Hip-Hop/Rap Declining

[cbent22]

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well i have a question to pose for all you hip-hop/rap heads in here, is hip hop and rap on a decline bc i remember the days of Illmatic,Reasonable Doubt,Ready to Die,Capital Punishment
All those albums and most of the hip-hop/rap going through the 90's into early 00's were lyrically based and all about the sick flow and shyt like that. Now a days all it seems is that you have to rap about sellin crack and shyt w/ out even havin a a nice flow o anything like that and you will be a hit. i mean there are still some nice lyricist out there like Lupe Fiasco, Lil Wayne and Papoose, but they dont even get that much radio play w the exception of Lil Wayne. So to me it just seem rap/Hip-Hop isnt what it used to be. well just tell me youre ideas. and i dont want wack ass ppl comin here n sayin "rap is crap"

[crazymtf]

I don't think rap is declining though i agree mainstream rap between 1995-2001 was much better then now. I still enjoy music from plenty of artist, i love lyrics from shady aftermath section and i really enjoy enjoy DMX/D-Block. Then again i like T.I. aswell and also Cham is good. I like everyone who makes music entertaining. Doesn't need to be a sick lyrics but if it's a hot song i'm good with it. Song's can work without great lyrics, i've heard many like that.

[furious styles]

rap isn't on the decline, you just gotta listen to the right shit

pm a guy named jkingler

[Hokage Naruto]

Its not dying, its expanding and evolutionizing. You got political, mainstream, soft, flowable and other styles of hip-hop. The splitting may give the reason why it looks like its declining, but its getting better and better.

[Catatonik]

^ What he said.

Now we have Del Tha Funky Homosapien, MF Doom, Immortal Technique, K'naan, Mos Def, Aesop Rock, Blackalicious, Jurassic 5, Buck 65, and any number of artists expirementing and expanding upon Raps roots.

You just have to turn off the radio and look for them.

[cbent22]

I don't think rap is declining though i agree mainstream rap between 1995-2001 was much better then now. I still enjoy music from plenty of artist, i love lyrics from shady aftermath section and i really enjoy enjoy DMX/D-Block. Then again i like T.I. aswell and also Cham is good. I like everyone who makes music entertaining. Doesn't need to be a sick lyrics but if it's a hot song i'm good with it. Song's can work without great lyrics, i've heard many like that.

yeah i still listen 2 all the otha stuff on the radio and i dont always look for lyrical stuff but what im sayin is that you dont really need to have any sorta talent 2 become a hot artist now a dayz. im sayin that back in the day a rapper was measured more on his flow than on the beat the track comes on. so now it seems you dont need to have any sort of flow 2 become a hot artist

@Catatonik yeah i know about Immortal Technique and all those people but the thing about that is that they are not mainstream not a whole bunch of people know about Jedi Mind Tricks, Immortal Technique, and some dont even know that Mos Def use to rap. maybe i shouldnt really say rap is declining but Mainstream rap is declining

[crazymtf]

This is true. Well it's ok i guess, easier for people to move up.

[cbent22]

This is true. Well it's ok i guess, easier for people to move up.

yeah but it just gets me so pissed off when there are sick rappers like Lupe Fiasco n Talib kweli n all these other sick lyricist , n rappers dont get near as much attention,respect, and radio play as they should but fake ass wanna be, hustlas and garbage rappas are it just gets me pissed ya feel me

[crazymtf]

Yeah i know what you mean. I hate this shit like "Push it" *Love the chorus though* and "Meet me at" or whatever it's called. I never listen to the radio though, love Ipod :)

[cbent22]

Yeah i know what you mean. I hate this shit like "Push it" *Love the chorus though* and "Meet me at" or whatever it's called. I never listen to the radio though, love Ipod :)
lol yeah i get ya hahaha yeah the ipod is a beatiful thing

[delirium]

The thing with Hip Hop is that there was hardly even a time when real good Hip Hop music was recognized by the media. Hip hop has been around for 30 years and the first half was spent just trying to get accepted into the mainstream. Then you get the golden era of Hip Hop where cats like Digable Planets are winnin grammy's but it's short lived because Tupac comes out and everyone wants to be a thug. Tupac had an ideal though. He had some reasing behind his actions and is alot deeper than your average joe rapper in the mainstream.

