Hip-Hop Has Died!!

One may listen to the radio today and say that hip hop culture, and the industry has now reached an all time high of exposure, acceptance, and wide spread recognition. The fact of the matter is there is a large deficiency in the value of the music and the culture as a whole. If you would look back in time and notice the  changes that have been made from its conception to now are not only demeaning but ludicrous to think that any life is still pumping through infected veins
     One may also say that I am a hypocrite on this particular subject, because I claim to be a ’hip-hop head’, or a long time lover of the music and the culture. What I have noticed over the past years is that not only has the quality gone down significantly over the years but it seems as if the standard has been lowered. For example, if you look back just 20 years ago it was Fall 1989 and hip hop music was still in its early stages but all of a sudden made a HUGE impact with the release of N.W.A’s album ‘Straight Outta Compton‘.   I personally was a fan of NWA but on the off hand I didn’t know any better, heck I was only about to be 3 years old! But the fact is that many of the parents could not stand any of it, and the group received a large amount of flack for many of their controversial lyrics. It was a very pivitol time for hip hop and luckily there were other artists on the scene that would show more lyrical skill in a sense by talking about other things not so controversial.  Now am I blaming NWA for the downfall of hip-hop, of course not. Just pointing out the obvious shifts.
    Prior to NWA dropping, you had artists that ranged from The Sugar Hill Gang, Run DMC, and The Beastie Boys all the way up to EPMD, Eric B and Rakim, and Boogie Down Productions. Now I know there are many people who agree that there are some certain subjects that were talked about in the beginning that are still used today but for the most part it has made a complete shift. The frequency of drugs, alcohol, and sex was not as the end of the ‘80s and the transition into the ‘90s. So my question essentially is what changed in that time? When something dies of natural causes, I believe that it is indeed time for that thing to die and it is relatively peaceful for that thing. But I believe that our beloved has been going through a slow and eventual death over a long period of time and we have been apart of it. I refuse to believe that it is of natural causes, but I believe that someone somewhere had a hand in it. And in situations like these, it is very difficult to point  finger when we have had a hand in it ourselves. So what do you ask have we done? When you are not part of the solution, you are indeed a part of the problem. Now we all understand the laws of nature in that in order for something to live, something else has to die. So many great and phenomenal artists were birthed through the death of our beloved, which is an argument for most that it is not actually dead or dying. My question is now if any of these diabolical subjects were infiltrated into your minds, your children’s minds, or anyone else’s for that matter and it caused them to act differently throughout their lives, wouldn’t you desire the most positive information going into your minds? I am not telling anyone what to buy, or listen to but I am saying be aware of what you are allowing when you lower your own personal standard when you listen to such things.
    Although, there are many artists that have throughout the years have attempted to make a breakthrough in the industry and make a positive impact but you can only do so much if you are not fully living up to the standard you are trying to get the people to uphold. You can’t profess one thing and live another, the people will have a skewed belief system and be basing their whole lives over a lie. Now what you will start seeing really soon is artists not afraid of not selling records by attacking the mindsets of the people listening and putting out a positive message that one would be foolish not to draw near to. There will be a clear distinction between what is truly revolutionary, and that which is of no use because if it is not adding anything to you then it is subtracting and that thing is of no use to you. Be on the lookout for my next article “The Revival of Hip Hop”, where I will show you what to look for in this new era of the industry.