I’ve got to vent a little, so indulge me.
Michael Jackson told me that I was not alone, but sometimes I wonder…if you know, what it means, to find your dreams come true.
“…frustrated, irritated, sometimes I don’t know myself I be too numb, to feel something sometimes, so I dig deep…” ~ Khujo Goodie, “Thought Process” Soul Food
There’s a lot of discussion about hip-hop being dead and what not. And generally, the usual suspects – the Soulja Boy’s and Ying Yang Twins and any other largely Southern ringtone rappers – are trotted out as culprits in the murder. And a lot of times, people are right.
However, if hip-hop is dying, the same folks who complain about the Ying Yang Twins are the very people wielding the icepick and stabbing ninjas over and over and stealing their tagless Hane.
I present to you Exhibit A: Pete Rock was DJing in Washington, DC, on Saturday night.
A maximum of 30 people showed up.
Motherf*cking 30 people.
This ain’t Pete from up the street who stays stuck off some rocks. This is legendary hip-hop producer extraordinaire Pete Rock, the man who produced “T.R.O.Y.” , my favorite song in hip-hop history. The beat alone should be at or near the very top of any discussion of best beats of all time. In fact, if you disagree with that last sentence and claim to be a hip-hop fan just walk slowly to your medicine cabinet, take the whole bottle of Advil and one yourself.
And for good measure, VH1 should go kill itself too for putting this song at #90 on their list of Greatest Hip Hop Songs of All Time. Songs listed ahead of “T.R.O.Y.”? At #50 Lil Wayne ” The Block Is Hot”, at #16, Missy Elliot “Get Ur Freak On”…then again, this list included L’Trimm “Cars With The Boom” so um, yeah.
You lost one, one; lose some to win some.
Not many people know this but DC is a hotbed of underground hip-hop. We have so many underground producers and rappers here its amazing that nobody’s really hit the big time. And all of them are influenced by the work that Pete Rock has done. Did any of them show up?
Nope.
Amazing, especially considering that Pete Rock being in town means an appearance by Grap Luva, Pete’s younger brother and former member of the group I.N.I., who is about the best host you’ll ever have at a party. Not only is he a cool cat he has stories for days and tells them all. On the mic. And Grap rolls with the hip-hop contingent in DC. And yet, no one.
It was literally two turntables and a mic. One bad DJ on the set.
Those 30 souls who graced the nightclub on Saturday night were truly treated to a lesson in hip-hop history. Hell, I run the club and didn’t shut anything down until nearly 4am because Pete felt like spinning and Grap felt like telling stories.
“Whether it’s 10 or 10,000, we’re gonna give them a show.”
The Champ says that the hip-hop community doesn’t do a good job of honoring legends and largely, that’s true. In fact, the only time anybody really pays tribute to a legend is at an award show or now on VH1. If you think about it, the only time most of us get to see legends anymore are when they do shows. And really, I wasn’t expecting 1,000 people this go around. But not even 100 people in DC wanted to see Pete Rock? And it ain’t like the event wasn’t promo’d.
As a hip-hop fan, a real hip-hop fan who still managed to love the new stuff these days to include the Jeezy’s and T.I.’s of the world, it really frustrated me that one of the greatest producers of all time in hip-hop was in the building, in DC, and largely, nobody gave a flying squirrel sh*t. Everybody loves old-school hip-hop and R&B…but yet, we were empty.
And that just lets you know that hip-hop is either already dead or its currently being murdered by the very people who swear to be upholding “the real.”
Basically, it’s like the ninjas who don’t vote complaining about “their” candidate losing the election.
Go Obama and f*ck you if you’re part of the problem.
Thank you San Diego for letting me get that off my chest.
Goodnight and goodluck.
-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka TANGLE JIG P
P.S. For all those individuals in Atlanta, I’ll be one of the hosts for a party at Sabor Lounge this Friday in Atlanta for Morehouse’s Homecoming. If you’re interested in getting on the guestlist (free admission before 1130pm), email me at panamadjackson@gmail.com and I’ll forward you the information and see you there…VSB P is returning to the A to turn that motha out…
*Doing Hammer Dance*
Holla at a playa when you see me in the street trick.
PeeJay, I apologize. You know I usually will come to your establishment for anything and bring my standard contingency of more people with me. I had no idea Pete Rock was spinning @ down there on Saturday! I would’ve been right there!
In my defense, I had shipped Ike n’ Tina off to Mother and Daddy and escaped to the Suburbs for the weekend to avoid the haberdashery of Howard’s Homecoming aka “Satan’s Jamboree”. I’m all for HBCU’s n’ shyt and even hope to send my boy to that one in particular one day, but the cacophony of chaos and litany of busy-body niglets that disrupt my quiet neighborhood during their celebrations has gotten to be too much for me in recent years. I got the hellz outta DC and only snuck back for a couple hours early on Saturday to get my hair done. Hmmph!
If I had known Pete Rock and all his chocolate greatness had been there, I would snuck back Saturday night!! Please promote next time…please and thank you!
“his chocolate greatness”
this was actually my old screen name, until i decided to go with “the champ” because it was a bit too long
lol
ya know, i’ve talked to quite a few folks about this that i figure would have been there and they said they hadn’t heard about it. perhaps this could be another case of bad promoters murdering a possibly good night…
…except that we had kid capri on friday night who was at howard’s yardfest and on the radio and it still didn’t bring out a gang of folks…and kid capri is a well known great DJ…
The Grown and Sexy crowd don’t really come out specifically for Kid Capri, Biz Markie, Pete Rock.
They like them, but the typical DC Fabolous girl isn’t getting her hair done to check out Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick.
And by grown and sexy, I really mean that bracket of attractive black women between 25-35. Who by definition attract men, period.
What does she *really* go out for?
What’s on her “can’t miss that” list?
What event causes her to make that trip to Tyson’s II to peep them clearance racks?
In DC
- National Black mba meetings
- Congressional Black Caucus
- Certain Male Neo Soul/R&B stars
- All Star Weekend/Major sporting
Basically events that will attract lots of black folks, especially ones from out of town.
Other than that, she’s just gonna go to the same ol bars on U-Street, and certain expensive megaclubs that typically have a bias against dark skinned female staff.
And even in her normal routine, (cause she don’t club every week)
She’ll prolly leave early cause “no one’s there”.
Even though the club is packed full of people’s, there’s no compelling group of gentleman there that she wants to choose from.
Drink her little drink (which she bought for herself)
Stand around with her co-workers (unless they bring the crazy one that always wants to dance)
12:30 am hits, and she thinks about watching the rest of that Anthony Bourdain in Jamaica episode that she got on TIVO.
Throw up the deuce, and she back at the crib
another wasted night.
They like them, but the typical DC Fabolous girl isn’t getting her hair done to check out Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick.
I’m not a DC chick but, is it really like this? I would sooooo go to this show.
It’s not just DC. It’s Houston, ATL, NY, LA, Chi, etc.
If you’re promoting “underground” anywhere in the country, you’re always facing the dearth of black women problem.
Neo Soul was the savior for a bit, and then D’Angelo stopped recording.
maybe I’m an anomaly.
Me 2 Southern Girl…lol
Ehh… don’t take this the wrong way bcuz I am a member of the club… but i think it’s just the fabulous nerdy chicks who’ll be flocking to an underground hip hop event…. not the average fabulous chick.
co-sign
*been doing this a lot today… gawd i’m too tired to express any thoughts*
yep, i concur with this right here…
yup
Damn P, I woulda come out. I didn’t know about it:( T.R.O.Y is my favorite hip hop song, no question. I can tell you the day I first heard it…sigh.
Next time…
*ahem* VSB L (that’s me!!!) will be at said party too! FREE DRINKS ON P!!!!
LOL…
***Checking airfare to the ATL for next weekend***
I’ll be back
if by “free” you mean “drinks paid for by somebody not named Panama” and by “P” you mean some delusional morehouse chap hoping to get into your skivies on friday night, then yes, you’re right
I dont think hip hop is dead. It has changed and there is nothing wrong with that. There is still plenty of good music out there. Hip hop has never been truly represented by the mainstream, Its always been about the underground. As we get older most of us tend to lose touch with the “streets” and rely on radio and t.v. to see whats going on and that is always going to be the most commercially gimmicky foolishness that is out. That shyt is geared towards 18-21 year olds. At 29 you shouldn’t be mad that 106 and park aint playin the shyt you want to hear. Its not for you. However I do think there is a problem in hip hop, It’s like the newer cats and the old school are at war. The old school attacks the new school, and the new school doesn’t respect the roots of hip hop and how hard people had to work to make it as lucrative a business as it is today. That to me is a shame. Hip hop to me has never been about exclusion, or judgment, or elitism. It’s a form of expression in which everyone can relate in some way and that is getting lost in all of this “what is real hip hop” foolishness. Then when we have the opportunity to come out and support the “good music” no one does. I mean Dougie Fresh, Slick Rick and Biz Markie came to a local club here for old school Fridays all of the people in my age range that always complain about Jeezy and Little Wayne being the only people that ever visit didn’t go out and the younger crowd was mad jeezy or wayne wasn’t there….
Also VHI’s countdown was a complete joke..did you see where they put Dougie Fresh and Slick Rick’s “The Show” WHAT THE F!*k!!!!!!!
“Hip hop to me has never been about exclusion, or judgment, or elitism”
in theory, i agree with you…but this isn’t the case. hip-hop heads have been, and probably will continue to be some of the most judgmental and elitist people in existence.
yeah i don’t actually think hip-hop is dead. it has changed ridiculously to a point where folks actually don’t know sh*t about the history. and i wonder if that’s largely a hip-hop thing…
like if it wasn’t for The Game, would anybody in the teens really know who NWA was?
young white folks still listen to Led Zeppelin and the Ramones and Hendrix…young Black kids ain’t listening to Mobb Deep and that was the mid 90s.
i was gonna say maybe that speaks to the quality of the early era rock music (which was great) but I mean, the infamous is a classic album no matter how you look at it…
then again Jay-Z made Prodigy into a b*tch…then again, youngsters couldnt care less about Jay-Z either…
i’m just lost. and apparently old.
I also think young white kids may have learned about Zep and Hendrix and the Ramones from their parents.
Not all – but some.
We have to do the same. We can’t expect the kids to always go out and seek their own knowledge.
“I also think young white kids may have learned about Zep and Hendrix and the Ramones from their parents.
Not all – but some.
We have to do the same. We can’t expect the kids to always go out and seek their own knowledge.”
this is another inherent problem with hip-hop. i mean, i learned about marvin and smokey and the elements because thats whats my parents listened to in the crib or in the car. as much as i love mobb deep, biggie, wu, and redman, theres no way in hell i’m gonna be riding around in my 2025 escalade/spaceship listening to “n*ggas bleed” or “g.o.d. part 3″ with my kids in the backseat.
I have the same problem… but my kids are young. You can be creative. What they are currently listening to is prolly worse lyrically – the Carter and whatnot right now. Kids don’t live in a bubble. My nephew is twelve… If he’s watching BET singing some ignant a$$ed lyrics to a Plies song or whateva… i think thats a great time to introduce something different and relevant to him that may pique his interest and broaden his musical horizon.
“theres no way in hell i’m gonna be riding around in my 2025 escalade/spaceship”
* grunts/snorts/chuckles. *
my sister is 18, and when i saw that she really did cite laffy taffy when she talked about hip hop, i came over, sat her down, and straight up schooled her. Not on just what I consider good hip hop and bad hip hop, but off of the higher ideals that earlier hi hop aspired too. not just p-poppin, bottle poppin, and that mess.
i think we have a responsibility to educate the younger ones on the roots of hip hop. i’ll tell you what, my sister knows who Chuck D is now. Shoot, Heavy D too.
overweight lover’s in the house….man he could move for a big dude…
This past summer me and two of my friends went to the Newport Jazz Festival, here in our own back yard. If you do not know Jazz than you have no understanding of this particular Jazz Festival, its the Granddaddy of them all. Anyone who is ANYONE has played in Newport. Anyway, as we were sitting in our lawn chairs at Fort Adams with the Atlantic Ocean at our back my boy KB entered into conversation with this brother sitting next to him. They were talking about how he and his melanin lacking wife had been attending this Jazz fest since they were younger and now they make sure to bring their child (he was a bout 3) each year. He went on to say that WE do not engender into our children an appreciation for our culture and thus our children grow up ignant. That his hope is that his son would not only have an appreciation of Jazz music but understand that it is one of the fundamental inspiration for modern day music (his words). He continued on to say that because we don’t know or understand where are roots are we cant appreciate when we here good or bad music we just accept what is being served to us.
This is SOOOO true. Not just in music but in all things regarding our culture. If black people talk about slavery we’re crying or something… other cultures pass down their traditions proudly… but we’re scared to do it with ours. There are things that other cultures in this country will NEVER let there children forget or make a mockery of… but we’re so jacked up that we birth generations of children and only pass down ignorance and self-hate. We are told to let our holocaust go… but every year our kids learn about other holocausts. Our kids don’t know about our leaders (only the ones covered in school), our kids know nothing of our history… it’s really sad… but we who think it’s important that our children know these things get branded militant. It’s not militant… it’s healthy!! It’s necessary!!
i’m off my soapbox now… my second rant on here today..
