As long as I have had my own taste in music, I have been in favor of hip-hop. That's not to say that I favor it over any other musical genre; I truly do like them all.
But lately the genre has been slipping.
For as long as I have been listening to hip-hop, there has always been an overwhelming presence of brand recognition in the lyrics - everything from clothes to cars, jewels and drinks. Now it seems like all these songs are just 16-barred commercials for over-priced products.
I have learned that there is good and bad in everything. But in the past couple years it has been hard to find the good in hip-hop. I will give credit where credit is due: Lil' Wayne has been putting out some of the best one-liners in recent years and every once in a while a hip-hop veteran will grace us with something to replenish our hope. Despite this, I still find myself wanting something with a little more substance.
I am not asking for a revolution: I understand that dance clubs need music and radio stations need songs to play. But do they all have to be about selling drugs, buying expensive clothes, riding in luxury SUVs and hitting on promiscuous females? Is it ever going to be popular to enjoy something in life that does not leave you with empty pockets and a strange new rash?
Recently, I began a quest to find more substance in hip-hop. I have never been short on music to listen to, so I started right at my own collection: MF DOOM, Atmosphere, J Dilla, Asher Roth and even a little Jedi Mind Tricks.
What I was able to figure out, after comparing those artists to those on the radio today, is that hip-hop is in a bad place. Just like the transition going on in the literary world from print to digital, hip-hop, too, is going through a transitional phase as well.
Like every good art form, sometimes the true artists are ahead of their time and the rest of the world needs time to catch up. Take, for example, many of the famous artists who never sold a single painting while they were alive, but years later their works are sold for millions. This shouldn't happen; let's, for once, give away the flowers while they can still smell them.
I am not here to try and predict who is going to be hot in 2009 or even 2010 - I have no clue. But I am here saying that underground and independent hip-hop needs to step up and be heard.
It is clear that now, more then ever, music needs to inspire and bring hope back to people. Let's face it: the country is in rough shape right now and music is there to help ease the pain. So who wants to hear a song about stuff they can't afford and a lifestyle they will most likely never get to live?
I am just as guilty as everyone else of enjoying my fair share of the songs that I feel are ruining music. I will admit that when something comes on that I like, I am the first one on the dance floor.
And I am not asking for people to stop making club songs. All I am asking is that artists put a little more thought behind their product. I can't think of one person who doesn't smile or dance a bit when "Summertime" comes on by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. When is that style going to be popular again?
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
