November's Hip-Hop History Month

[mfuqua23]

If that'z the case, I can vouche 4 U on that.

Ok, I have the G-Unit album. I downloaded 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die. I have some Jay-Z. I have Cash Money's Baller Blockin. I have some Ludacris. I habe some Ja Rule. Some of that stuff has it'z major appeal to people. I'm not even gonna front. When 50 first came out. (i heard him on this mixtape) Then saw the video for "Wanksta". 50 wasn't my fav. rapper, but he was cool. Jay-Z started wit his street/hustle kind of talk. Reasonable Doubt was his big one,then after that. Downhill (to some). But Jay-Z ruled much of 2000-2001. Ja had his before he made it. Then everybody looked at him as fake thug this and that. to be honest, to think of how some artists are, both good & bad, is hard to do because I haven't listen to those in awhile. I hardly do tho. But I guess if the beats sound good, your in. Lyrics can take 5 quick minutes and there U have it.

Even in the 50s-70s. All those songs back then could've been performed by anyone. But I think those who had been selected for them, couldn't have done it better.

If a change is really going to be made in hip hop. Or adjustment if U want to call it that. It's gonna have to be someone young, like in there teens maybe. And there lyrics will be reality honest to who they are. Like "this is all I have, and here's me expressing what I can give." Sure, we had Bow Wow and Romeo and such, but their locked in that certain kind of formula. Wit them, it's a beat and cuteness. Then your in. Kris Kross was real hip hop weren't they? Even at that young age.

I understand entirely where bigted is comin from. I hate it we people are so into a real bad image of hip hop. But what really gets me is how they act because of it.

And lambertj3, I understand where he's comin from. One night, I caught 50 Cent and G-Unit on the Howard Stern Show. And I tried to understand why they rap the way they do. Somewhat I could, but really I couldn't. That's just the way it is for them. They got girls that don't mind being called b****es. U could say they rap "gangsta gimmick". But it's their "hood talk". Their not too diverse in there music. It all follows around the same kind of emotion.

It's almost like that famous question "Which came 1st, the chicken or the egg?" Well "which came 1st, the bad rap or kids act?"

[JumpinJack AJ]

u are delusional if you think thats the only thing they rap about uneed to ACTUALLY LISTEN TO THE ALBUM and not just singles

If u make alot of music that has no substance, when u do attempt 2 make a track with meaning...it just comes off as phoney. U can't take anyone 2 serious if all they talk about is drugs, money, and guns.

When i'm expressing my opinion, i usually say when i haven't heard alot of an artists music. But i try 2 give everything a chance. I'll listen 2 my friends' music and stuff on the radio or internet. Of course, u hear so much that sucks, u don't have the desire 2 give them anymore of a change. I know singles don't always display an artists ability properly. So when i say somebody like 50 is wack, its' cuz i've listened some of his stuff....not cuz i heard a song or 2 and made up my mind.

[bigted]

u are delusional if you think thats the only thing they rap about uneed to ACTUALLY LISTEN TO THE ALBUM and not just singles

Hey man I feel u on that but don't u think that there's too much flashy videos out there right now? :dunno: Why can't there be more singles like "I Can", "I Try", or "Jesus Walks" where the song has a strong meaning to it and makes you think, that's why I don't watch MTV and BET as much as I used to 'cause having a video disrespecting women and promoting greediness all the time doesn't appeal that much to me and is not a good message to the youth, who only listen to radio and can't afford to buy all those albums! I don't think you're keepin' it real if you're teaching kids that it's cool to get high, shoot people, flash ice, and go to jail 'cause you'll get street cred. :what: Having street cred will have you dead before you turn 18, but I guess that's just keepin' it real right? :nhawong: How're black people gonna get ahead with an attitude like that, that's why white people put us down 'cause we make ourselves look and sound ignorant! :sad6: When we had NWA, KRS-ONE, and Public Enemy on top in the game, they came with a message that it ain't fun to be in gangs and gave us inspiration with songs like "Fight The Power", "Stop The Violence", and "F*** The Police" to fight back when racism comes to you but I don't see that message anymore! :bang:

[Guest lambertj3]

i feel u on that

[bigted]

Hey I've been reading some of these "Terrordome" articles that Chuck D has written on publicenemy.com and this one point he made in January 2000 intrigues me:

"MUSIC… The music biz is prehistoric in their handling of art. Lawyers and accountants are holding on to the old way because it pays their craft forever well. The 12-track album format is over. Seriously, when was the last time you named more than 3-4 cuts off any album? Hype has ruled in convincing the public that these albums are just that. Truly we are, and have been, in a singles market, only based on the popularity, or politics, pushing the play of the single/video. Twelve cuts? A waste of yours, and our time, only contractually warranted so retail can sell you a $1.00 CD for $11.99. It's not the artist's fault; it's just that there's more product out there. Don't make the mistake of comparing DR. DRE'S CHRONIC and 2001 albums. It's impossible because of two different ways and eras of listening. When was the last time you played a cut all the way through, not pressing the next track seek button? Technology has allowed this way of quickly moving through an album without even hearing the hook/chorus, thus people have collections of CDs in their crib that they've hardly heard but had to have, based on marketing."

That's the problem in hip-hop now and music in general, these albums are too long and we skip over more than half of the albums but yet we keep on wasting our money on them, why do we do that? :dunno: The real good albums that you could play all the way through for an hour ain't the popular ones that's for sure! :ditto: Britney Spears sold about 50 million CD's in her career and all she does is lip-sync!! :nhawong: When you make a song you shouldn't make it to be an album filler that ain't gonna be a single, you should make all songs like singles where people could relate to you like FP, PE, LL, KRS, Nas, and a handful of others do, in fact the album cuts should be stronger than the singles but most of the time the singles are the only songs worth listening to on an album. Artists should take their time and not release albums so fast 'cause they need to make sure their product is quality that's why I ain't worrying how long it's gonna take for FP to release "Switch" and the album 'cause he's making sure that it's done right and that's what a true artist does, you don't have to write songs everyday either, I notice that when I take longer to write a song it comes out better, keep that in mind!