You know what, this is SO true. But not always a reflection of the parents.
We were visiting UCLA and walked through the sports Hall of Fame. My son’s knew who Jackie Robinson was, but not really what he accomplished while at UCLA. Pretty friggin’ amazing man, he was.
On the other hand, they acted as if they had no clue who Arthur Ashe was. I was mortified, but realized maybe I hadn’t talked about either enough to make an impression on them. ‘Cause I KNOW my husband and I have talked about Mr Ashe everytime we’ve watched the US Open with the boys.
We have to do the same. We can’t expect the kids to always go out and seek their own knowledge.
Exactly…we have to expose them to a multitude of shyt. My dad is a musician so that is in part why I have such varied and eclectic tastes. He taught me it was okay to like ALL music and that music had no color. I grew up loving the eagles, Al green, Zeppelin, Womack, patsy cline, James Brown etc etc…and as I got older I was able to listen to and appreciate all genres of music. I hope I am doing the same for my little girl.
Yeah. I grew up on Marley, Janis Joplin, Dusty Springfield, Hendrix, Hugh Masekela (sp??) and Motown and Staxx Records so my ears are open.
I try to expose the nephews to different stuff, too.
i’m a music lover period…so i was never going to be limited to one genre or style. my fam…they can take it or leave it…me…i’ll listen to anything that has merit and value, no matter what style it is.
You are right that hip-hop is a form of expression but rappers aren’t really expressing themSELVES. The problem is now we have a bunch of people saying the exact same thing; there is no possible way they all had the exact same life.
Hip hop tends to be about creativity and when most of the rappers are just cutting and pasting something Jay-Z said 5 or 6 years ago or everybody’s life is just like the Scarface movie, then it is safe to say that it’s on life support if it ain’t dead.
“when they reminscence over you, my God.”
You are on point about the hip hop legends being virtually ignored. I am really hoping that “southern ringtone rap” shii is just a phase like JJFad sound. lol
I was just thinking about it today how far hip hop has really come and how far it has gotten away from the original format. How back in the day with the “2 turntables n a mic”, was all that was needed to get the party started and now the newjack rappers cant even rock with somethin as simple as that. Seems like all that i hear on the radio is some dood with a syntesizer tube in his mouth just trying to sound “interesting”. Sometimes less is more and im more prone to buy a CD of someone who can rock a party raw than someone who sells a zillion ringtones.
Also, Id love to see a hip hop show with a legend doin a rap battle against one of these young’ens! (someone contact TV1 or BET)
Underground is always the shii..and if you got raw rap skillz, its always gonna win in the end.
“Holla’n at u playa!”
Also, Id love to see a hip hop show with a legend doin a rap battle against one of these young’ens! (someone contact TV1 or BET)
I would too… uh by the way can anyone really explain the ICE T legend phenom? I mean he had a few joints pusha.. high rollers but legend? for real?
I think its more because of the fact he blew up as an actor. He was one of the first rappers to do so sucessfully and still maintain his persona as a rapper even if he wasn’t as big nationally as most rappers were/are. From what I hear tho he was huge out west and he is old school. Most successful old school rappers weren’t really hi profile.
““when they reminscence over you, my God.”
I loved this song!
The beat still gives me chills when I hear it. No lie.
the song was my shyt…and i too get chills when i hear the beat…doesn’t if they play the actual song or it’s in a mix or what…
yeah, its hands down my favorite hiphop song of all time. hell, i listen to the sample on repeat just to hear the horns and envision the first time pete rock heard that shit, lost his mind, and unknowingly created a classic song.
and if you were there on Saturday night you would have heard the story behind it…from the horse’s mouth…lol.
and if you were there on Saturday night you would have heard the story behind it…from the horse’s mouth…lol.
Do tell.
i’ll never teeeell…i’ll never telllll….
Booooo!!!
i can only imagine…i remember losing my mind the first time i heard it lol…
“Also, Id love to see a hip hop show with a legend doin a rap battle against one of these young’ens! (someone contact TV1 or BET)”
eh. as much as i love old school rap, i dont know if i’d wanna see someone like guru battling cassidy or something. that probably wouldnt turn out well
I dont ever want to see Guru on the same stage as Cassidy. Thats why I hate what VH-1 is doing…putting De La on the same stage as Camron. Its not all the same. They don’t put the Jonas Bros on the same stage as Mudvayne do they? Why must all Hip Hop be treated like its all the same? Dont mix Bone with my BCC.
I’m one of those hip hop elitists. I am not ashamed of this. I don’t have to embrace or pretend to like any b.s. I don’t listen to all music. I have very selective ears and I revel in this. I do pledge my grooveallegiance to the funk tho…the funky funky funkadelic*.
*none of you know where that comes from and I am pleased with that
I LIKE BONE!! Those were some creative dudes… they were the innovators of the rap singers!!!
I am with you. BTNH. love forever.
It’s the first of the month…
So glad I’m not alone…
you’re not. i love them. i bought my first issue of the source (back when it was hot) because they were on the cover. man, when the source was on, it was hot. i had every issue for like 6 years…..*memories*
i can’t front. i was a bone thugs fan for a couple years as well. “for the love of money” is still a great song, especially when considering that easy e broke the unofficial record for “most times saying f*ck in a 70 second span” on his verse
*singing * East 1999….
rap singing is a good thing?
It is.
I call bee es
*sigh* good times…love(d) me some bone…
i’m a hip-hop snob myself, though i still enjoy pretty much all of it, especially of the current ignant variety. but yes, i dont want to see Guru on stage with Cassidy…for one, Guru would get murdered 100 times over….and that just wouldnt bode well for the Gangstarr stans who actually think Guru is a good rapper.
you and my husband would be best friends… he is the definition of a hip-hop elitist and when we were dating it was one of the things i loved and hated about him.
he has amazing knowledge of the history of all music and can name the song, artist, composer/producer and year off of 3 notes… but he would stay taking my ipod out of my car and plugging his in… grrrrrrrrrrr
he knows better now
oh and i too love BTNH…..
E.1999 Eternal was my SHIZNIT.
‘E.1999 Eternal was my SHIZNIT.”
Yes ma’am!!!
on the ipod now…
just a phase like JJFad sound. lol
lol. you know supersonic was the joint back in the day! i don’t think it’s so much about what’s a fad or not so much as knowing that there are different categories of hip hop just like with any other music. some folks just don’t know how to stay in their lane.
for example…i loved supersonic. that came on the radio a few months ago and i damn near lost my mind, if not for the memories alone and being transported back to another time in my life. but as much as i love it, i’m not gonna put it in the same category as mc lyte’s paper thin. if you can take some of this music as its meant or at least how it is viewed, then soulja boy will have his (party) place that’s really aimed at the youngsters that don’t know any better and just want to dance and leave the serious and/or lyricism to the jay-z’s, nas’, common’s and the like.
i will be the first to admit that i was really let down by the state of hip hop for a minute and i really fell off. but lately this is how i look at things and i realize that everyone is gonna have a place as long as i know that some of it really isn’t meant for people like me who loved BET back in the day and was falling all over myself when mtv raps premiered and rememberd a time when VH1 wouldn’t touch rap music at all.
indeed-party music has and has always had its place…and yep, i too remember way back when…vh-1 only played the likes of *gasp* michael bolton and such…
you know, really, i think my frustration is wasted energy b/c in life, everything happens like this. there are folks now who never saw Jordan play who are like…f*ck Jordan, its all about Lebron…
like jordan, bird, or magic (and i feel bad for folks who never got to see Magic johnson play basketball) are some unicorns or something.
there are folks now who never saw Jordan play who are like…f*ck Jordan, its all about Lebron…
who says this nonsense?!?!?
now, i won’t go as far as to say “f*ck jordan”, since he’s the greatest athlete of our lifetimes…but barring serious injury, lebron will be better. thats a fact, whether you accept it or not.
true as that maybe, and hell, i think Kobe Bryant at his age is better than Jordan was at the same age…but still…
it’s the man who revolutionized basketball…and he was the greatest athlete of our times…hell…these kids need a whippin
“these kids need a whippin”
clear sign you are getting old. when you want to start beatin the kids.
true…i can’t count the number of times i’ve wanted to snatch up somebody’s child…just running around causing mayhem…my telltale sign is when i start shaking my head and thinking, see when i was kid i would’ve got my @ss beat for doing that sh!t. lol
Right. When you are appalled at somethin’ a kid is gettin away with, you know you are starting to get old.
lol.
I remember the first time my nephew opened the fridge, took food out and ate it – WITHOUT ASKING.
I was outdone.
yep…i mean, word, without MJ, lebron and kobe…i’om know.
wtf part 2.
“there are folks now who never saw Jordan play who are like…f*ck Jordan, its all about Lebron…”
Oh wow….
I compare this phonomena to the same scenario in relationships. The good guys/gals get no play (or get played) , but yet folks complain there are no good ones out there….. same shyt….
word!
I feel like black people in general feel some imperative to rep “hip hop”, even when we really only listen to Ying Yang Twins et al. I remember when KRS-One visited my campus last year for less than 10 bucks at a small local venue and maybe 35 people were there. It happens.
when KRS-One visited my campus last year for less than 10 bucks at a small local venue and maybe 35 people were there. It happens.
Hey this probably has more to do with the fact that KRS One has lost his mind and thinks he is a international Spy…..but this
I feel like black people in general feel some imperative to rep “hip hop”, even when we really only listen to Ying Yang Twins et al
I totally agree with this. Soja Boy and Plies aint selling a million records only in the ghetto.
yeah the philosopher is a tad bit off his rocker, but I still go check him out anyway, on GP and shyt…
Me 2. I would love to see KRS.
i’m gonna have to agree…KRS is on some Lil Wayne sh*t these days…except Lil Wayne could read.
that was a bad analogy but the fact is i never want to hear krs-one rap again. or he’d only be able to do material from before 95.
that was a bad analogy but the fact is i never want to hear krs-one rap again. or he’d only be able to do material from before 95.
Amen
@Panama…pls tell the name of the song that the last sentence is from.
I agree…even not so old school, but hip hop artists are being left in the cold. This past March, the Roots came to my campus and did a free FREE show and the crowd was scanty…same thing with Meth
If I’m right naomi it’s from Jim Crow’s “Holla at a Playa”.
PJack am I right? lol
I say that line to people all the time when I’m getting off the phone or ending a convo, and only 12% of the population gets it. Lol. It’s good to be among like minded inviduals and sh*t.
Hah!!!! Good to see ya back…lol
yeah thats the song.
This is the exact same reason why I have a problem with people that dislike current rap music videos or BET as a whole.
The soljah boy’s and them aren’t geared or meant for us the same way music that WE grew up on wasn’t geared towards our parents and the such.
And then you got TONS of adult-aged hip hop fanatics complaining about the lack of quality (read: hip hop we grew up on) music out there…I call bullshyt on that!! It’s THESE same adults that will stress to their kids the importance of doing your homework, research, etc., but they’re not willing to do the research on finding current (or underground) acts that they can appreciate.
And it’s a sad state when they don’t even support (financially) the artists that influenced their love for hip hop in the first place.
Petey Jakes, I’ve been saying this shyt for years but thank you for putting it out there in this forum.
“It’s THESE same adults that will stress to their kids the importance of doing your homework, research, etc., but they’re not willing to do the research on finding current (or underground) acts that they can appreciate.”
I agree w/this Monk. I’ve always had a serious love for Hip-Hop and since 2000, I had pretty much given up on it. It wasn’t until I started researching, looking around for myself and connecting w/folks in the know did I discover that there is PLENTY of Hip-Hop music out there that that appeals to my sensibilities as someone who vividly remembers greatness of the early days. And not only have I found music that I can enjoy, I’ve been able to share it w/my teenager so she has an appreciation for the art. She is very proud to be one of the only kids @ her school to know who Little Brother is!
I heart Little Brother!
Maybe we (those who love hip hop in its beautiful form) should start a blog that posts the underground artists, so we can be in the know and support them all. I can’t be the only one with a Little Brother bumper sticker on the back of my moped. We need more people!
You just had to throw Little Brother in there Stan-quisha… lol… naw, you know i feel ya…
i got a potentially wet blanket question. why do y’all love little brother so much?
what exactly is it about them?
let me say i’m a fan, i know 9th personally, and have met phonte and pooh. but their albums have gotten progressively worse…
The Listening is a great album…the minstrel show is good in points, but i really dont think the whole album is that good…and GetBack…was ok.
i will say as an individual , Phonte has mad potential, hell i throw him in every argument i can about the most slept on rappers out there…
This is the exact same reason why I have a problem with people that dislike current rap music videos or BET as a whole.
