero sum game, where in order to throw your support behind one you have to ridicule the other like its some sort of street team b.s

In that thread I read a long post that basically arrived at this position that Joey badass was "trash" because he wasnt well rounded enough. Excuse me? Chuck D and 2pac werent particularly "lyrical". Rakim wasnt all that charismatic , Nas n Krs 1 couldnt make a party record to save their life, Cube was political and Biggie was not, but instead of calling them "trash" because they had holes in their artistry it seems hip hop heads were more open to appreciating who they were, and what their strengths were.

If you dont like Badass, its whatever --- but what I got from the thread was that criticism of him seemed forced. This dovetails to my final point --- hip hop "quality" and popularity is almost completely governed by a major cosign and push. How many artists have blown without being pushed by a major label or by a big name? This has narrowed the sound and whats "hot", and forced artists to fit into increasingly shrinking hole rather than organic environment of a diversity in sound and approaches.

Sorry for the long post, but I think it has merit.

Thoughts?

 

[Blackout]

I just miss the variety in mainstream rap

 

[No_bammer_weed]

I just miss the variety in mainstream rap

Right...I feel like back in the day heads could go from P.E, to NWA, to Hammer, etc and appreciate all far more than they could ever do now. Im always amazed at how homogenous people's Itunes lists are today, and how they seemingly automatically write off artists based on non sense like "mainstream" and "underground", and "party music" vs. "lyrical". Its just so self limiting to me and has help to stunt the growth of the genre.

 

[mozichrome]

i will tell somebody quick, im not trying to convince you of an artist or change your mind about them.
u listen to what u wanna

but you are correct, people act like its hard to like so many different artists in rap

 

[Non Sequitur]

There was more infighting between artists and fans about what was "real" or not back then than there is now. I would point at 3rd Base and Ice Cube constantly shytting on Hammer as an example. shyt wasn't all "kumbaya, let's all appreciate the different styles" back then. This is revisionist history.

Hip-Hop isn't as popular on a mainstream level as it once was, so there's not enough room in the mainstream for diversity. There's still diversity to be had, just not on the radio or BET.

There's more artistic freedom in Hip-Hop now than there has ever been.


I'd also like to add that I said I fukked with both Thugger and Joey Bada$$' music in that thread.

 

[Mr. Negative]

everybody wanna be in a gang and ride for somebody.

cant like both sides.

 

[Vice Gripp]

Alotta good replies in this thread. It's about being original and presenting your music in a different way that's true to you. You aint gotta be the hardest to ever walk the planet to be real. Real is what is real to the person looking back in the mirror and having the confidence in your craft to actually present that. Cuz people will ALWAYS judge your music and you based off your music. So it's less harsh to create a character and when people talk shyt about it (which will eventually happen) it's not like they attacking you personally cuz they don't know you. Now, if you put yourself and your real life into your music and then you hear negative things, it IS like they are attacking you personally cuz it's not just songs it's your life.

I didn't read the other thread at all, but creativity and originality are the keys to the golden age.

 

[LandryFieldsDad]

The problem is the record labels see the writing on the wall.
They aren't trying to cultivate and develop talent. They are looking for kids who have a little buzz to exploit with 360 deals.

We wanna roll our eyes at talk of culture and gate keepers.. We wanna tip toe around calling a spade a spade and legitimatize blatant trash. Rappers have one job. They don't have to play an instrument. They have to rap. When they aren't able to speak clearly or coherently or even be on top of the damn snare "oh the beats is banging". "You a hater" then wonder why Macklemore and Iggy azalea are at the forefront of rap.

I could go on all day. Rap gets worse every day

 

[CrimsonTider]

Right...I feel like back in the day heads could go from P.E, to NWA, to Hammer, etc and appreciate all far more than they could ever do now. Im always amazed at how homogenous people's Itunes lists are today, and how they seemingly automatically write off artists based on non sense like "mainstream" and "underground", and "party music" vs. "lyrical". Its just so self limiting to me and has help to stunt the growth of the genre.

All the disgruntle hiphop fans arguments boil down to the type of rap they grew up on and still like isn't whats popular.

The idea that mainstream used to be balanced is some kind of misnomer.

 

[CrimsonTider]

The problem is the record labels see the writing on the wall.
They aren't trying to cultivate and develop talent. They are looking for kids who have a little buzz to exploit with 360 deals.

We wanna roll our eyes at talk of culture and gate keepers.. We wanna tip toe around calling a spade a spade and legitimatize blatant trash. Rappers have one job. They don't have to play an instrument. They have to rap. When they aren't able to speak clearly or coherently or even be on top of the damn snare "oh the beats is banging". "You a hater" then wonder why Macklemore and Iggy azalea are at the forefront of rap.

I could go on all day. Rap gets worse every day

There's nothing wrong with rap.

Macklemore is nothing more than Vanilla Ice and Iggy is nothing more than someone that made a couple of hits.

 

[TigerLord]

Hip hop is no longer produced in the same format as back in the day. I used to live in record shops and search for music. If you liked something you bought the album. You listened to that album from start to finish the whole way through at least once because you spent money on it. It was easier for rappers to talk about something because they knew over 12 songs that the music would become redundant if there wasn't variation in the material and lyrical content.

This is the ITune generation. People don't buy music the same way. They have a bunch of singles all mashed together on a playlist containing thousands of songs. There are more artists putting out music today because its easier to create and record music for just about anybody with a mic and computer. Supply and demand. There is an over supply of music. It has become disposable. This results in music being made for moments. Partying, celebrating, love... Someone like Joey Badass as good as his music may be to a hip hop head in search of cerebral lyrics and wordplay is almost always doomed to come up short to artists that write music for the moment.

The internet overloads us with information. Anyone can have access to everything right at a moments notice. I can read all kinds of stuff and watch videos from my phone on the bus, train, plane or car. An artist that is actually saying something has to compete with that for a person's attention. It used to be you had a walkman and were a captive listener because your options were limited. Now you have everything from A to Z at your fingertips including a giant library of music.

Being pushed by a major label or a megastar are the most common ways to success because it gives you a certain brand recognition in the sea of music out there. If an artist can put you on songs with known people that have an established fan base you are automatically getting heard.

As a listener you don't have to like one or the other but people's ears do get trained to certain sounds or styles. As an artist exposure and capturing listeners before they tune out and move onto something else is the key.

 

[Yoda]

Listen to blu and stfu

 

[Droopy]

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

I can guess the people who feel like Joey should be promoted/is the dude they're riding for feel like you can't like both because both aren't represented in the mainstream. The more you support both..or just thug...the more incentive you give to record labels to keep pushing that.


I personally am getting to the point where I can't keep providing my support to both, I can't fukk with these nonsense dudes, I don't feel like you need to be preachy or a supreme lyricist but can you be articulate and not some fukking caricature? Can you stop with the 100 million negative songs, ratchet anthems, and mysogyny? I enjoy hating on drake for lol's, but i can't truly dislike him because dude (other than when trying to posture) makes middle of the road music that actually represents most folks as opposed to the bangin on wax gangsters, dope boys, and pill poppin dope fiends. Music needs more balance...on the airwaves

 

[Poitier]

I thank God that Thugger makes music everyday.