2008 Woodie Awards
Present day hip-hop doesn't hold up to old-school rap
Scott Figuerola
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Opinion
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I remember the first time I listened to the Beastie Boys' album "Paul's Boutique" and A Tribe Called Quest's "The Low End Theory." To me this was when hip-hop was in its prime.
To me the late '80s and early '90s was the peak and decline of hip-hop music. When it first started, the music was an escape for a generation. Now it seems hip-hop has gone to the evil ways of pop music.
It's no longer about biting lyrics and social commentary. It seems most rappers these days only care about money, jewelry and women. Emcees used to be lyricists. They would make you think about important issues of the day, or get you through a rough time with a nice laugh.
Nowadays the best one can hope for is a catchy tune that allows for bum shaking at a club. The hip-hop world has been taken over by wannabe thugs and gangsters who worry about making money and appealing to the masses. I used to be able to turn on a track from De La Soul or Zulu Nation and understand where they were coming from. I could vibe with that music. Today's hip-hop embarrasses me as a fan.
I don't want to seem like only an old-school fan because I do enjoy some of today's artists like Kanye West and Eminem, but the bad far outweighs the good.
I mean Lil Jon's biggest hit was "Get Low," a song that tells women how to dance at a club, and its video starts with him yelling at strippers.
A Tribe Called Quest dealt with issues like young black people using the n-word as a greeting for each other and forms of racism. The Beastie Boys would take listeners through a musical story involving anything from a party at their friend's house to a road trip across the country.
These days I know about West's "Diamonds from Sierra Leon" and 50 Cent's "Candy Shop." I mean one of West's biggest hits talked about him dating a girl that he considered to be a "Gold Digger."
I guess I can take solace in the fact that there are still some emcees who take their art seriously. The problem is most people don't know about them because they are not popular.
Most people have never heard of some of my favorite artists like local emcee Bavu Blakes, who brings back the Tribe feeling, or Minnesota rappers Binary Star who talk about other emcees who rap about jail but have never spent a day in one.
If the hip-hop industry keeps going the way it's going, they can officially change the name from hip-hop to hip-pop.
To me the late '80s and early '90s was the peak and decline of hip-hop music. When it first started, the music was an escape for a generation. Now it seems hip-hop has gone to the evil ways of pop music.
It's no longer about biting lyrics and social commentary. It seems most rappers these days only care about money, jewelry and women. Emcees used to be lyricists. They would make you think about important issues of the day, or get you through a rough time with a nice laugh.
Nowadays the best one can hope for is a catchy tune that allows for bum shaking at a club. The hip-hop world has been taken over by wannabe thugs and gangsters who worry about making money and appealing to the masses. I used to be able to turn on a track from De La Soul or Zulu Nation and understand where they were coming from. I could vibe with that music. Today's hip-hop embarrasses me as a fan.
I don't want to seem like only an old-school fan because I do enjoy some of today's artists like Kanye West and Eminem, but the bad far outweighs the good.
I mean Lil Jon's biggest hit was "Get Low," a song that tells women how to dance at a club, and its video starts with him yelling at strippers.
A Tribe Called Quest dealt with issues like young black people using the n-word as a greeting for each other and forms of racism. The Beastie Boys would take listeners through a musical story involving anything from a party at their friend's house to a road trip across the country.
These days I know about West's "Diamonds from Sierra Leon" and 50 Cent's "Candy Shop." I mean one of West's biggest hits talked about him dating a girl that he considered to be a "Gold Digger."
I guess I can take solace in the fact that there are still some emcees who take their art seriously. The problem is most people don't know about them because they are not popular.
Most people have never heard of some of my favorite artists like local emcee Bavu Blakes, who brings back the Tribe feeling, or Minnesota rappers Binary Star who talk about other emcees who rap about jail but have never spent a day in one.
If the hip-hop industry keeps going the way it's going, they can officially change the name from hip-hop to hip-pop.
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