The soljah boy’s and them aren’t geared or meant for us the same way music that WE grew up on wasn’t geared towards our parents and the such.
you know, what we seem to also forget is that from hammer to crucial conflict and coolio there were a TON of pop-ish hip- hop artists when we were growing up as well. its not like that sh*t is a new phenomenon.
i mean sh*t, in the summer 93, the number one song on the charts wasn’t any biggie or dre or nas…it was domino’s “getto jam”.
Paperboy was out that year as well with that “Ditty” crap…lol
Hey! The Ditty was a great party record.
I’ve always hated this song. My BFF and I were arguing over this last week…funny.
yes, i hate Ditty too. but i’m gonna have to say that Domino’s “ghetto jam” was that hot fiyah.
i hate to admit this, but i actually own that album. and i didnt buy it until like 2002. granted, i paid 2 bucks for it…but still.
glad i got that off my chest.
I remember singin along to it while I was cutting my grandma’s grass and she said I sounded like a dying cat
I remember singin along to it while I was cutting my grandma’s grass and she said I sounded like a dying cat
LOL!!!!
that paperboy song was hot garbage
Yeah, but back then they played a little of everything, so you were at least exposed to it all. I think that is what I miss, the variety that people got to hear….
exactly…we don’t have the same diversity we did back then…
Yeah, but back then they played a little of everything, so you were at least exposed to it all. I think that is what I miss, the variety that people got to hear….
I am going to have to disagree.. I never heard NWA on the radio, we also didnt get much tribe, or Public Enemy. WE only heard top 10 hits. Most of the radio stuff was LL, Fresh Prince, Run DMC and of course the special eds, etc etc I heard about the underground rappers on YO MTV RAPS.. so to me its the same way it is today. The comercially stuff gets all the spins and when one of the underground artists gets a big enough hit then they get thrown in but until then, unless you got an underground/ear to the streets type of radio show you are not going to hear it.
The variety depends on your local radio. I grew up in the 757 and I didnt realize how good our radio staions were until I moved down south in 96 and had to listen to that b.s. radio station in nashville that only played top 10 stuff. They had no real dj’s and they played absolutely nothing I deemed worthy of my ears.
The soljah boy’s and them aren’t geared or meant for us the same way music that WE grew up on wasn’t geared towards our parents and the such.
Exactly. I dont know why its so hard for people to grasp this. We are not suppose to like that shyt. And then when you get the opportunity to support some hot shyt. You dont do it but the first mofo that wants to yell hip hop is dead and claim you only listen to Common, and Tribe, and Lupe or whoever the “hip hop intellectuals” have crowned their new leader so that you can prove you down and deep but your Ipod got all 15 versions of Plies Buss it Baby and Ying Yang twins whistle why you twork….. Get the f.ck out of here….
Bust.It. baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabaaaaaaaaaaaay.
i cant lie, that song got me. lol.
then again, i’m the dude who thinks “the whisper song” is the most innovative song of the past decade.
i love me some quality ignorance.
Bust.It. baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabaaaaaaaaaaaay.
i cant lie, that song got me. lol.
then again, i’m the dude who thinks “the whisper song” is the most innovative song of the past decade.
i love me some quality ignorance.
and aint nothing wrong with that.. I just hate when people claim they hate it and all about “real” hip hop and down the shyt and secretly at home singing the shyt out of it…
I’ll admit I like Project Pat,Crunchy Black & Lord Infamous. I also liked Swishahouse and Screw before dem cats went nationwide.
I still like Swishahouse and Screw.
I still find new stuff but I mean when the cats from there (Lil Flip, Chamillionaire) made better stuff when they were doin screwed freestyles than they do major label stuff. I liked the screwed freestyles better anyway. The best song I remember is BigDicBalla. Barre Baby was a classic too.
Yeah their underground stuff was definitely better, especially Flip and Slim Thug. Cham still doing a good job with his major label stuff.
Yes, Barre Baby still gets regular play in the ride…lol
“i love me some quality ignorance.”
You and me both.
To the windows to the wall.
“i love me some quality ignorance”
I want this t-shirt..
quality ignorance…lol. if it got a good beat…it might make my rotation…
hip hop, as a movement, will never reach the greatness of its humble beginnings. like anything else, hip hop came on the scene when it was still pure and naive. and more importantly, when there wasn’t a market for it. nothing can be done to get hip hop back to that raw form, though there are certainly artists out there staying true to hip hops “roots”. what you have now is a rap industry that is driven by $$$ and demand. as a result, the quality and essence of the music has changed. some would probably argue a change for the worst. but what did anyone expect? hip hop was born as a reflection of a certain set of values, lifestyle, and mentality as dictated by its founders and early followers. with it’s growth in appeal and popularity, the music reached broader, more diverse audiences–even those who had never experienced firsthand the lyrical content that hip hop promoted. evolution, or better yet, deviation was inevitable.
honestly, the music of today [mostly] accurately reflects the current culture, values, and mentality–which, not surprisingly, is very different from those of the yesteryears of our beloved “old school hip hop”. the new school isn’t going anywhere, so all anyone who really appreciates hip hop can do is continue to support “real”/good hip hop as much as possible.
hip hop, as a movement, will never reach the greatness of its humble beginnings.
so you think its all downhill from here?
i’m not saying it’s all downhill from here, and my intention is not to be pessimistic. i’m only saying that things will not return to “the way it used to be” nor should we expect it to be. PJ, as well as many others, mentioned that even so-called hip hop lovers don’t necessarily come out in herds to support the pioneers or those trying to uphold the classics. the culture has undisputedly changed, and with that so has the backing and audience of hip hop.
instead of selling the dream of freedom (of various levels–social, economical, music, etc), the industry sells the dream of ignorance and all the debauchery that money can buy. more than expressive and meaningful stories lyrically crafted over a methodical beat, just need a catchy (read: obnxious) hook that appeals esp to 2520s–since they own/run the big companies and by and large buy the music. thus expanding the “range” of hip hop, making hip hop for everybody and not just a select few, which is how i think it started off.
this isn’t to say that true to form music can’t or won’t be upheld or appreciated or reach certain success levels. i just think it’s likely not going to receive the type of glory that hip hop experienced in its formative years.
and for me, that’s OK. it makes the hip hop i grew up on and still love more special and treasured.
yeah…you do paint a pretty pessimistic picture.
so i guess you dont think Souljah Boy can make an album that revolutionizes the music industry and causes the Black community to rise like a maya angelou poem?
No. none of us here think that.
so i guess you dont think Souljah Boy can make an album that revolutionizes the music industry and causes the Black community to rise like a maya angelou poem?
ummmmm… this caused me to choke on my laughter… this was a joke right?
yes it was a joke. lol.
let’s just say i’d be surprised if he pulled that off. it’d be like walking into david duke’s house and seeing him sleeping with 20 black women with one he refers to as the most special woman in his lifetime…
…while a unicorn ran thru the room being steered by a black squirrel with a picture of an albino midget in a locket around his neck.
yes…something like that.
wtf???
Is there some sort of organized effort to make sure unicorns, black squirrels and albino midgets get mentioned in EVERY VSB post, with extra points awarded for listing all in one comment????
LMAO.
yes…and i’d actually like to see somebody TOP my comment.
im starting to really feel some kind of way about the pixie dust posse. They only seem to come out..when the mood hits them..i wasn’t even a full fledged memeber and I was ready to swing over Wu molesting Alise’s unicorn.
don’t disrespect maya like that. lol.
plies singlehandedly lynched hip hop, hooked it to the back of his pickup truck and drug it around for 47 miles.
Wow. I can’t even laugh at this.
Yeah…..Not funny.
by himself though? plies is just the latest in a long line of folks. i dont know that plies is any worse than anybody else…
Hip-Hop is not dead. She just had kids. Who make music for other kids. If you’re past a certain age, either you can’t relate, or you say, it’s been done, and wayyyy better too…
As for not supporting our contemporaries, it doesn’t bode well, mainly because rap, like pop, is seen as a youngster’s game, so the numbers and music will always skew toward the young. Until us Golden-Agers as a whole pick up the mantle and support classic rap the way people do classic rock and the doo-woppity motown-stax music, we will continue down the path of musical marginalization, much like disco, and funk, and damn near every other genre that came from the 70s…
Do we want Big Daddy Kane CDs to end up in the 2.99 bin with the likes of Bootsy Collins and Donna Summer? No? Then forget saving the whales for a minute and Save-The-MCs!
“Until us Golden-Agers as a whole pick up the mantle and support classic rap the way people do classic rock and the doo-woppity motown-stax music, we will continue down the path of musical marginalization, much like disco, and funk, and damn near every other genre that came from the 70s…”
this comment brings up the elephant in the room: does hip-hop have staying power? is hip-hop basically just a sub-genre like disco or grunge that’ll eventually wear itself out?
i mean, in 30 years, will a group like outkast be able to tour like the rolling stones do today?
“i mean, in 30 years, will a group like outkast be able to tour like the rolling stones do today?”
naw, even r&b legends can’t sell out a show in a small venue….
people barely go to the concerts now, I went to a Guru , KRS-One, and a Ghostface show this year and they all were empty, and they were advertised heavily, and the Ghostface concert was FREE! (and side note it was 70% 2520′s in attendance)
The last two GFK shows (last March and November) I went to were free and they were packed, and yep 2520′s were heavy in attendance…but that’s just like my town…lmao
ugh! meth and red are coming to town this friday and i am hyped. the last time i saw them (after blackout) the crowd was packed and they rocked it. i’m gonna be a bit sad if its empty and/or filled with 2520′s. not that there’s anything wrong with that but damn!
overall, this topic just makes me a little sad. i remember watching rap city with my older cousin and loving hip hop before i even really knew what it was or what it meant. and i caught some flack growing up…well…not really flack but it was like, since i was a girl wasn’t supposed to know about certain artists or contribute to the hip hop convo. my boys knew what was up but if some of their friends who didn’t know me came around, it was open mouths and stares. just last year this guy i was seeing for a minute was so put out he had to call one of his boys cause i liked and knew who redman was?!?!? really?!?!
I can totally relate girlfriend.
*hugs* miss t
“even r&b legends can’t sell out a show in a small venue”
I’ve seen Roberta Flack, Rick James (RIP), Tina…all sold out. Think it depends on the legend and the town. Most of the audience was YT…btw
tina was the sh!t. i just saw her about 2 weeks ago. one of the best shows i’ve ever seen. seriously. and it was packed.
She can still kill it.
I wanna be just like her when I am 70.
glad it’s not just me. after the concert i was telling people i wanna be tina turner when i grow up. lol. she’s awesome.
yeah, many R&B folks sell out shows. hell, Stevie shows sell in out in hours still. Chaka Khan can sell out…Smokey Robinson…R&B icons from the 60′s thru 80′s still sell out shows…
hell, i actually believe that if they got themselves together…
New Edition could sell out arenas.
yeah, many R&B folks sell out shows. hell, Stevie shows sell in out in hours still. Chaka Khan can sell out…Smokey Robinson…R&B icons from the 60’s thru 80’s still sell out shows…
hell, i actually believe that if they got themselves together…
New Edition could sell out arenas.
Chaka was here in August and it was a complete bust..however Chaka tickets were going for the 80 bucks but New edition comes here all the time and sells out!! If they put Bobby back in the line up they could definitely sell out the Forum here in the M-town. You mean I get to hear, Candy Girl, Sensitivity, Poison and dont be cruel? SHYT sign me up!!! Consequently Maxwell will be here on the 11th with Jasmine sullivan and them joints sold out instantly..and they were like 80-125 dollars a piece…
“New Edition could sell out arenas.’
New Edition is the Temptations for our generation.
The BET 25…when they opened the show. And THEM brought out Bobby Brown??? I stomped on my living room floor I tell you!
They WILL get it together. They are taking Bobby in the studio with them for the new album but said they won’t tour with him. They’ve known since they were 15 he wasn’t about business. But they are good friends cuz they keep tryin to work with him.
You know I’m serious about NE. Mayne!! That just tooke me back…lol
I’m so proud of me! As a gift to my mom for finishing her PhD, I’m sending her and her BFF to see Tina when she comes to Philly. I wanted to go too, but I could only afford 2 tix
I am now her favorite child….
(of course, I’m her only child… but whatever.)
but now you can guarantee inclusion in the will. No more fear that the girl she works with, her play daughter, the secret one, will get your inheritance.
Good job.
i mean, in 30 years, will a group like outkast be able to tour like the rolling stones do today?
To this question, in my opinion the answer is yes. I think that groups like Outkast and Nas and Jay-Z and De La Soul, and all them will be able to tour bcuz this is the music of our generation, and although as we get older we may broaden our taste and listen other types of music and other artist, but we still love our music. I’d be far more inclined to go see Outkast then I would to buy tickets to go see Lil Wayne cuz that is the music of my era. They may be on a ticket with some R&B acts… but i think there’s an audience to support them. That audience has just grown up.
“That audience has just grown up.”
Old school acts realize this. Jay-Z definitely does. And Mary J. (not a rapper but, still…) says she realizes her early fans are having kids now and she needs to rep. for ‘em.
More folks need to realize this.