So, to me.. It's basically the same. Cats now-a-days who have a message.. Who are trying to be original.. Try to keep this artform progressing have to bust their ass to get some lime light.

At the same time though, Like mos Def said:

Listen.. people be askin me all the time,
"Yo Mos, what's gettin ready to happen with Hip-Hop?"
(Where do you think Hip-Hop is goin?)
I tell em, "You know what's gonna happen with Hip-Hop?
Whatever's happening with us"
If we smoked out, Hip-Hop is gonna be smoked out
If we doin alright, Hip-Hop is gonna be doin alright
People talk about Hip-Hop like it's some giant livin in the hillside
comin down to visit the townspeople
We +are+ Hip-Hop
Me, you, everybody, we are Hip-Hop

We also gotta be looking at the people who buys this garbage. 'Cause these record companies can't spen 500 thou on advertising if they don't at least break gold.

[Efraim Longstocking]

Well, there's only one thing to do.. Become a radio DJ..

[Cardboard Tube Knight]

I think Music in general is declining slightly, but some time periods seem to be low points for music.

[Hangatýr]

I think Music in general is declining slightly, but some time periods seem to be low points for music.
I'd say that you're quite wrong.

[Efraim Longstocking]

Until the new Estradasphere album, I thought this year was in a creative low..

[elektroniks]

Rap ain't declining. You gotta look intomixtapes and sh1t to find good music. Am I the only one who thinks the mixtapes are (most of the time) better than the albums. But anyway it's not all about lyrics anymore. The songs that always get play on the radio is like catchy songs.

[JokerDemon]

There is the good rap out there, it just fails to get as much attention, I guess because of media or whatever and their avid habits of drug, sex, women, and car fetishes.

Because if you're looking for rap with meaning, I doubt you're going to find it on the radio. Sure it's catchy, but if you're a person that actually listens to the lyrics, you might want to turn the radio off because you're not going to find it there.

And I agree with just about everyone else-- rap isn't declining, it's expanding. It's just that what was is not now, therefore it's slowly stepping back.

[Cardboard Tube Knight]

I'd say that you're quite wrong.

What's your proof of that? Tell me please because I want to know. In a time when you could have bought a CD single with what was presumed to be the best song on the album, they stopped selling them only because they realized the whole album wasn't good enough to sell against the single.

In a time when looks sells the CD when it should be the music, and bands CD sells effect those charts they use to gauge music, so we never know how good any band on there really is if they look good.

And of course Music has low points, just like everything else in the world has low points. So I would aruge that your base-less statement is quite wrong.

[Hangatýr]

What's your proof of that? Tell me please because I want to know. In a time when you could have bought a CD single with what was presumed to be the best song on the album, they stopped selling them only because they realized the whole album wasn't good enough to sell against the single.

In a time when looks sells the CD when it should be the music, and bands CD sells effect those charts they use to gauge music, so we never know how good any band on there really is if they look good.

And of course Music has low points, just like everything else in the world has low points. So I would aruge that your base-less statement is quite wrong.
If you've paid ANY attention to the albums shared in this department, you'd know. I would agree if you said that main-stream was declining, but music on the whole is always the same.

[Cardboard Tube Knight]

If you've paid ANY attention to the albums shared in this department, you'd know. I would agree if you said that main-stream was declining, but music on the whole is always the same.

The Underground declines just like the mainstream if you ask me, the problem is a lot of bands and artist come about for the wrong reasons, and have too little talent. But right now its probably easier to get your stuff out there than ever, with the fact that recording studios and equipment are cheaper than ever; and on top of that the internet.

Sites like myspace allow any band to be on par with any other band, An artist like Jay-Z will get no more from Myspace than some guy who plays the banjo on his porch.

I'm not saying it shouldn't be that way, but when you are exposed to so much stuff, something has to make it stand out, and many artists can't stand out with their music, so they get a gimmick, and people buy that gimmick, even if the band isn't mainstream.

