Shout Out to Matt Splatt a.k.a MrSplattTv for inviting me to do this and everyone support him it’s big we got real Hip-Hop fans trying to make a difference.
A bit about myself:
I first came into listening to Hip-Hop from not the usual sort of MC. My Dad was a big R&B fan (and constantly played Michael Jackson, Earth Wind & Fire, Cool & The Gang, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye just to name a few). However he led me into Hip-Hop first of all by playing Michael Jackson. When he played “Jam” by Michael Jackson I remember hearing the rap by Heavy D (told you it was unusual) but I loved the word play at the time and memorized it. The first full song I listened to was The Message by Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five which my dad had on vinyl. From there I was then a casual mainstream fan. When I started learning about the history. I knew Hip-Hop was my first love in Music. When I first heard Rakim, KRS-One, Public Enemy, Run.D.M.C and all the others in the Golden age it blew my mind away. However the song that really did this for me was without a doubt N.Y. State Of Mind by NaS off Illmatic since then NaS has always been my favourite MC, Illmatic the favourite album and my favourite song. Now I am white and from the U.K but he painted a picture so clear and vivid that I felt like I was there going through everything he was saying. Plus the grimy organ keys by DJ Premier and scratching at the end just blew me away.
The State Of Hip-Hop
If you’re a fan of Hip-Hop at someMore than likely you s point you will always get the same question asked. What do you feel about the state of Hip-Hop? hould get different answers, and so it should be. Hip-Hop has always been opinionated with the fans. For example the Jay-Z and Nas beef (when Hot 97 had people call in to decide who they thought was the winner). Or even if it is stupid arguments like who would win in a battle between KRS-One and Rakim if it ever happened. There has always been interaction with the fan and fans get to feel a part of the Hip-Hop culture whether being Black, White, Latin, Asian, and Chinese. However nowadays when you get asked this question you get the same sort of answer and I share this opinion that a lot of people that the current state of Hip-Hop as a whole is quite sad when you look at where it started from originally.
I don’t feel Hip-Hop is dead what so ever but it does sometimes feel it is on very thin ice at times. I don’t think it is dead because if you look for some good Hip-Hop you will find it. I think the industry is a massive part of what is all wrong with Hip-Hop however I also believe us as Hip-Hop fans (and I mean myself as well) are to blame sometimes. I will get into that later. However the major thing that is missing from Hip-Hop is BALANCE!!!!! Now I understand that these big labels need hits and I think if we were in that position we would need to realise that we would need one or two crossover hits to make more money. However I don’t think labels truly understand the essence of Hip-Hop, by bringing out and focussing more on your Drakes, Soulja Boys and Lil’ Wayne’s of this world you are alienating the true Hip-Hop fans that are more likely to go out and support an artist than people who want to go out and dance to one song on a night and forget your name after having a couple of drinks at the bar. It was only 15 years ago labels were happily promoting the legendary Big Pun who let’s face it as sick as he was, he was no poster boy for good looking Latin America was he. However that is not what Hip-Hop is about. If you wanted good looks then go to watch Glee or go to London fashion week, right? Hip-Hop to me is a form of communication from the MC to the people and it is meant to impact people’s lives. You have all heard songs like “Fight the Power” “Fuck Tha Police” “It’s Like That” these gave you messages. Now you hear songs that are all about popping champagne, money. Who is going to relate to that in the areas where people are hit by poverty? You think they are in the mood for partying when they can’t afford rent? In the Words of Ed Lover “Come On Son!!!”
However as I said you need balance. Now I was far too young to remember any of this But If you look back at Hip-Hop from 1990-1995 look how spread out it was. You had your street disciples like Chuck D, Nas and Early Tupac. You had your so say Back Pack Rappers like A Tribe Called Quest, The Jungle Brothers and De La Soul. You’re Gangsta Rappers like N.W.A and Snoop Dogg. Your East Coast Rhyming Gods like Rakim, Biggie, Wu-Tang and Big L. You had your Down South Acts like The Geto Boys and Outkast. However you had your crossover acts that were about women and dancing like 2 Live Crew. And No matter how much we deny it now but MC Hammer, The Fresh Prince and Vanilla Ice. You look back at that, there is your balance in the Game! There is something to cater to everyone no matter who you are. Where I look now you Got Young Money and Jay-Z, Kanye West and Eminem. You can see what era is more exciting. Labels and Radio are too scared to take chances and they need to realise that it is us Hip-Hop fans that are going to break an artist truly. You don’t believe me? Check the South. That is why I respect the south because radio and clubs down there promote their own material so fans down there get behind them and they become the big thing down there and Hip-Hop as a whole. You just look at Soulja Boy, Flo-Rida and so on. Also look what we did for artists such as Jay Electronica with Exhibit C it was us as fans who got hyped behind that record and got it released as a single on iTunes.
Even though the radio and clubs may not support lyricists. We as fans have got to. It really frustrates me that some fans say “Hip-Hop is not the same” and “Hip-Hop is dead”. We as fans do nothing about it, for example when Slaughterhouse came out that was every fan of lyrical raps wet dream and it only sold 15 thousand in the U.S. You look at all the members on the four of their twitter followers together they have 330,000. Add to that the people who claim we need lyrics back in Hip-Hop. Well you do the Maths on that on how much they lost. I know there were these rumours that they did not ship enough, but come on. We could be more persistent and get more orders paid for. I wonder as well how many people who say Hip-Hop is dead bootleg a person’s album when they finally come out and they lose out again. For the East Coast and The West Coast it is intriguing time. You have new artists coming out with albums soon. The East Coast Saigon on the 15th of Feb and Joell Ortiz 22nd Feb. These are real artists that speak for you. Go out and get some artists that relate to you. The same with the West Coast you got Crooked I, Jay Rock and Nipsey Hussle coming out soon, support them? If you are in the South, East, and West and even internationally like me, we all need to stand up together and show the radio and mainstream labels we are more important than any of the money they might get. We should have the power to stand up and support your favourite artists to the death (Like My boy MrSplattTv who supports Joell Ortiz) .We get everyone together and get some unity going, we don’t have to wait for who the mainstream think are next. WE CAN DECIDE WHO IS NEXT!!!!!!!!!!! SUPPORT REAL HIP-HOP
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