The State of Hip Hop!
What classifies Real Hip-Hop? In my opinion, real hip hop is music that educates, creates unity, togetherness and love. Real hip hop is intelligent hip hop, and real hip hop artists and advocates are those individuals who aren't afraid to step off the bandwagon and create their own path to greatness. So what’s the real problem with hip hop music? There isn’t true balance in the representation of hip hop and in order to improve the issue, it must start at the grass roots level. If mainstream hip hop artists don't want to improve the condition of hip hop, the decision makers at the executive level will continue to have ultimate control of hip hop's future. Another big issue with hip hop is the fact that most people that criticize hip hop don’t have an idea of what hip hop culture really is. So, what happened to real, intelligent hip hop? There isn't anything wrong with songs that promote having fun and partying, but songs that talk about senseless murder, pimping, and hoeing is the opposite of real hip hop which is what some may call “commercialized hip hop.†Not only does commercialized hip hop distract listeners but it also redirects the listener's attention to insignificant things like cars, money, and demoralizing women. How I look at commercialized hip hop is the same way I look at the local and national news that is shown in this country: I take it with a grain of salt and believe none of it. Many people who represent this culture are doing so in vain. Many artists are degrading not only themselves, but also their heritage as well as the art form with much of the music presented. Over the past ten years, real hip hop has drastically declined to the point where one could feel alienated by simply listening to the radio today. The bottom line is, many rap artists today are one-sided and one-dimensional to fit in the hip hop industry and be successful. Life is bigger than material things and it is about establishing a long line of family who are not only prosperous by means of wealth but also by knowledge and love for one another. ~Peace~[LOVEMYFLASH]