[uncanny_sama]

you just noticed?

[CABLE]

Mainstream hip-hop has been on the decline for a while now. Stay underground which is only getting clinier.

[Sorrow-Tear's Champion]

Is rap declining yes. It 's getting to hard to find good stuff nowadays. Everyones not plugged into the underground scene where the best stuff is. The radio plays absolute crap, and I don't know about other cities but Dallas radio does nothing to support local artist. For a long time rap has devolved into catchphrases and a nice beat. Record execs want you to sound like this guy or that guy.The only thing you hope for is to luck up and find a record store where they know music, unlike the chain stores, that can point you in the right direction.

[Nega]

The title brings me inner peace.

[delirium]

^^ Respect your Metal knowledge :). Loathe your Hip Hop ignorance :notrust.

[cbent22]

well if ya think rap is declining why do you think it is? my reason why i think it is, is the whole crunk music crap, i live in the south and i cant tell how much i cant stand it, yes it gets a party hype and all that stuff but all those songs like white tee and snap ya fingers were just flat out dumb and it takes no talent 2 make a song like that. all ya need is a ctachy beat and hook like nerevar said

[Slug]

i just got back from an adeem/ solillaquists of sound/ x:144 and sps show, and let me tell you, hip hop is not declining

[delirium]

I just started listening to Sol.Illaquists of Sound. They sound dope on record. How are they live?

[Slug]

all i got to say is this, i almost shit my pants when glue was on the stage.... all of my insides collasped when sol.illaquists of sound where all done.

as people, they are the nicest group i have ever met.. treated me like family, answered all the questions i had about music, bullshitted with me, had a great time with them... seeing divinci play 3 drum machines at the same time, was a fucking religious experiance.

(do you have any sol. albums? i didnt have enough money to get one, pass my way?)

[delirium]

Sure, I have the album that just came out. I'm upping Mos Def - We Are Hip Hop right now too, for a last semi mass pimp (4 Discs) before the roster so I'll send that out to you as well.

Glue has a really dope DJ. I'm not really into the super fast cuts that cats be doin, but he's on point. I could make make out what he's trying to do.

[Slug]

yeah dj dq is awesome... he did like a 5 minute peice by himself... that was just awesome... *ponders on pimping glue/adeem*

[cbent22]

i just got back from an adeem/ solillaquists of sound/ x:144 and sps show, and let me tell you, hip hop is not declining
yeah but they are not mainstream, i mean mainstream rap.

[Slug]

well, then you need to change the title, i just re-read your first post... and you just say hip-hop/rap, not mainstream vs underground... thats a whole 'nother box of bees right there. hip-hop as a whole is not declining, its evolving, and people are pushing the limits of music as a whole, its like in advertising.......


say you make a really good design for a company, that is super kick ass, and gets a positive message out to your target market, and someone else just designs an ad with basically a half-nude girl standing with the product in question.. now who is going to get the ad space? the positive message or sex? sex sells, and crappy music that entertains the masses without getting too deep sells too.. not well thought out lyrics with meaning... or positive messages

[cbent22]

well, then you need to change the title, i just re-read your first post... and you just say hip-hop/rap, not mainstream vs underground... thats a whole 'nother box of bees right there. hip-hop as a whole is not declining, its evolving, and people are pushing the limits of music as a whole, its like in advertising.......


say you make a really good design for a company, that is super kick ass, and gets a positive message out to your target market, and someone else just designs an ad with basically a half-nude girl standing with the product in question.. now who is going to get the ad space? the positive message or sex? sex sells, and crappy music that entertains the masses without getting too deep sells too.. not well thought out lyrics with meaning... or positive messages
yeah i get that but im saying i remember back in the days of BIG and Pac Illmatic, Reasonable Doubt, Art of War all those fire albums those albums were all about the lyrics and flow and they were mainstream. but if you look at mainstream now most of its crap like complete shit. its just really dissapointing

[crazymtf]

It's not all bad, just a good portion. I personally don't go for the cruck shit but i do like some mainstream songs.