I totally agree with this.
ya know, i really have no clue how much staying power they have as far as touring…i want to say they do but really…
can you imagine going to a show and looking at 60 year old snoop on stage trying to do “tha shiznit”? it’s a young man’s game b/c it’s largely a show of virility and aggression. then again, that’s what 70s rock like Page, Clapton, and ‘nem were about.
hm. good question. i have no clue. it would seem to suggest that folks have their window…and jay maximized his.
My name is JBoogie and I approve this message!
yo.
i think that the advertising game had it alll f*cked up. otherwise, that place woulda been packed. DC is a go-go spot for the most part, but the surrounding areas (nova, b-more, etc) definitely appreciate this kinda good music. i guess if you throw that kinda event, holler at the right people. 30 people who share the same hip hop sentiments isn’t THAT bad, but a legend like petey shoulda brought more heads to the venue.
and…
plies singlehandedly lynched hip hop, hooked it to the back of his pickup truck and drug it around for 47 miles.
LOLOLOL.
i think that the advertising game had it alll f*cked up. otherwise, that place woulda been packed.
i think p’s saying (and i agree) that all the advertising in the world wouldnt have made a difference
yeah, i think better promo may have brought out more people…but 100 folks for an event like that still seems like a failure to me.
I can’t subscribe to the “hip hop is dead ” club. We’ve still got great artists who rap meaningful lyrics, like Common, The Roots, and Little Brother.
I can agree that hip hop has changed… although I can’t stand Soulja Boy or Bow Wow and the like, they are meant for kids (we all know this, BUT can someone please let the two little guys know?)
We’ve just got more options now, Southern, dirty backpackers (who I love!), west coast (Just wondering: does anyone listen to Cali music who doesn’t live in Cali?). New York is simply not dominating the music industry; there’s room for everybody.
People want to dance and “wameyooouuuuu” (or whatever).
I agree with you that hip hop artists don’t get the respect they deserve. I did promo for Miller Lite a while back and we did “old school” concerts featuring artists such as Doug E. Fresh, Whodini and Biz Markie . Although those pretty much sold out, you’d expect this in Kentucky (we don’t exactly have artists beating our state down).
“I can’t subscribe to the “hip hop is dead ” club. We’ve still got great artists who rap meaningful lyrics, like Common, The Roots, and Little Brother. ”
I agree. I’m gonna add my new faves Pacific Division to this list…
I haven’t heard of Pacific Division, but I’m def gonna google them now. I love good music.
Thanks!
Check youtube. My faves, “Taste” and “Gorgeous”.
Okkk. I’m loving “gorgeous” already.
Yay!!
i actually really like PacDiv. out of all the new-school era old-school acts, they’re the ones with the most potential to me.
I’m hoping they make it.
Just wondering: does anyone listen to Cali music who doesn’t live in Cali?
good question. any takers?
“Just wondering: does anyone listen to Cali music who doesn’t live in Cali?
good question. any takers?”
Yeah champ, they love that crap in Alaska. . .seriously. . . everyone is running around “getting stupid” and “ghost riding” vehicles. . .it was a sad sight . . . but it was Alaska.
LOL at “that crap”. I do think Cali music is wack. Back in the day, way way back, I listened to E-40 and D-Shot (is that his name?) and that one girl.. “It’s the top notch ooh, ooh, ooh here I be.” But now that I know what good music consists of, I’d never turn back.
“LOL at “that crap”. I do think Cali music is wack. Back in the day, way way back, I listened to E-40 and D-Shot (is that his name?) and that one girl.. “It’s the top notch ooh, ooh, ooh here I be.” But now that I know what good music consists of, I’d never turn back.”
Good move, i never got into the whole west coast thing. When NWA came out Im pretty sure I was still listening to Rob Base on a cassette my mom dukes made for me . . . then Biggie came, that is when I got into angry rap . . . lol
Tupac came out, it kinda bothered me that he was talking all this crap about a place that he came from and everyone was drinking the kool aid, so I never got involved with that either.
Game sounds like he is from Eastern Parkway and Utica, so I don’t know whats going on there. . .and all that thizz facing and singing songs about popping pills and walking around making crazy faces, I think that everyone in that hip hop scene over there has lost their damn minds.
“that thizz facing and singing songs about popping pills and walking around making crazy faces, I think that everyone in that hip hop scene over there has lost their damn minds.”
This is funny as hell! But it’s very true. I was into Tupac, but now that I think about it, he was pretty strange… I loved that Machavelli record, but the entire concept was weird… I can’t listen to it anymore.
Okay, I just caught myself in a lie for I was into Game.. I was bopping the hell out of The Documentary, but after that, something seemed to happen with him mentally. It was like he was picking beef with everybody out there.
um we definitely do down South. hell, Cali and Southern music is all we were listening to in the early to mid 90s…and Biggie.
in fact, it took me forever to get to really liking NY flavored music. i was heavy into the West Coast sound…and Pete Rock and CL Smooth. but i’m a producer kind of person and Dr. Dre and DJ Quik were my favorite producers back then cuz they made that aural crack.
As weird as RZA was with “Bobby Digital”, I was into it. . I’ve always loved some Wu Tang Clan.
“As weird as RZA was with “Bobby Digital”, I was into it. . I’ve always loved some Wu Tang Clan.”
I am with you on this one, I only understood a quarter of what they were talking about but CREAM was my anthem when it came out. They are some entertaining mufukkas . . . i cant lose the image of GFK in a robe with a big @ss gold eagle on his arm. . . that is entertainment. . . something gotta be wrong with you to go out in public like that though . . . im just sayin.
you have to love Wu Tang..Wu tang is for the children
Wu Tang, Wu Tang!!!!
“As weird as RZA was with “Bobby Digital”, I was into it. . I’ve always loved some Wu Tang Clan.”
WU-TANG CLAN AINT NUTHIN TO F*CK WIT!!!!
protect ya neck!
“Watch these rap niggas get all up in you guts, French Vanilla, Butta Pecan, Choc’late Deluxe”
Dup
yup…though i did get ample doses of east coast too…sigh…i miss them days
Dr. Dre = Best HipHop Producer EVER!!
Nice rant, not only are we seeing the issues you point out in the article but people as a whole don’t even know the history. I bet if you were to ask some youngers (teenage) kids about some of the pioneers, they wouldn’t even know. It truely is sad though.
-JM
Indeed.
I bet if you were to ask some youngers (teenage) kids about some of the pioneers, they wouldn’t even know.
If you ask the youngers about Black history (not including hip hop) they wouldn’t know.
If you ask the youngers about Black history (not including hip hop) they wouldn’t know.
good point.
Hello Everyone,
It took a topic like this to bring me out from lurking.
There is a problem with the mainstream music being produced. You can’t just say it is the music of young people of the day. Why is it that when Ice Cube, Mobb Deep, Nas, etc. were b/w ages of 18-22 they made music that was somewhat intelligent and insightful. With everything going on in the past 8 years or so what mainstream rapper has addressed what is happening in real life? Where are the new maistream rappers that do what Mobb Deep and the others did? Even the videos were realistic. Almost every video is a fantasy. What happened to showing the hood?
“Even the videos were realistic. Almost every video is a fantasy”
although i agree with the main premise of your comment, i hafta call bullsh*t on something. despite the fact that mobb deep is one of my favorite groups of all-time, their murder rap was just as much of a fantasy as someone like piles rapping about how much money he has. i loved havoc and p to death, but we all know neither of those unhealthy midget ninjas were murdering and robbing folks.
the music was better, definitely…but it was still a fantasy.
i loved havoc and p to death, but we all know neither of those unhealthy midget ninjas were murdering and robbing folks.
lmao. hell on earth was my sh!t. *wondering where that cd is…in NO?*
I hafta agree Humble_One,
the music that is being produced for mainstream consumption is definitely party & bullsh*t crap… if i hear one more ode to Strippers… But the music industry is a business. They invest money into what they think people want to hear. If people put money behind other types of artist then they would get “put on”… we don’t do our part to support other artist and we don’t support our legend’s either. That’s why Pete Rock was spinning for 30 people.
yeah Humble I gotta call bs on this too…
alot of these “hard negros” was goin to private school in the burbs. It was joke to many of my friends. I think the list went something like: keith murray, eric sermon, somebody in Wu..
the streets weren’t anymore real to some of these people as the burbs were to who they were tryna sell these ghetto fairy tales too.
“the streets weren’t anymore real to some of these people as the burbs were to who they were tryna sell these ghetto fairy tales too.”
Some is a good word . . . because a lot of those people really werent involved in the fairy tale. . . especially in Brooklyn. . . it was well known around the neighborhood that the Mash Out Posse was really running around doing all that stuff they were rapping about . . . It would probably be a bad idea to go to St. Marks looking for an autograph.
” It would probably be a bad idea to go to St. Marks looking for an autograph.”
i believe this…but where are they now???Kidnappin fools isn’t exactly tied to estate planning, 401ks and driving your kids around to ballet and boyscouts.
“i believe this…but where are they now???Kidnappin fools isn’t exactly tied to estate planning, 401ks and driving your kids around to ballet and boyscouts.”
Oh I feel you, im definitely not saying that is a good thing, but I don’t think too many Brooklyn rappers were involved in the fairy tale hood scenario. This is why the music was a major part of my upbringing, I was that kid walking up Fulton St. with a 4 dollar copy of ready to die in my walkman. Luckily for a lot of them, they got money and moved to Connecticut . . .although I have heard that Mobb Deep still stays in the projects . . .that is questionable though.
yeah, i’m gonna say that them MOP cats were on some grimey street life at the same time too. hell, most of those rappers werent’ getting rich off of rap. OGC, Heltah Skeltah…they were probably on that same “run your jewelz” crap they were talking…
Hav and P…not so much…i mean they’re midgets for goodness sake. they just made great music.
“Hav and P…not so much…i mean they’re midgets for goodness sake. they just made great music.”
LoL @ getting robbed by a midget . . . TOO funny.
don’t sleep the “little man” complex. Those are the cats that WILL try to hurt u. My sister’s BD has it something fierce. He’s like 5’2” and always mad @ the world.
yeah, but they couldnt hurt you until they finisehd their homework from the manhattan school for performing arts…lol. or whatever specialty high school they went too…
hell, they aint even meet in the projects, they met in school. prodigy ain’t even from queensbridge…he’s from lefrak city.
Point taken
“don’t sleep the “little man” complex. Those are the cats that WILL try to hurt u. My sister’s BD has it something fierce. He’s like 5?2” and always mad @ the world.”
Werd, back in high school a child (I imagine he was 11 or 12) tried to rob my beeper (yes i had a beeper), with an entire football team with me. . . we just kept walking into the train station (before the pack of goons that sent him crossed the street) . . . but that little b@st@rd had some balls . . . I wonder what he is doing today?
lololol…dayum… my point EXACTLY… just mad and will try some ish like that cuz they have a complex.
Where are the new maistream rappers that do what Mobb Deep and the others did?
There’s other rapper out there that have taken of the art of being a ballerina? Go figure!
But seriously to answer your question, Yung Berg has taken Prodigy’s place as hip-hop’s punching bag
“They so used to not having nothing real….
They don’t know how to act they don’t know how to feel…” -Lupe
pioneer… shmoineer…this is a youth driven industry..are some of yall old @zz late 20 somethings, early to mid 30 somethings feeling a little left out? Tryna hang on to your youth through hip-hop?
Why is it so relevant we know hip hop history? And what history would be relevant? Do we start at Sugar Hill Gang? Or go back to the slave narratives? Do we take it back to Africa? Maybe we could say Jesus was the first original free-styler. i mean what??
Perhaps I have a bit of amnesia but I’m not really EVER remembering when hip hop tiped its hat to ANYBODY.
Jim Jones tried to tell yall that. But yall don’t listen. This medium has a revolving door, with age requirements. run tell dat.
“are some of yall old @zz late 20 somethings, early to mid 30 somethings feeling a little left out? Tryna hang on to your youth through hip-hop?”
No and No. lol
yes and yes..Ms Tee. What is yall ole azz Gen X, Y and Z gonna do now???
jazz comes next. Then you go to a retirement home. And then you die.
everyone have a good day.
I’ve never liked jazz…lol
“yes and yes..Ms Tee. What is yall ole azz Gen X, Y and Z gonna do now???
jazz comes next. Then you go to a retirement home. And then you die.
everyone have a good day.”
LoL . . . WOW!
Before jazz, we will all learn to step and start hanging out in lounges.
Lord Jesus
This is when we pick up board games like dominoes & or try to hold onto our youth w/ league bowling or golfing you know the games that don’t hurt that old injury. smh going stepping (line dancing for you east coasters or is that just an Illadaelph thing?)
This is a little embarrassing to admit… but as a Pittsburgher i hafta throw out there that sometimes u find the right caberet and people are line dancing there… shoot… u go to the right bar in the right neighborhood and the line dancing is the jump off to get the ladies on the floor lol… so i’m saying YOUNG people in this city line dance. It’s a right of passage.
i thinks a Philly thing (and looks like a burgher thing too). One of the only things i miss about Philly.
