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| Time to spit out bubblegum hip hop...
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Image is how people define themselves. Image is strongly based on music. You can’t deny the impact and influence music has on your life. Music can shift or define an entire generation. I focus on the Hip Hop, Rap, R&B, Reggaeton, Reggae, urban genre of music more than any other genre for two main reasons. One, it’s my heart and a passion for me. It’s what I know and love. Music makes me feel life; I am amazed and inspired by true creative expression. Two, it’s the genre that has influenced society and come under fire the most. Everyone from little kids to adults tries to replicate in some way what they see in music videos, or tries to keep up with the lifestyle the genre has obviously influenced. My discontent with where the music is right now stems from the fact that instead of the music reflecting life, life has begun to reflect the music, but the mirror is beyond cracked. What the media and music videos portray is not an accurate reflection of a culture. What they don’t want the public to understand is that for any artist in any genre their persona and personality are two distinctly different things. Many artists play up a given stereotype to sell more albums. Unfortunately the public accepts this as reality more than entertainment. This results in people who don’t know anything else of that lifestyle assuming from media images that they do understand. They create their personal opinions based on what they see and treat people accordingly, or replicate the behavior thinking it’s “cool”. There needs to be an understanding that the culture, lifestyle or race that the artist is embodying is not always an accurate representation. When this issue is raised, immediately people want to say “well stop talking about guns, sex, hustling, and violence and it wouldn’t crossover into mainstream.” You can’t just say stop talking about those things to an artist. For some of them, along with many other individuals of any background or race in society who connect with the music, that is the reality. So when artist express themselves the soundtrack of their days includes these things. Music is supposed to tell a story. Murders, robberies, drive-bys, the drug game, prostitution, and surviving is an all day, every day life for many people…not just a song you can turn off. They deserve their creative outlet and just because the reality is too harsh for some is not a reason to censor it. Now on the flip side of that, the majority of entertainers present now seem to only speak on those things and it’s in a glorified manner. Glorification is the root of it of all the misunderstanding and misconceptions. They create an aura of excitement and power when recreating these experiences in songs. These entertainers never show the other real side, which is the reality of anything that comes from these actions. There are kids thinking it’s normal to kill someone, almost like a rite of passage or a way to solve a problem and gain respect. They don’t understand the finality of taking a life. Young men are disrespecting women and not understanding the value and importance of a good woman because of what they hear in songs. It may be subliminal and not meant to influence but it sticks in the mind of listeners. Are we to believe that these rappers are only simplistic hustlers; one dimensional character’s who know nothing more than the streets? That every single urban man aspirers to came up from a slum to be king of the drug game and eventually become an entertainer who sells a weak album, sells their name to a branding company and retires like they achieved some sort of earned success? Never, I wouldn’t insult them and believe that, and they shouldn’t insult themselves to portray drugs, hoes, sex and extravagant possessions is all their being is based on. These entertainers have allowed everyone else to think ghetto, urban or hood is synonymous with ignorance, violence, and flashy behavior. It’s unfortunate that now if an artist steps out of that character, consumers wouldn’t accept it as authentic. It’s beyond hypocritical and stifling, only further creating obstacles for people trying to truly progress. But it sells because we as a society again just eat it up because it’s was out there. If we didn’t buy it, they wouldn’t make it. The majority of these entertainers don’t do it for the love of music, it’s a business. That’s never going to change. You know that they would change their lyrics, image and tune in a heartbeat if they weren’t profiting from it. They claim their music is real and that they are so in tune with the streets and that they are representing the street mentality. But think about, how hardcore could these songs be? All the people who claim to be the most authentic and that are topping the charts have an R&B artist singing the hooks or half the song, or they are now singing themselves, and sampling slow jams from the 80’s and early 90’s to rap over. They are marketable, not authentic. I’m not insulting the music, I’m just calling it how I see it. Now a days true hip hop heads listen to mix tapes or are artist themselves who can’t come up in the game because their material is too real for the executives. The over paid out of touch executives who are dumb enough to think the consumers buy the records because of the language and image. No, the consumer is buying the feeling not the concept. Relating the concept to the image is was starts the “social trends” but the selling point is that consumers react to the feeling a song has or how the artist sounds over the beat. If the beat feels dangerous then anyone listens to it feels dangerous for the length of the song. If the song feels seductive and sexual then they feel sexy. That’s all it’s about in the industry. Music is supposed to breed emotion. This is why people say NY fell off. The NY style is very hard, the beats are very repetitive and harsh. Lyrically they are probably the most real but consumers listen to down south produced beats because in simple terms, and I agree, are more enjoyable to listen to, dance to and ride in the car to. An artist can