How We Let The Hip Hop Culture Slip

When’s the last time you heard a track with actual substance? Better yet, when’s the last time you heard a track with actual substance, lyrics, and a message in mainstream in a large amount? Go ahead, I’ll wait… *Jay-Z voice*. It seems like nobody wants to actually think about what they put out on the radio waves. Everybody is out to raise money for their “partna dem” and get out of the hood. NOBODY wants to actually work hard and actually promote a message that will change lives. The question is why. We, as the listeners, aren’t always supportive of artists that come with a message. Look at the likes of Yaasin Bey, Talib Kweli, and Common. They are all some of the most lyrical artists that hip hop has to offer, but they don’t get the recognition that they deserve. They should be mentioned as much as people like Trinidad Jame$, Soulja Boy, or Chief Keef. MENTIONED…not put in the same class. Don’t want to cause any confusion. I was once asked, “Why is stupid music so popular?”. My answer is this: “Because nobody wants to THINK anymore”.

Think about all the technology that has come into our hands in the past decade plus. Internet, iPhones, and other vanity items that make us have the appearance of “ballin’” have become more than just technology to have. It’s become a way of life. It’s thwarted our necessity to THINK about things. For example, texting is nothing more than truncated thoughts to get the message across to the receiver in a fast way. Twitter is another example. It allows us 140 characters to express how we feel at that moment. There’s nothing out there that allows us to THINK anymore. Technology has become a crutch and it has translated to our preference in music. We don’t want to hear things that sound too poetic, deep, or too thought provoking. So we settle for shit like “Gold awl in muh chain, gold awl in muh rangs, gold awl in muh wash, don’t belee meh juss wash…nigga…nigga…nigga” instead of hearing a rap about how all these gold chains we idolize are symbolic of the chains that held us down 400 plus years ago. That’s neither here nor there.

 

I think society as a whole has allowed the media to dumb us down. The majority of what is being put out in the media is nothing that will open the minds of the masses or enlighten us about the reality of life. It’s all a mix between mediocrity, ignorance, and entertainment. So…to go back to the original question…the reason that stupid music is so popular is because we, as a whole, made enlightening, meaningful music lame and unprofitable. Oh and I put blame on the corporations. They made hip hop more about profits than about intellectual, rhyme spitting prophets. It’s embarrassing that we don’t even own our baby, our culture, and our heart anymore. Let’s take hip hop back.