“hand dancing” in dc is reserved for AARP members ONLY.
lol Everybody knows that Go-Go is what you go to D.C. for. lol
(line dancing for you east coasters or is that just an Illadaelph thing)
i do have to clarify, cuz i don’t want ne one thinking im lying, i mean LINE dancing, like the detroit shuffle, the cupid shuffle, and the various other ones that i don’t know the names to… not fast dancing (or stepping) but actual line dancing…
Okay that’s not what I’m talking about. I have heard that out here in the great state of Philadelphia lol. Chicago’s stepping is refered to as line dancing. Odd? I thaught so too.
yeah… i’ve never heard of that b4. We call it fast dancing (and i don’t know if the kids call it ne thing at all… i don’t think they do it) in my neck of the woods…
i think i may have to cosign on the wet fitted sheet this go round… great points.
**rethinks resignation from the Pixie Dust Crew***
Yall kill me w/ this stuff. Yall sound like the I’m the teacher’s pet cuz I get so many puffy stickers and gold stars I may as well be the Tzar there of lookin girls. Throwing your Granny’s wet crochet work around on people you don’t like. lol I’m just playing.
Perhaps I have a bit of amnesia but I’m not really EVER remembering when hip hop tiped its hat to ANYBODY.
mistress blanket, i actually agree with you. wow. does this mean i hafta go wet a paper towel in our office kitchen and sit it on my lap now?
“does this mean i hafta go wet a paper towel in our office kitchen and sit it on my lap now?”
that would work..but don’t make it look like you pee’d on your self when you get up to sharpen your pencil….lightly dampen, and nicely fold in your lap.
uhm yall don’t remember that tribute to the dead poets? hello! shout outs. Sorry Comeback girl but you will have to wear that blankey by your lonesome.
actually my bad it was the last poets
are some of yall old @zz late 20 somethings, early to mid 30 somethings feeling a little left out? Tryna hang on to your youth through hip-hop?
yes at the age, and HAYLE NAW to everything else, lol. i am a purveyor of good music, and this isht out now mostly sucks.
I agree somewhat. Hip-hop was always youth driven. But my issue is moreso the content of the music. Everything is so disposable. To be honest it has been like this for 10 yrs. IMHO it started with the No Limit/Shiny Suit era. The music from that era was the blueprint to disposable music.
Come on now..Im over here tryna do some work and multitask some research…
i went searchin for some grandmaster flash and the furious five (to refresh my memory)..them dudes aint talking bout nothin. (with a all due respect)
content is for the backpackers (de la, nem) (totally different genre of hiphop).
Naw. There was some crap hip hop back in the day, too.
revionist pixie dust history..where we pretend it was ALL good.
revisionist
“revionist pixie dust history..where we pretend it was ALL good”
yeah, its the same as the cats who think todays celtics wouldnt stand a chance against the celtics of the 60′s, when, honestly speaking, bob cousy would have had trouble making my high school aau team.
wtf???
lmao.
this is true…
‘course there was crap hip-hop back in the day…lots of them are now called one-hit wonders. but at least there was a melange of styles out there…it wasn’t just dudes with big butt chicks dancing around borrowed cars.
“course there was crap hip-hop back in the day…lots of them are now called one-hit wonders. but at least there was a melange of styles out there…it wasn’t just dudes with big butt chicks dancing around borrowed cars.”
And thats the biggest difference. When Wu-Tang was out so was Tag Team. When Native Tongue’s was hot so was Hammer. You don’t get any type of diversity. What ever sales is force fed in your ear.
First timer
I have to say that at least what was wack back in the day led to those acts being what they should be: one hit wonders. Today if your myspace game is tight and at least one person at MTV likes you you can come out with multiple wack albums and utter garbage.
pioneer… shmoineer…this is a youth driven industry..are some of yall old @zz late 20 somethings, early to mid 30 somethings feeling a little left out? Tryna hang on to your youth through hip-hop?
This gave me pause, because it’s true. The industry is youth driven…and because of that is the art behind it suffering? I mean, the art/culture that everyone is so nostalgic for in what ppl here will consider “real hip hop” (and i can’t argue the merits of soljah boy vs. pete rock or slick rick…to me that argument is apples and oranges, i just know when i talk about hip hop i am not referring to some little boy who wants to “Supersoak that h*e”, although some can argue that it is valid) is not a part of our youths memory. Two turn tables and a microphone is not a hip hop show for anyone under 25 (and this includes me, although I have a real love for the music, it isn’t. Although I will blame this on my small city upbringing). So young folks don’t reach back to that too often, and when they do its for the “novelty” of being “retro”. And it is important to know your hip hop history, but maybe only because that’s when hip hop was at it’s best, when we fell in love with it (I know, Brown Sugar). I feel like that’s why youngin’s don’t show up, not disrespect for the history, but it’s just not their element, not what hip hop is for them. Older supporters should have shown up, no excuses.
The industry is youth and consumer driven. Our youth want nekkid girls on stage and 20 hype men and…some brand of alcohol to commit to. I don’t know, it’ll be interesting to watch where it goes from here, because there is certainly no way to stop it from being a huge money maker until it really does die.
The industry is youth and consumer driven. Our youth want…some brand of alcohol to commit to.
This has always in around in hip hop. I still have my Ice Cube St Ides poster.
remember the wu st ides commercials!
lol… wasn’t it like Crooked I cooler or sumthin.. snoop had them too…
“Let’s hit the corner store, you know what I’m looking fo-oor, St. Ides.” Nate Dogg sang that.
I watched too much TV.
Like Eff said. Malt Liquor’s been around for along time we been commitin’s since Billy Dee/Diana in mahogany.
I remember VEG talking about a song that played back in the day talkin about “Ding a ling”…that was that time’s “super soak that ho#e”.
perspective people..perspective. Nothing really changes…
btw these are the same conversations our parents parents had about devil’s music: r&b, blues, bebop, and some early jazz. Some relative was telling me about how filming elvis below the waist caused alot of problems back in the day.
everything old is new.
all forms of musical expression will always seek to test, destroy and reshape boundaries.
some of yall sound like crabby old crochetedy ninkcompoops.
“pioneer… shmoineer…this is a youth driven industry..are some of yall old @zz late 20 somethings, early to mid 30 somethings feeling a little left out? Tryna hang on to your youth through hip-hop?
Why is it so relevant we know hip hop history? And what history would be relevant? Do we start at Sugar Hill Gang? Or go back to the slave narratives? Do we take it back to Africa? Maybe we could say Jesus was the first original free-styler. i mean what??
Perhaps I have a bit of amnesia but I’m not really EVER remembering when hip hop tiped its hat to ANYBODY.”
a few points here:
for one, does Jesus have a mixtape that i don’t know about? cuz if so…i’m slightly upset that datpiff.com is slackin’ on that one.
and as a late 20something, i dont feel left out…and i’m not really speaking to the younger generation…i think its just a shame that folks complain so much about good music and talk about “when rap was good” and then don’t support sh*t. at 29, i’m still young enough to have come up in the what was clearly the best cohort of music. i dont miss the opportunity to hear and see the folks who helped shape my musical tastes…especially f*ckin’ legends of the hip-hop.
and if you claim to be into hip-hop then you should know the history going back to kool herc…or at least have heard the name.
you cant claim to really like hiphop if you dont know sh*t about it. perhaps i’m biased b/c i’m a hiphop head but it matters to me for whatever reason. i give a f*ck, perhaps to my own detriment. but i do and it bothers me when folks don’t.
so perhaps thats my problem, i give a sh*t about something that many people don’t…
which makes me the crotchety old f*ck. in which case, f*ck all you youngsters with no proper respect for that real sh*t.
where’s my poundcake?
P ??? what in the world??? you just hit me with a fury of wet patch quilts.
i say ..take a moment..go sit with Champ see how he NICELY folds his wet towls in his lap, so it doesn’t look like he pis3sed his pants. ok..
and then i’ll think about the pound cake.
lol…that wasn’t actually intended to be a wet blanket barrage towards you…it was more a general statement that was spawned by your comment.
i assume you care.
just not as much as me cuz i’m way awesomer.
@ eysqueen: Just where did you get an LB bumper sticker? How did I miss that in all my in-STAN-ity? I need to put on Sista Beep-Beep.
@ CBG: Who you callin’ old? I’ll have you and your crew of wet blankets that I am the flyest, coolest Mom on my apartment complex AND in my PTA.
“@ CBG: Who you callin’ old? I’ll have you and your crew of wet blankets that I am the flyest, coolest Mom on my apartment complex AND in my PTA.”
lol…off topic..i would like to thank you for PBG coming back (though late as hel%l) on Friday..regarding this unicorn altercation. WHERE I WAS LEFT BY MYSELF. I have voted myself out of the pixie dust posse. I just need to draft my resignation letter to Alise.
*pout*
This phone typing crap is a biatch and 87% beneath me. I will be back after work, VSB cubicle dwellers and desk jockeys. ***glitter***
This phone typing crap is a biatch and 87% beneath me.
lol. *gold star*
30 peeps to see Pete Rock? That’s dang ol’ shame.
I wanted to see MOP last night, yep MOP. Just had to wild out to “Ante Up” live. Couldn’t make it though.
I try to support any hip-hop kats who roll through the ATX, since we sometimes get over looked for the bigger cities.
Last year I saw DeLa Soul and there wasn’t very many peeps up in that one either. It’s okay though, they rocked it and I had a great time.
“I wanted to see MOP last night, yep MOP. Just had to wild out to “Ante Up” live”
lol…i think id be scared to see an mop show live
lol!!! C’mon Champ scared?
I’ve been to more than a few questionably scary shows, including a few metal concerts…
i’ve seen MOP live…that show as bananas. had me ready to go rob ninjas in East New York afterwards. luckily i came to my senses and stayed away from the Pink Houses.
MOP…wow…takes me back a lil bit…
i wud love to see MOP live. Sounds like fun to me… ANTE UP!!!
I might ruffle some feathers here with what I have to say, but so, so be it.
I passionately love hiphop. It came out when I was a young thing. I’m also around Ice T’s age and liked him for years, mainly for his gritty acting, but he didn’t notice that he got old. He turned into a bitter b*tch ni99a who hasn’t a clue in how to age gracefully and move over for the next generation.
To promote his latest lame azz CD and get attention, Ice T dissed the music of this creative, original 17 year old Soulja Boy in the nastiest way possible and said this kid could eat a d… Worse for everyone, he accused him of destroying hiphop.
Noooo, green-with-envy Ice T destroyed it by creating a lie that others began thinking was the truth, and his no-talent jealous teenage son should have kept his mouth shut at the end of that hate video.
Soulja boy’s rebuttal was some funny shyt – and all true. Watch it if you haven’t, that kid was so on point.
Old timers in the business retaliated and abused their power by then picking on this kid instead of standing up for the truth, which was that Ice T was acting like an azz and what Ice T did was equivalent to black on black crime.
Ice T was being a jealous old fool. I know one when I see one b/c he’s of my generation, and some of us can’t let go and let the next generation shine. Kids went crazy when Soulja Boy’s song Crank That came out, and YouTube was filled with kids and young adults doing imitations of his dance and song. Everybody was shaking their booty, even me with my kids. It was fun. His 2nd hit was hilarious and fun too. Ice T’s old azz acts like he can recall what fun is.
David Greer in his new Chocolate News show (which is Trojan Horse for black folks, by the way, and if you want to know why, read my current post on my blog), by promoting the idea that hiphop is dead in a skit.
If a handful of old mofo’s hadn’t tried to profit from killing hiphop and defend the indefensible, it would be fine.
Well, that’s my thoughts, correct me if you think I’m wrong; I don’t mind.
“Soulja boy’s rebuttal was some funny shyt – and all true. Watch it if you haven’t, that kid was so on point.”
It was funny.
David Greer in his new Chocolate News show (which is Trojan Horse for black folks, by the way, and if you want to know why, read my current post on my blog), by promoting the idea that hiphop is dead in a skit.
will do
I agree with you on Ice-T…that dude became irrelevant when he went all “Cop-Killer” on us…had it not been for acting…he’d have been relegated to the VH-1 vault years ago.
Way to Keep it Trill! I totally agree. That was my point earlier. Hip hop is NOT only concious back pack rappers, There is a room and a place for everyone. Its not an either or situation. Just because Solja Boy is hot dosent mean that Common isnt. You really dont have to choose, as much as you have to support both. That being said the old school rappers ESPECIALLLY Ice-T are dead wrong for hating on these kids who are out here doing what they love and having fun with it. ..silly feuds like this are what is killing hip hop
i agree with you about Ice T. and Souljah Boy properly sonned him afterwards.
i dont mind the new crop of music that’s coming out. some of it is entertaining and i think there’s room at the table for anybody to get thru. i do think that talent isn’t the main tool for success anymore.
then again, that depends on your definion of talent. people are convinced that lil wayne is uber talented when he’s completely style of substance…if you actually listen to a lil wayne verse, you tend to walk away dumber at times (though once again, when he shines, he’s murder…he just dont shine often).
so i dont disagree with you…i’m just baffled that a great producer like pete rock could turn out so little interest.
i just need a hug.
that’s all…
*Church hugs P*
*hugz my boy P* it’ll be okay my friend…
The Deviant was not made aware that the legendary Pete Rock was performing in the vicinity of the legendary Deviant.
