5. Rap’s Not A Baby Anymore…
The general consensus is that Hip Hop is about 40 years old. Give or take. In 40 years, a lot can be accomplished. In the music business, 40 years is long enough to see the same trend die off & be reborn at least 3 times. That said, it’ll be hard to navigate new ground like Three Feet High & Rising or Only Built 4 Cuban Linx did, because those albums set precedents. Now, unfortunately, it’s about dead presidents. Still, good luck, though.
4. There’s Nothing New Under The Sun…
Socially speaking, there’s nothing left to be said, if you will. People have been communicating for as long as they could, umm, communicate. Stories have been told, retold, reiterated, & regurgitated. In other words, it’s going to take a lot more than the normal, or average content & delivery to captivate listeners to the heights of legitimately praising a body of work. I haven’t heard an album “praised” since Relapse, even if I don’t agree that it was “classic.” No shots, just observations.
3. Originality Isn’t Popular Anymore…
There was a time when you had to be different. It was mandatory. Nowadays, though, that’s not the case. As a matter of fact, if you take a real good look at the current crop of MC’s the Hip Hop gods have offered up, they’re all eerily similar to one obviously influential rapper who’s name is Kanye West, but I won’t say. There’s a very thin line between inspiration & copyright infringement, though the principles of rap music may not illustrate that. Everyone follows the same styles, recycling the same trends, & at the same time they subsequently lose the individuality that helped them to get there in the first place. For the record, I’ve never seen a classic copy of anything.
2. Cash Rules Everything Around Us…
Rap music was art & intelligence before it was hustle & flow. Now, it’s primarily about how many people listen to/purchase your shit, whereas before, it was about how many people respected your craft. Listening to rap used to be kind of like appraising art. Now it’s tantamount to putting a value on a piece of furniture or bag of cocaine, if you smell my cologne. Today’s rap star has a ton of things to prove, but the last thing on his mind is building rap music’s next classic opus. Word on the skreetz is that hoes, clothes, money, & popularity are far more valuable to have than talent &/or tradition. Perhaps that was one of the reasons it was so easy for me to walk away from “rap,” but I’ll save that for another day.
1. Hollywoodization…
Even though record labels don’t call the shots like they once did, rap fans still like their music like they like their cars & bbwomen…big. Commercial-y, overground sound is what rap music is all about, be it right or wrong. It’s much easier to contrive an album dedicated to ‘tang & violence than it is to produce one about love &/or compassion. However, the “love” songs are the songs that become classic & timeless. The songs that become soundtracks to specific life events are rarely songs about “the bitches.” That vein was once tapped by numerous rappers, but now it seems to be a race to see who can do the stupidest shit before they get gunned down during their own concert. The larger-than-life attitude of Hollywood has transcended the gates of rap music, & everybody wants to be a star first. Paying dues is old school, it appears. Sadly, though, everybody can not be Drake.
http://thetonygrands.com/2011/04/18/5-reasons-why-well-never-see-another-classic-rap-album/
The general consensus is that Hip Hop is about 40 years old. Give or take. In 40 years, a lot can be accomplished. In the music business, 40 years is long enough to see the same trend die off & be reborn at least 3 times. That said, it’ll be hard to navigate new ground like Three Feet High & Rising or Only Built 4 Cuban Linx did, because those albums set precedents. Now, unfortunately, it’s about dead presidents. Still, good luck, though.
4. There’s Nothing New Under The Sun…
Socially speaking, there’s nothing left to be said, if you will. People have been communicating for as long as they could, umm, communicate. Stories have been told, retold, reiterated, & regurgitated. In other words, it’s going to take a lot more than the normal, or average content & delivery to captivate listeners to the heights of legitimately praising a body of work. I haven’t heard an album “praised” since Relapse, even if I don’t agree that it was “classic.” No shots, just observations.
3. Originality Isn’t Popular Anymore…
There was a time when you had to be different. It was mandatory. Nowadays, though, that’s not the case. As a matter of fact, if you take a real good look at the current crop of MC’s the Hip Hop gods have offered up, they’re all eerily similar to one obviously influential rapper who’s name is Kanye West, but I won’t say. There’s a very thin line between inspiration & copyright infringement, though the principles of rap music may not illustrate that. Everyone follows the same styles, recycling the same trends, & at the same time they subsequently lose the individuality that helped them to get there in the first place. For the record, I’ve never seen a classic copy of anything.
2. Cash Rules Everything Around Us…
Rap music was art & intelligence before it was hustle & flow. Now, it’s primarily about how many people listen to/purchase your shit, whereas before, it was about how many people respected your craft. Listening to rap used to be kind of like appraising art. Now it’s tantamount to putting a value on a piece of furniture or bag of cocaine, if you smell my cologne. Today’s rap star has a ton of things to prove, but the last thing on his mind is building rap music’s next classic opus. Word on the skreetz is that hoes, clothes, money, & popularity are far more valuable to have than talent &/or tradition. Perhaps that was one of the reasons it was so easy for me to walk away from “rap,” but I’ll save that for another day.
1. Hollywoodization…
Even though record labels don’t call the shots like they once did, rap fans still like their music like they like their cars & bbwomen…big. Commercial-y, overground sound is what rap music is all about, be it right or wrong. It’s much easier to contrive an album dedicated to ‘tang & violence than it is to produce one about love &/or compassion. However, the “love” songs are the songs that become classic & timeless. The songs that become soundtracks to specific life events are rarely songs about “the bitches.” That vein was once tapped by numerous rappers, but now it seems to be a race to see who can do the stupidest shit before they get gunned down during their own concert. The larger-than-life attitude of Hollywood has transcended the gates of rap music, & everybody wants to be a star first. Paying dues is old school, it appears. Sadly, though, everybody can not be Drake.
http://thetonygrands.com/2011/04/18/5-reasons-why-well-never-see-another-classic-rap-album/