be killing a song lyrically over a harsh beat but the mood it portrays is not what people want to listen to everyday. This is what makes consumers shun anything that isn’t “club music”. Not to say NY rappers should just change their style or that down south rappers should change their style but maybe its time to mold together and create something amazing. If your focus is to run the industry game where true hip hop head won’t be embarrassed by it and where artist can truly stand by what their expressing it would defiantly sell. It’s time to evolve and take it to another level. Sixteen out of eighteen tracks on an album don’t need to be about how much money you made off selling drugs or how fly you are now. There’s about two hundred different ways to describe different types of drugs or how much swagger you have. We now even unfortunately have the term “crispy” (whoever is voting that video on the shows should be ashamed of themselves.) That can’t possibly be your whole story. Your life is unique, express it. Tell your story, don’t create a character. I know plenty of gifted, genuine lyricists waiting to come up who may have never sold a bag of green or shot a gun in their life, or maybe want to put a spin on their struggle to empower others. Are we supposed to assume that they aren’t marketable enough or “street” enough to fit the image so that young girls can shake their ass in the club to the song or Bob can feel like a gangsta in his car for 4 minuets? You may ask why that demographic is catered to? Here, step back for a second and look at the cycle. Since urban music is the most creative and influential it’s what most kids/teens/adults listen to now to be “trendy”. They create the demand but will accept anything displayed for them as long as its glamorized in this media package and then they take it for authentic because they don’t know any better. On top of that it’s just so saturated in the media that it’s just become easy to accept. Then you have the majority of the entertainers, who in my eyes are nothing more than industry puppets who play it up and only worsen it to the point where if it isn’t what has already been accepted by consumers then it’s not appealing. It’s honestly really one big joke. The entertainers don’t care about society or the repercussions; they will do whatever it takes to put as much money in the bank. What about the men who come from nothing and manage to make something genuine out of their creative talents …where’s their glory? Oh wait, that’s right, consumers, industry big wigs and other up and coming puppets, label them the sellout or push their music aside because it’s too real and the substance isn’t something glamorous or blinged out. The majority of people who listen to mainstream hip hop never a day in their lives will understand the situations or language that is actually trying to be portrayed in the songs. If it’s not something to dance to they don’t want to have to digest it. They would rather listen to bubblegum hip-hop that doesn’t require thought and is just easy to party to. Ay Bay Bay and Laffy Taffy is their idea of good music…fun party beats of course, but good quality music…not one bit. They aren’t saying anything at all. But since the consumers think this is authentic they continue to accept it and want it. Since the consumers are mostly youth who have the time to vote these songs on to the countdowns and buy the records they create the demand and that’s where the money is. The real sell out is the entertainers who claim authenticity when they are the furthest thing from it. How dare they demean their whole gender, race, community or personal path to be nothing more a industry puppet. Catering to a demographic that uses them as a toy, mocking their lifestyle and existence for entertainment that they are comfortable accepting. It’s beyond insulting and they should feel ashamed. These entertainers do nothing but perpetuate exaggerated stereotypes and make them more mainstream. Laughing all the way to bank maybe, but what you put out is what you get back. Influence is something people give to this world, and the effect will come. Guilt should be felt when people who are genuinely just trying to make it in this world are treated horrible in their everyday lives because of what these entertainers have allowed others that they interact with on a daily basis to assume about them based on their race, culture, lifestyle, interest or background. The one dimensional aspect of it is what’s stifling the youth’s vision of what they should aspire to as well. Men equate “making it” with living the life of a celebrity and women equate “making it” with being on that mans arm. It’s time to move on and step up. Not everything has to be serious or emotionally reflective because that isn’t all life is about. Life is a balance of struggle, relationships, partying, and making it, among hundreds of other things. It’s great to two step, and lean with it, but is that all you ever want to hear? What the media is 100% projecting is only a ten percent reflection of what society is about. We are a post 9/11, DC sniper, Iraq war, Katrina, VA tech massacre nation just to name a few things. I support music being the enjoyable escape or way of connecting and expressing but its all in the approach. If these celebrities are so talented and glorified, make them earn their luxuries and lifestyle, creatively challenge them to truly create good music. We are making it way too easy for anyone to make billions off crap music. Once everyone starts to see the whole story of these artists, things will become more understood and genuine. From there people can begin to base their own personal character and ambitions on what’s inside of them or inspires them from the music. Not just copy cat behavior that duplicates things they see or hear that aren’t even worth the flattery. The message from music needs to be more diverse and inspiring. Mainstream media needs to give equal attention to all kinds of urban music. It’s up to true music lovers who miss the quality and impact of good music to create the demand. Club songs and club mentality do not need to represent a whole genre of music. All this candy music is decaying society.