This is an outrage.
P, since you kept this information to yourself, we’ll hold you responsible for not making us aware that greatness (other than ourselves) was in our midst.
“P, since you kept this information to yourself, we’ll hold you responsible for not making us aware that greatness (other than ourselves) was in our midst.”
Deviant I’m with you, I have driven to DC for less entertaining evenings and sure nuff would have ridden out old style and made some of my girls roll with me. BOO on you PJ!
i actually mentioned that in the blog on Friday in the comments when IVR was asking what was going on in DC this weekend for Howard’s Homecoming.
you expect Deviant to wade through hundreds of comments like common lurker?!
that, sir, is an outrage!
You wanna know why nobody really showed?
1) Your spot sorta pulls the under 30 crowd. And by under 30, I mean women who are 12 and men who are 25. They don’t remember Pete. Hell, they don’t remember 9/11!
2) Black men don’t get old. They either go to jail or die. That’s why the youth doesn’t hold them, in this case Pete, in high regard. Hell, I just found out D-Nice was still alive.
3) The male true hip-hop heads might love hip hop but they also love women. They knew that all the half nekkid women were going to be at other spots. They went to those other spots.
4) People who were in town for HU’s homecoming got all their party info from Bison RoundUp. If your party wasn’t on there, they weren’t going. Plus, even if they did find out about it, there’s a fear that a hip-hop loving young crowd will attract people with nothing to lose. You know the ones. The ones that only care about keeping their cell phone bills paid. HU homecoming party people don’t like rubbing shoulders with people who have nothing to lose. You get killed that way.
5) Nobody came cus they knew I was definitely NOT going to be there.
1) Your spot sorta pulls the under 30 crowd. And by under 30, I mean women who are 12 and men who are 25. They don’t remember Pete. Hell, they don’t remember 9/11
oh damn, lol
Now this is some Premium Hate. Best thing I’ve read so far. Awe. Some.
Premium hate?? How so? They are young. As has been stated in the comments by someone, some young ppl do not know about old school artists.
interesting you’d say that we only bring in young people b/c that’s not true at all. hell, most of our parties tend to bring in the 25 and up demo…look at our major events…
hell we even have a specific event to cater to people your age Hostess called Daylight every Sunday from 5-10pm so you can get home and get to bed before hte late shows come on!!
hell we even have a specific event to cater to people your age Hostess called Daylight every Sunday from 5-10pm so you can get home and get to bed before hte late shows come on!!
burn!!
*flings computer*
My age?? Man, don’t you know I’m 27, on a bad day!!
That’s it P, I hate you!!! you are not running a close second to Elisabeth H. from The View.
Oh and Champ, I hate you by proxy!
“4) People who were in town for HU’s homecoming got all their party info from Bison RoundUp. If your party wasn’t on there, they weren’t going. Plus, even if they did find out about it, there’s a fear that a hip-hop loving young crowd will attract people with nothing to lose. You know the ones. The ones that only care about keeping their cell phone bills paid. HU homecoming party people don’t like rubbing shoulders with people who have nothing to lose. You get killed that way.”
I feel you on this one . . . I was at some club that went until 10 in the morning (Adams Morgan . . u street . . .somewhere, I was twisted). . . any party that goes until 10 in the morning is probably a bad idea . . . sure it sounds good . . . but there is nothing good that can come of this.
Ha!!! See, this is where we disagree. A party that ends in the morning is a wonderful idea. I go to one once a year. It’s the Taboo party that happens out in the boonies on the Friday of DC carnival. It starts at like 9 or 10 and goes til morning. It’s great!! The interesting thing is that even though we’re usually dead tired by 3, we never consider going home until the sun is fully up.
“Ha!!! See, this is where we disagree. A party that ends in the morning is a wonderful idea. I go to one once a year. It’s the Taboo party that happens out in the boonies on the Friday of DC carnival. It starts at like 9 or 10 and goes til morning. It’s great!! The interesting thing is that even though we’re usually dead tired by 3, we never consider going home until the sun is fully up.”
maybe with a different crowd . . . for instance we normally do j’ouvert for labor day back in Brooklyn, that is an all nighter and that is a good time . . . especially going home covered in baby powder and what I believe to be tar . . . but THESE mfers on friday were BEASTING . . . I had to leave that place at 5 because if I got poked with someone’s shiny sequenced t shirts ONE MORE TIME I was going to be involved in problems.
An all nighter can work, but I dont think ill be experimenting around these parts unless I know it will be a good crowd . . . or at least a normal one.
the best party ive ever been to was one during caribana that didnt end until like 8am
Good times are to be had at Caribana.
And Essence Fest.
sure it sounds good . . . but there is nothing good that can come of this.
ummm…IVR….I’m noticing you say this ^^^ a lot. you seem to be making a lot of bad decisions lately. lol.
“ummm…IVR….I’m noticing you say this ^^^ a lot. you seem to be making a lot of bad decisions lately. lol.”
I think I am coming to that realization also. The night was good until 3 Am, we were at a greek event and they let us bring in our own bottles . . . when that was over, we should have called it a night.
2) Black men don’t get old. They either go to jail or die. That’s why the youth doesn’t hold them, in this case Pete, in high regard. Hell, I just found out D-Nice was still alive.
This is soooo true…
I wrote it sarcastically but uh, yeah it’s true. In some neighborhoods a man over 30 is an OG.
“In some neighborhoods a man over 30 is an OG.”
So true.
this post made me sad. because i’m young – ie i was technically a teenager a year ago – i feel like i missed out on so much not growing up when people like run dmc, mc lyte and a tribe called quest weren’t just categorised as “legends” and largely ignored by my peers. even when i debate jay-z and nas, it’s hard to remember that these are just two in the line of a tradition, definers but not necessarily originators. i almost got in a fight with a couple of guys who were seriously trying to convince me that the “lollipop” remix was one of the best hip hop tracks ever made. the little bit of me that didn’t die after that comment tried to choke one of those fools, but he ran out the room too fast. i always make the distinction between club hip hop (ie ying yang twins circa salt shaker – pretty much anything played on 106 and park that i can swing my a$$ to) and actual music (ie the sh*t i buy, like the roots – imho, THE best hip hop cats of all time, not only is black thought skilled, but they come correct with one of the best live bands – common, nas, a tribe called quest, de la soul, wu tang). i don’t know a lot of real old skool, but i’m willing to listen and learn if anyone’s got a a cd or 50 they want to send my way.
actually, one of my favourite memories of living in new york so far was going to see the roots, mc lyte and big daddy kane perform at last year’s vh1 hip hop honours tour… kane doing the wop and the splits at damn near 50 pretty much made my year complete.
i don’t know a lot of real old skool, but i’m willing to listen and learn if anyone’s got a a cd or 50 they want to send my way.
just cop wu-forever. like gza said, its all the education you’ll ever need for the rest of your life
tried to choke one of those fools, but he ran out the room too fast.
Hilarious!
Love it!!!
you appreciate…therefore you cool with me.
ditto
allow me to ruffle feathers…i do not really care for Black Thought…dude is technically proficient as hell as a rapper…and largely forgettable…
very few people can give me standout Black Thought lines…he’s like Common is now…he sounds good saying what he’s saying, but it ain’t memorable and he’s just part of the sound…
“allow me to ruffle feathers”
why you gotta be polite about the shyt now, you been doin it since like noon.
somebody needs a hug.
*hiss*
I swear if I had realized that only 30 people were gonna be there to see Pete spin, I would have felt safe rolling through, 7 months pregnant. lol
I don’t feel like hip-hop is dead…but is sure is on a heck of a hiatus. Better yet, hip-hop is hibernating. I’m trying to stay optimistic since some of the best things in life are birthed after periods of dormancy. Let’s continue to hope that someone will wake it up soon and get the party starting again. She gotta donk will only keep us occupied for 3 more seconds…
Those three seconds are up.
“She gotta donk will only keep us occupied for 3 more seconds…”
speak for yourself, lol
People have to be told what to like these days. DC must not have gotten the memo that Pete Rock is the Osiris of this sh!t.
this just made me think about o.d.b.
r.i.p. and sh*t.
wu tang is for the children.
ditto on the r.i.p. and sh!t.
he did look nice in his suit when he bumrushed the stage though, despite the hair…
I will always remember ODB in the limo with his wifey and kids going to the welfare office to pick up his money.
*sigh*
DC definitely did not get the memo.
I cant really agree with you on the whole hip hop is dead bit. Its just not the same hip hop that older folk remember. I frankly believe that the Pete Rock party would have gotten a better showing if it wasn’t Howard Homecoming. Also, there is some insightful music hidden away on a lot of people’s albums. The difference between today’s singles and the singles of yesteryear is that Mobb Deep and Cube and the like would use those insightful songs as a single, where as today those insightful songs are often hidden on an album.
BTW, there was a free Slick Rick show in NYC this summer. That spot was packed.
BTW, there was a free Slick Rick show in NYC this summer. That spot was packed.
it was just slick rick and noone else?
And DJ Red Alert was there too
so basically, folks will go to free shows for legends? but are less willing to pay?
cuz everybody that mentions these shows tells me they went to them for free…
I wish I had known about this event, because after hearing all of the ignorant promo’s at yardfest on Friday I was so over going out. There was one ignorant guy with a pony tail actually reciting the following statement. “All you real n*gga’s come out to club Fur. My New York N*gga’s! My Trini N*gga’s! Big up my Trini N*gga’s! Ladies get at me if you wanna party with real N*gga’s!” In my 4 years at Howard I never knew that I went to school with a cornucopia of n*gga’s!
“a cornucopia of n*gga’s”
this was actually the original name of verysmartbrothas.com, until the lizzard convinced us to change it
lol… just silly.
man, stop! *sending Liz a thank you e-card*
LMAO!
In my 4 years at Howard I never knew that I went to school with a cornucopia of n*gga’s!
that made me crack up.
B4 I read the whole thing,
3 words – Howard Homecoming Weekend.
*Trades in back pack and shell toes for Hugo Boss suit and Enterprise Jaguar Rental*
Cats was tryna get chose.
All that “keep it real” funk was covered in Glittery Rhine Stone Ed Hardy Crap.
As for WIA, Had I known, I woulda went.
“*Trades in back pack and shell toes for Hugo Boss suit and Enterprise Jaguar Rental*
Cats was tryna get chose.
All that “keep it real” funk was covered in Glittery Rhine Stone Ed Hardy Crap.”
Aint this the damn truth . . . Everytime I go out to a non latin event I feel OLD.
yeah i do take that into account that maybe HU homecomign was what killed it…but clearly everybody didnt want to do regular events at Love, Park, or Ibiza…
folks do look for alternatives to the overpacked venues…
K…I’m sad, because I live 1000 miles away and couldn’t be in the presence of this greatness. Pete Rock is a classic, a legend, and 30 mofos in the spot is a travesty. I’m also sad because I can’t listen to most hip-hop these days…especially living in TX…where I get assaulted mostly by n*njas who started rapping two weeks ago, and swear they’re the GOAT-heir apparent. Not the way I wanted to start my Monday…but PJ, I feel your pain dude.
thank you…that’s what i’m saying…it was just a travesty.
Let’s see… a Pete Rock show during Howard Homecoming weekend… hmmmmmm… it woulda popped maybe in like ’92!!! lol.
oh hush. it’s a show for the old school lover in you…
somehow, y’all forget alumni go to these events too…i realize folks dont graduate from Howard and all (coughpuffycough) but still folks do come into town…
and forget them..DC is big on the hip-hop headism…all them ninjas weren’t in Park and they for damn sure weren’t all on tour…
Last night I was on a date with a cutie and, even though, we were listening to a reggae band we, between sets, had a convo about hip hop.
Both of us agreed that the ish out today – and anything made after 1997 – is mostly crap. Sure, every now and then a great song will be released but, 98% of the new stuff is crap.
Then our conversation turned to “kids today” and how they need their butts kicked more often so they could act right, how we could never take food out of the fridge growing up without asking permission first and are appalled when we see kids do it, etc.
My point? We are getting old. He’s 26. I’m 33 (go Cougars!). Not old. But definitely not young, either.
To echo some other posts – the stuff today is NOT geared towards us. We aren’t driving the market anymore and we need to accept it and move on.
That said, we must do what we must do to preserve our hip hop roots. The same way our parents preserved and push their soul/R&B/jazz/disco roots.
But know this: the game has to be changed so it mixes well with our new, OLDER, lifestyles.
Example: I saw Rakim on a Sunday a few years ago and that negro was so happy to have a mic in his hand that he kept going and going and going. And the crowd of thirty somethings had to go, go, go. It was 2 a.m. on a Sunday…you could hear people talking bout picking the kids up from the babysitter, praying out loud they could get some sleep before they had to get up for work, etc. Rakim opened to a PACKED house, closed to a fairly empty room.
