Sparky

You eliminate "rap and hip hop" from the sentence it would be equally valid.

Having researched the merits of musics psychological effects(unfortunately only in regards to violence) their is very little if any tangible evidence suggesting music's effects have any prolonged effect. People will be attracted to music that stimulates their previous emotional disturbances or something a long those lines.

Also keep in mind hip hop's mainstream audience is very small compared to other genres, especially country and pop, which offer comparably trivial themes in their respective songs.

If your complaint is with repetitive nature of the music, or a lack of true, "musicianship" well take a look at the millions of people who get down to "kpop".

You can say it's time for action, but there is nothing to really fight against. People who want to listen to simple music are going to anyway, just like people who crave more complexity will find that. In fact "alternative" music is more at the forefront than it's been previously in my lifetime. MTV has multiple competitors on cable, the "alt" radio station in my state gets as much traction as the pop ones. You have a website called "pitchfork" which has an entire festival dedicated to non-commercial artists.

Black Francis

I agree the blame game is silly but a part of the discussion here is trying to pinpoint where the real problem lies. that is to say who or what is to blame for the current decline of hip hop.

and i don't think it was the record labels who did it, to me it was the rappers themselves who decided to dumb sh*t down at the expense of creative depth.

im personally not a big fan of little wayne or Drake i prefer groups like a tribe called quest or De la soul or even Wu tang cause this groups do their own thing, you can hear in their lyrical content they aren't trying to be the next fad in hip hop

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"Hey Kids you got to meet the MIGHTY PIXIES!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbRbCtIgW3A

djchameleon

Sorry, I think this is a bit BS. It is similar to that argument blaming video games, artists and movies for gun violence in high schools.

You say no one has mentioned socially conscious music then go on to talk about the struggles of the inner city, poverty and racism. The hip hop that you give credit for being the beginning of hip hop is only socially conscious in your opinion.

The whole movement is based off of your own words. Hip hop evolves over time and you/others might not be satisfied with it's current incarnation but it's still hip hop regardless of your opinion on it.

__________________

Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

Neff Anselmo

Where I live? Probably.

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Soulflower

I think you are misunderstanding my point.

I said the reason why Hip Hop was created was due to poverty, racism and struggles the inner city black youth experienced.

How did you get conscious hip hop music out of that?


The RAP music playing on the radio is not Hip Hop. Hip Hop consits of a wide range of topics but the music playing on the radio is not Hip Hop because it does not accurately reflect the culture or African Americans. It does the exact opposite.

The current rap mainstream music is a corporate operation, NOTHING to do with Hip Hop.

Soulflower

How is it B.S.?

When the African American rappers don't mind going along with degrading their own race?

I am not looking for them to be role models but it is a bit troubling that they insist on using the N word, degrading African American women and themselves for a dollar.

They don't mind being used by Corporate America.

djchameleon

My point about it being BS is suggesting that the art is corrupting the youth like the two can't be separated.

It's just like saying violent movies are also corrupting the youth and there needs to be change. There isn't any personal responsibility being taken place here. You are steady passing the blame to other sources.

__________________

Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

djchameleon

Conscious hip hop music deals and discusses those issues that's how I get to that point. Rapper's delight was created because of the struggles of inner city black youth? No, it was created in a party atmosphere.


You have a very narrow view of what hip hop music is and it's so much more than that.

__________________

Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

Soulflower

I don't think I suggested that specifically at all.

I am arguing that the corporate rap music is not Hip Hop and it inaccurately depicts African Americans in a degrading way.

Soulflower

I understand that is how you got to that point but I was in no way referring to conscious hip hop music which is why its odd that you even brought it up.


The Sugar Hill Gang consisted of random black dudes in the 70's with working class jobs that did some DJ-ing and rapping on the side in the inner city.

They were discovered by music producer Sylvia Robinson not in a party atmosphere neither was the song . So that is not accurate.


You are missing the point

They were working class, didn't make that much money and were not looking to get signed. They rapped and DJ as a hobby (as an outlet) for their social/racial problems. The original members have often insisted the same thing.

Just because Rappers Delight is a dance hip hop song doesn't change the fact that they originally did into Hip Hop because of the racial and social pressures they felt were against them because of their race.

They were not rich and there were not alot of social groups for African Americans besides fraternities/sororities on historical black college campuses during that period. So they found another outlet and did that in there spare time.


No I know what Hip Hop is.

I think you have a misunderstanding of how Hip Hop was created and what it was intended for.

It was never suppose to become mainstream because it was used as an outlet for the black kids and something that they just did and created in their spare time. From the dancing, to the beat boxing, etc