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Posted by missjones523 on 2007-07-20 11:39:33 | Rating: | Views: 143
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hi missjones!
that's some blog you've got there - you know a paragraph break here and there would help with the reading. :o)
i have some of the same concerns myself. in particular the effect of the spears/lohan/hilton's etc. of the world on the behaviour, outlook, responsibility of young girls. i think it's very negative and sad, too. but remember that many of these 'artists' that you direct your rant at are not even artists at all. they are corporate product. they are recruited, groomed, trained, given the songs and the look and spit out to fill a niche of young men and women who have $$$ to spend on expensive clothes and cellphones.
did i get off track here? no, i think that's what i meant to say.
cheers.
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Posted by badlydrawnstickman
on 2007-07-20 13:11:18
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sticksman, i agree with your comments so often its crazy... there are fewer artists and many more corportae products these days. we need more artists like the red hot chili peppers or bob marley, who was not only an artist, but a prophet as well.
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Posted by jason
on 2007-07-20 23:23:53
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Ok, I couldnt agree with you more, I am a hip hop fan to my core and it breaks my heart to see where hip hop has gone. Im from detroit and here we eat, sleep and breath hip hop...unfortunately the industry is so watered down that true lyricists cant get on. Its really sad because music is supposed to tell a story about life, about struggles and how those struggles were overcome...and instead of hearing some real life shit, I'm forced to "super man that hoe"....seriously..."super man that hoe" thats music now???? Thats what we choose to hear??? What ever happened to Rakim, KRS 1, The Firm, Tupac, Biggie, Big Pun, sadly enough damn near everyone I just named is from New York, because to me that is true hip hop. I tend to like New York rap, or East Coast rap more than anything else. I also listen to Detroit rappers, Im a huge underground fan...but I always rep Detroit, we still havent broke out, partly because the gerbage thats on the radio now, there is no market for REAL hip hop...and that is what Detroit rappers are...believe me when I say we will not "lean and rock wit it" for a few dollas!!! So just to put all my Detroit artists out there...Tone Tone, Big Herk, Trick Trick, K Deezy, BLADE ICEWOOD!!!!! (ruler of the great lakes), Jay Hitz, Monzy, Lock, Royce Da 5'9, Juan, Stretch Money, Jesse James, all the Eastside Chedda Boyz, all of StreetLordz, Rock Bottom, Made West, Obie Trice, D 12, Ruhgali, Kutta, Nina Salas, Young Dream, Jay Hussle, Bossoini, Rare Emcee, Sixer Fam, A.G.E and Northern Exposure Records, Scorpion Entertainment, Slimmie Hauffa...and of course our poster child Eminem...I just had to rep for my city...I also love battle rappers...some of the hottest are outta Philly...Reed Dollaz always at the top of the list!!! Oschino, Cyssero, Gillie Da Kid, Freeway, Nina Ross, Joey Jihad, Spittage...just to name a few...seriously we need to appreciate good music...I love it and will never stop banging true hip hop!!!
Hit Me Back if u feel it necessary, I just had to comment, it wouldnt be right if I didnt!
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Posted by fromtearscomehope
on 2008-07-08 01:48:16
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