If a legend has a show, we should come out and support. But promoters need to realize that we are getting OLD and a Sunday night show may not be what’s up. Folks got jobs and whatnot to go to on Monday morning.
oh indeed…the promoters should have realized that a SUNDAY NIGHT was not the biz, for real.
Folks were trying not to pass out. I mean, I am all for staying up crazy late but usually not on Sundays. dayum.
V.E.G. –
u kilt it… this is exactly what i was thinking but just didn’t ummmmm… put 2gether yet. I’m that Mom who plays her music (well some of it… can’t play it all in front of them) and my kids and nieces dance and stuff to it. We definitely have to preserve our culture. But we’re grown so…
My brother has done a good job educating my oldest nephews, 10 and 11, on hip hop. They love “The Message” and act like it’s on the top of the charts. lol.
Don’t push me cuz I’m close to the edge…
That’s awesome and exactly how we’re going to have to pass the torch… but not just hip hop but sooo many other things. I don’t want to go off topic and rant about a convo I just had with my neighbor who is an older black woman and is voting for McCain/Palin…
Don’t get me wrong, they also loved ‘Chicken Noodle Soup” or wuteva that song is called.
But they get variety.
They asked me to load their mp3 players and I added some of the ish they like, along with old school hip hop, reggae, afro-pop (I mean, they need to know who Fela and Femi Kuti are NOW!!!!), 70s r&B…they get exposed to it all.
Absolutely! What a kewl auntie
I love to see the kids dance. I love to learn their dances, and in turn they like to see me doing the dances of my day. Iwas feeling Souljah Boy and happy that there was an actual “dance” to learn to go with it… we loved the “dances” as little girls… until I found out from my nephew what he was actually say… the whole supersoak that h** part… but ne way… I agree with u wholeheartedly. Wu-Tang IS for the babies 
“I love to see the kids dance.’
I think this is a diaspora thing.
I polled my white friends, on the sneak, and none of them reported stories of being forced to dance for the ‘grown folk’ and turning around and, now, doing it to the youngins in their fam.
We just like to see our kids boogie.
“they need to know who Fela and Femi Kuti are NOW!!!!”
I heart you for this.
well yes, a Sunday night show is not that hotness for the working public…i agree…
saturday night on the other hand is the only free day us employed individuals have to do whatever want with…
they need to do an old fogey tour that starts at noon and ends at 6pm for folks apparently.
and Gooooooooooooo Cougars!
or Geaux Cougars for my Louisiana heads.
Made my day.
And true: Saturday shoulda brought a crowd. Not sure what’s up with folk in DC.
basically, they suck.
I gave up on mainstream hip-hop after the masses decided that Cannabis loss the battle to LL Cool J. This is also a relationship deal breaker for me. And if you believe that Nas’ “Ether” was better than Jay-z’s “Takeover”, then we can’t even be friends. There are still some good mainstream rappers out there but even some of them haven’t been coming with any good ish lately.
Like others on here, I found solace in underground hip hop. Some of my favorites are The Roots, Little Brother, Masta Ace, J-Live, Jazzy Jeff complications, Mad Skillz, Sean Price, Ghostface, Dead Prez (only when I’m feeling militant), Rhymefest, etc
ps – Biggie was a better MC than Tupac. Tupac’s only advantage was his ability to write a million songs and write about different subjects. But as far as skillz go, I say Biggie hands down
eff… you won my heart, Masta Ace was a DJ at my undergrad institution… I always felt he was extremely underrated, partly because I knew him, but for real, he has such tremendous skill.
Masta Ace was the ish…
OH man…I remember him.
Masta Ace is the ish, check out his last CD “A long hot summer”. He was just on Satellite Radio Shady 45 like 2 weeks ago with Eminem. Em was basically paying homage to Ace, saying that’s where he got his whole style from. When Em won his first Grammy he actually shouted Ace and Redman out, along with the usual rappers like Biggie and Pac.
Will do. Thanx!
“And if you believe that Nas’ “Ether” was better than Jay-z’s “Takeover”, then we can’t even be friends.”
i have this argument with folks on average of once a month. “Takeover” was a much better joint than “Ether”. for one, it was an actual factual dis using real sh*t. Ether was just saying a bunch of generic stuff…
Jay murked with like 8bars…on a better beat…
NaS was just basically on some, “you guys are gay, you suck, f*ck you, die, y’all suck some more…”
oh yeah VH1 count down was bull shyt. They didn’t have one single REDMAN song on there!!!!
see…this just makes me happy i only saw about a third of that crap cause i kept catching it at odd times.
I have nothing to add to this post except a big ass co-sign. I wasn’t in town this weekend, but what you just described disgusts me.
###On a somewhat related note and to add a little comedic break###
File under kids say the darnedest things
A while ago I was driving my adorable 6 & 7 year old nieces somewhere and they were in the back of the car talking about whatever they talk about and I had an ear on their conversation, when the older of the two says to the younger in a matter of fact tone, “Maya you don’t know anything about Hip Hop!” I almost ran off the road. I turned to look at the both of them and asked the older, “Jasmine, and what exactly do you know about Hip Hop?” Her flat out response, “more than Maya.”
and there you have it, the elders will always think they know more, that our Hip Hop was better (because it was).
i am dead.
I think one of the problems with “hip hop” is roped into one of our problems as a culture, the reluctance to change. Unlike other genre’s that happily branched off because 2520′s are cool with new words (Rock, Punk, Grunge, Alternative; Jazz, Acid Jazz, Smooth Jazz… comprende ejemplo?), we want to label anything that a black person does that rhymes “hip hop.” People fool themselves into thinking “Ugh this is horrible hip hop!”, when they really aren’t listening to hip hop at all. Club hop, pop hop, booty shakin beats, teen hop, whatever. The birds you see now are not walking like ducks, or quacking like ducks. Time for us to learn what a goose is and stop saying that ducks are extinct.
Well put.
Bravo.
great point!
Unlike other genre’s that happily branched off because 2520’s are cool with new words (Rock, Punk, Grunge, Alternative; Jazz, Acid Jazz, Smooth Jazz… comprende ejemplo?)
I don’t think that’s us tho. i think that’s more the media and the industry. I think that artists and the people who buy the music (ie US) definitely know the differences and or refer to music in different subgenres and categories. I think it’s more mass media and mass media outlets that lump black music and hip hop together… I mean u look at jazz… it’s still jazz just with different variations. We have that in hiphop…
Naw B. Most folks recognize the diff. between the sub-genre’s hip hop, even if they aren’t called diff names.
It’s something else.
Ex. – “Hi Hater” by Maino is closer to the essence of real hip hop than say “Respiration” by Black Star. (Hi Hater is a Jimmy Spicer record – it don’t get more hip hop than that). But most “old” people would rather hear the aberration (Respiration) than simulation (Hi Hater)
The older crowd wants to hear “old” music that makes them *feel* like they were in high school/college but at the same time this “old” music to sound “new”.
And that’s the key.
Music isn’t just about your conscious mind enjoying lyrics and ideas at an intellectual level, or even jokes and love being lost at an emotional level. You can find that now. Records that remind you, records that take you new places.
There’s a disconnect in terms of music, some of which may be neuro-biological.
At a very basic level, the right collection of notes filtered through our culture affects you @ the brain chemistry level.
Basically – Dope on plastic, creates dopamine in the brain.
Your brain isn’t fully formed when you’re growing up (not until your mid 20′s is what I hear) – the same time you’re cementing your conscious mental habits about enjoying and listening to music, your brain is also changing. (and music is changing, and your life is changing)
It becomes harder and harder to get that “goose bump” moment as time goes on.
It’s not just music. It’s all sorts of experiences.
Fatigue at a neuron level (IMO)
You have to stay tapped into that “younger” part of your brain – in order to keep that flow dopamine coming to you via music.
And that takes work.
That’s listening all the time.
Going out all the time.
Making it apart of your life.
But at the same time, it can’t take over.
Can’t interfere with everything else in your life (job, family)
It can’t be a chore, it can’t be work.
It has to be pleasure.
Most folks aren’t even able (much less willing) to do all of that.
And that’s why folks don’t go out as much.
The “payoff” isn’t guaranteed, and it might not be as good.
It’s like they say about junkies, they’re always chasing their 1st high.
U, like V.E.G. in previous statements….
KILT IT!!
If most folks knew,
“There’s a lot of discussion about hip-hop being dead and what not. And generally, the usual suspects – the Soulja Boy’s and Ying Yang Twins and any other largely Southern ringtone rappers – are trotted out as culprits in the murder. And a lot of times, people are right.” -P “xxx” J
…wouldn’t be the premise of this post.
I *heart* you for posting this.
My dream in life is to put a hit out on Diddy, and all of Dipset.
Would you like to be the first member of my anti-crap-rap mob?
lol…i actually like Dip Set…and a lot of Bad Boy releases…
Except for Jim Jones. we can definitely put a hit out on jim jones…or at least a c&d order.
I am surprised no one has mentioned that influx of artist that aren’t really artist. How many of us know people rapping because basketball or football didn’t work. This has also played a role in the decline of the music.
the “spoilers”… that has been an argument among Black actors as well. U know… the rapper/actor stealing their roles. Those people, the ball players, and the like have the disposable money (not neccessarily talent) to do it, that’s all. It burns me up, in my profession, to see all these singers and actors with clothing lines… it’s the same thing. And they may put out crap. But they can cuz they have the money and resources to make it happen. And the starving artists out there don’t get the shine their due bcuz it’s such an uphill climb… that all goes back to what we value. and consumers haven to put their money where their mouth is.
By the way, VH1 is owned by Viacom. They gave Flavor Flav a show, and then gave all of his top stripper-hoes shows as well.
With that being said, last year, I went to a LIVE old school hip hop show. I got to meet the Treacherous 3, and Doug E Fresh (in which I think he thought I didn’t know who he was because I was too in shock and awe to speak because he’s so awesome).
By the way, is anybody wishing for a Tribe reunion so they can go on tour with Blackstar and The Roots? That would be one helluva show.
Tribe is back together and they have been doing shows for a while now.
I saw Tribe in 06 I think…great show.
i used to work at houston’s back home and doug e fresh came in to eat one night and i was trying not to lose my mind. i was working with a bunch of 2520s that night and they were so not understanding why i was about to fall out on the floor. i’m like, that’s doug e fresh!!!!! took the man to his table my damn self.
Damn only 30 people showed up. That’s sad. next time you should just tell people you have Petey Pablo instead of Pete Rock
Petey Pablo
Then it would have only been 15…lol
lol. co-sign!
I jsut finished looking at VH1′s top 100 list and I have one question…. WHY THE FCUK THE GREATEST FCUKING RAP SONG OF ALL TIME “THE SYMPHONY” ISN’T ON THAT LIST?
Here is the list if you didn’t watch the show:
100 Biz Markie : Just A Friend
99 Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz ft/ Ying Yang Twins : Get Low
98 Warren G ft. Nate Dogg : Regulate
97 Eve : Who’s that Girl
96 DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince : Parents Just Don’t Understand
95 L’Trimm : Cars With The Boom
94 Master P ft. Sikk, Fiend, Mia-x and Mystical : Make ’Em Say Ugh
93 N.E.R.D. ft. Lee Harvey and Vida : Lapdance
92 Yo-Yo : Can’t Play with my Yo-Yo
91 Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone : Ridin’
90 Pete Rock & CL Smooth : They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y)
89 Cam’ron : Oh Boy
88 Jungle Brothers : What U Waitin’ 4
87 Wyclef Jean ft. Refugee All Stars : We Tryin’ to Stay Alive
86 Heavy D. and the Boyz : Now That We Found Love
85 Black Star : Definition
84 UTFO : Roxanne Roxanne
83 2 Live Crew : Me So Horny
82 Chubb Rock : Treat ’Em Right
81 PM Dawn : Set Adrift On Memory Bliss
80 Three 6 Mafia ft. Paula Campbell- Hard Out Here For A Pimp
79 DMX : Ruff Ryders’ Anthem (Stop Drop)
78 Arrested Development : Tennessee
77 Cold Crush Brothers : Cold Crush Bros. at the Dixie
76 Big Punisher ft. Joe- Still Not A Player
75 Lil’ Kim ft. Lil’ Cease- Crush on You
74 EPMD : You Gots To Chill
73 Black Sheep : The Choice Is Yours
72 J.J. Fad : Supersonic
71 Whodini : Freaks Come Out at Night
70 3(rd) Bass : Pop Goes the Weasel
69 Common : I Used to Love H.E.R.
68 T.I. : What You Know
67 Mase : Feel So Good
66 House Of Pain : Jump Around
65 Spoonie Gee and The Treacherous Three : Love Rap
64 The Roots : What they Do
63 Kid ’n Play : Rollin’ With Kid N Play
62 Digable Planets : Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)
61 Slick Rick : Children’s Story
60 L.L. Cool J : I Need Love
59 Ol’ Dirty Bastard : Shimmy Shimmy Ya
58 Ludacris ft. Shawna- What’s Your Fantasy
57 Big Daddy Kane : I Get the Job Done
56 Busta Rhymes : Woo-Ha ! Got You All In Check
55 Terror Squad ft/ Fat Joe and Remy : Lean Back
54 MC Lyte : Cha Cha Cha
53 Lox ft. DMX and Lil’ Kim : Money, Power, Respect
52 Foxy Brown ft. Jay-Z : I’ll Be
51 Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew : The Show
50 Lil’ Wayne : Tha Block Is Hot
49 Boogie Down Productions : My Philosophy
48 Nas : One Love
47 Young MC : Bust A Move
46 De La Soul : Me, Myself, And I
45 Geto Boys : Mind Playing Tricks On Me
44 Method Man ft/ Mary J. Blige : I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need to Get By
43 Game, The ft. 50 Cent : Hate It or Love It
42 Roxanne Shante : Roxanne’s Revenge
41 Funky 4 + 1 : That’s the Joint
40 Run-DMC : It’s Like That
39 Tone-Loc : Wild Thing
38 Coolio : Gangsta’s Paradise
37 Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock : It Takes Two
36 Nelly : Hot In Herre
35 Queen Latifah ft. Monie Love : Ladies First
34 Cypress Hill : Insane In The Brain
33 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony : Tha Crossroads
32 Puff Daddy & The Family ft/ Notorious B.I.G., Lil’ Kim and The Lox : It’s All About The Benjamins
31 Kool Moe Dee : How Ya Like Me Now
30 Tribe Called Quest : Check the Rhime
29 Digital Underground : The Humpty Dance
28 Ice Cube : It Was A Good Day
27 Beastie Boys : Hold it Now, Hit it
26 MC Hammer : U Can’t Touch This
25 Fugees : Killing Me Softly
24 Eric B and Rakim : Paid in Full
23 Outkast : B.O.B.
22 Naughty By Nature : OPP
21 Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force- Planet Rock
20 Kanye West ft/ Jamie Foxx : Gold Digger
19 Ice T : Colors
18 50 Cent : In Da Club
17 Sir Mix-A-Lot : Baby Got Back
16 Missy Elliott : Get Ur Freak On
15 Eminem : Stan
14 Tupac : I Get Around
13 Wu-Tang Clan : C.R.E.A.M.
12 L.L. Cool J : I Can’t Live Without My Radio
11 Jay-Z : Hard Knock Life
10 Kurtis Blow : The Breaks
09 Salt-N-Pepa : Push It
08 Snoop Doggy Dogg : Gin and Juice
07 Notorious B.I.G. : Juicy
06 N.W.A. : Straight Outta Compton
05 Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five : The Message
04 Run-DMC ft/ Aerosmith : Walk This Way
03 Dr. Dre : Nuthin But A ’G’ Thang
02 Sugarhill Gang : Rapper’s Delight
01 Public Enemy : Fight The Power
are you trying to make me cry? i’m already having a bad day as it is. i never saw the whole thing and i was glad for that…i just can’t.
“THE SYMPHONY” that is the ish!
**humming The Symphony**
I loved that video!!!
80 Three 6 Mafia ft. Paula Campbell- Hard Out Here For A Pimp
REALLY?!?!?
This was the only 3-6 song they could air, that wouldn’t have half of it bleeped out…lmao!!
My pick would been “Tear Tha Club Up”.
I was thinking that if they just wanted to pick a 3-6 song they could have done better than that… and I’m not even a 3-6 fan… crazy…
43 Game, The ft. 50 Cent : Hate It or Love It
REALLY?!?!?!
i didn’t watch the special and this is the first i’ve seen of this list… there’s too many “REALLY?!?!s” … yeah. list is pretty much crap.
yeah, what they got wrong way overshadows what they got right…
they need to one themselves, posthaste!
I don’t see MC Thick’s Marrero.
JK. But seriously that was my joynt in 91 (oh how I wanted to be from the Westbank after I heard that. lol.). If some of this other crap made it, he should be on the list too. LOL.
OMG OMG OMG! lmao….what about triggerman? lady red? UNLV? jubilee…
you feel me SouthernGirl!
Or DJ Jimi’s “Where They At?”…lol
Mayne!!! We used to run that into the ground.
OMG.
OMG.
Dr Jimi.!!!
The J. the I. the M. the I.
I feel like heading South on I-55…
lmao…you did not drag up Jimi! man i loved drag em n tha river…*memories* and pre-national distribution mysikal. oohh, what about PNC? pump tha pump the party! 5 plus 4 and what do you get? you get a 9th ward ni99a runnin’ in yo sh!t…ok i’m done. lol.
It’s Jimi It’s Jimi.
A do it baby, stick it baby
A do it baby, stick it baby
Do it baby, stick it
A stick it baby, do it
Shake that azz like a salt shaker
Shake, shake that azz like a salt shaker
It must be the pu$$y cause it ain’t ya face
*shaking it at my desk
“5 plus 4 and what do you get? you get a 9th ward ni99a runnin’ in yo sh!t…”
LMAO. We’d tried to make it “3+4 and what do you get?…” Didn’t quite have the same ring.
LMAO at V. Renee.
Y’all done made me go on YouTube. lol.
LMAO. We’d tried to make it “3+4 and what do you get?…” Didn’t quite have the same ring.
*patting shoulder* it’s ok V, it’s ok. lol.
i was having a really pissy day and this made me feel better…*hugs all around*
Suck that p like a pork chop!!!!! lol
Man…9th grade…whooooo.
I ain’t even from LA, but we jammed that hard here in TX.
I had the maxi-single….what?! I think I still got it…lol
“pre-national distribution mysikal”
Hell yeah!
I still got that one too. The EP, had like 8 songs on it. Not that iggah….lol
YES! me too! see miss t. you feel me. with the khaki’s and the black wife beater, i think, on the cover…man! i really have to look in my stash when i go home for xmas and bring some stuff back with me.
i did grab that black menace on my last trip home though. Drama time, fool. OMG the ghetto twinns just popped back in my head…mama’s hurting baby…they shot mama only baby and i’m bout to go crazy….cane and abel? ok i REALLY need to stop and do some work.
basically, they just took the most popular song from 100 different artists and made a list
How is “Killing me softly” on this list???? She sang the damn song and Clef chimed in a “One time…Two time…”.
“Vocab” would have been a much better choice.
this list saddens me for SO many reasons.
I take issue with at least 30% of the songs listed on here even BEING on here… and then the ones that belong on here are TOTALLY in the wrong F**KING places….
I mean seriously….WTF VH1?!?!?
And, for some of the artists, they picked the WRONG song. I think Champ’s theory is correct.
Who the hell thought it was a good idea put Sir Mix-A-Lot on this list let alone number 17!!!!
I guess this is a reflection of people who watch VH1…
Yep.
I SKIMMED this list and can say it’s crap.
I approve this post
When my eyes fell on “Make me say Ughhh” I stopped skimming. lol.
na na na na!
Mia X is still my girl…lol!!!
I blame the promoter of the event… and it that’s you sorry… a lot of promoters promote the hell out of an event that has a big name artist and try to keep it on the hush when its a niche or classic act because underground hip hop is some secret society that they only allow some people into. Reach out to those same people that are listening to soldier boy for events like this. I know about so many events that go on in nyc that I hardly ever hear about because underground people tend to not want to general public to be in on what they have going on.
If they like green dollars then they need to stop with that madness…
naw, i’m the venue, not the promoter. i do think the promoter sucked basically
Man I wrote about this to some degree on MySpace the other day.
Copied from my blog:
It’s been announced that Eminem has been named the greatest rapper alive. I thought it was a joke until I saw it for myself on the internet. My first response was, “Is KRS-One dead?” “Is Rakim dead?” Being lyrically clever does not necessitate greatness as far as I am concerned. Originally hip-hop culture was derived of the remnant of African culture that existed in the people in the 70′s and 80′s. The call and response, the drum beats, the story tellin’, the dancin’, that is all African culture! If we do not pause and take ownership of our own creations: jazz, funk, rock&roll and hiphop music then we allow culture vultures to redefine our creations for us and in turn after our music has become a caricature of what it once was then we further invalidate our ownership by seeking validation from those who have no understanding of the consciousness that created our music in the first place. What I grew up listening to in the 80′s is so violently different from what is present now. What is mistakenly being called hiphop music often times I cannot even listen to. It’s not an evolution of what once was by any means, instead it’s the deformed product of misogyny, senseless violence, and bling. It’s less about telling a story and more about making up an unrealistic existence. It’s more about creating for a demographic and less about the creation of something poetic. It’s more about naked women and less about the naked truth. Hip-hop, a once beautiful and pure creation of those descendants of Africans who felt the need to tell their stories in the most poetic of ways has sadly become comatose, a voice of truth silenced indefinitely.
End of copy.
I was irritated when I wrote this, but the post today on VSB reopened the wound. It just upsets me that we keep expecting BET, VH1 and MTV to accurately reflect who is historically great when it comes to OUR music. I have more to say on this, but I am in the middle of another homeschooling day and getting ready for a prenatal appointment.
i agree with you to a point. KRS WAS great and got crappy, same with Rakim…Rakim was ahead of his time and then time caught up.
is Eminem the greatest rapper alive? Eh, its arguable…Jay is the easy go to answer b/c he has more or less the total package…but on a skill level, there ain’t too many people who can actually see Eminem…
which gets back to Ether…funny how NaS mentioned that Eminem murdered Jay on “Renegade” but when Em gave NaS a track, he didnt even have Em rap on it. smart move b/c at least nobody can SAY Nas got murked by Em…
but yeah, putting Em at the top of that list (and in their defense it was voter generated, blame voters) was kind of a bad idea on their part, but at least you can make that argument.
I think vibe said Em was the greatest just so they could create some controversy to help them sell a few more copies of their crappy magazine.
I have to keep telling myself that Vh1′s list doesn’t mean shyt. Vibe’s list doesn’t mean shyt. But since they have a big voice to express their opinions, it’s kind of hard for me to ignore it
and in their defense it was voter generated, blame voters
true. i read a blog on this somewhere (i’m trying to find it) because i was wondering the same thing and how he got to be on top even though i like eminem. but the point the guy was making was that the voting system was f&cked up. He gave some examples that i can’t remember now but the tiered system and the way they squared people off pretty much made sure that some people were not going to make it-people who had no idea going up against each other were in the same category. so you would have some popular kid like soulja boy going up against ice cube.
here it is. my example was off but he lists some.
http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/hiphopmediatraining/31863;_ylt=AlrPhZSseyJlL0aZsQS.U7zRwSUv
It is hard to say who is the best because rappers sound different at different times in their careers, personally I think some early 90s Redman would crush Em and probably crush post-retirement Jay.
hmmmm… interesting thought. i can dig in my own crates 4 this.
vsb.com: where re-opening deep wounds happens
i agree. And I’ll also agree with P.J. that u can’t deny Eminem’s skill… but to classify him as the greatest rapper alive is near blasphemous…
imma hafta dig in the crates to find some rappers to refute this ish–
Em is good, but Jay is definitely better.
Yall some “when did you fall in love with hip hop” faces!
hate hate hate hate hate. That is all for me.
I hear you Luvvie. I guess purists and elitests get their space to rant too. Everybody should get their turn @ the mike and get to feel the roar of the crouds applause. So long as they applaud the crowd for making such an incredible venue.
& what ever happed to that cat canibus? Wasn’t he supposed to become the truth around the time Em came out? Then poor production threw him under the buss.
When hating goes wrong.
“& what ever happed to that cat canibus?”
I believe he enlisted into the Army and is probably in Iraq right now.
That’s the funny thing because Canibus was a lot like Eminem. What a difference Dr. Dre makes…
That and being a 2025, not that there’s anything wrong with that
lol he is in the fasion of elvis justin timberlake and flash’s 5 horsemen hahhaa
Is it me or are artists best works their earliest works. Because they really have their ear to the streets and what drove them to make music in the first place.
I have to disagree solely on that fact that I’m bored at work and have nothing better to do.
I’m sorry but Sir-Mix Alot’s “Baby got back” is 100 times better than “My posse’s on Broadway”
So you would rather ride out to my baby got back than my posse’s on broadway. I too am bored @ work and know good n well that there may be exceptions to this ‘rule’. & right about now I believe my keyboard can take you. BTW 2 words my hoompty
That’s like saying your farts don’t smell as bad as they used to… Both of those damn songs stink.
I was always a fan of turtablists DJs and human beat boxers. Anybody heard of these devices to help you turn all your music digital? http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/digital-conversion/90a0/ they also have the cassette vhs drum machine pocket synth shoot who needs a studio? What ever happed to albums like Handsome Boy Modeling School smh.
That sucks that no one wanted to see Pete Rock rock! I love “When We Reminisce”.
Also, “Holla at a player when you see me in the street, trick! Yeeahhh!!”
That would STILL be my ish!