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Blasphem-E
This is where I write about myself. But fuck that. Read the news posts, those are better.

Mike @Blasphem-E

Age 33, Male

BC , Canada

Joined on 8/7/08

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Nope...

Posted by Blasphem-E - April 28th, 2009


Awards are dead. Too few nominations. Maybe next year people might give a shit.

Anyways, here's the full text of the essay I tried to post on my distractions remix. Written fully by me:

Hip hop is dying. And yes, I know Nas has said that before, and his album of the same name created a bit of a stir, but nothing has changed, and those with an interest in the pop culture machine quickly sidetracked any real conversation about the subject to make it sound like Nas was hating on the south. I can not know Nas' true intentions with that album, whether he truly cares or it was a publicity stunt. But what I can do is interpret what I think hip hop is dying means.

There is a plague amongst artists. Dudes are coming into hip hop thinking of it as a quick way to make money rather than a combination of art forms. These dudes know nothing of the culture, nor anything about hip hop other than sometimes the producing/rapping side of things. These guys seem to think that getting signed to a record label, hitting the mainstream and making millions of dollars is the definition of success for an artist. They do everything possible to sound like all the guys you hear on the radio, neglecting to think about two things:

1)Nobody cares about you if you sound exactly like somebody else, because that guy is already on the radio. Why would anybody want to play you if they can play the real person instead. And 2) The labels have already manufactured an image for these superstars. I have a large amount of respect for the labels and the singers/rappers they work with, but these guys are not artists. They follow more of a science-business mix. They hone in on what sort of style they can sell, then they kick the machine into full gear and watch as people are bombarded with words and images telling them that a certain artist is hot. Then, the labels follow the formula to repeat. This isn't hip hop, this isn't art. You can photocopy the Mona Lisa all day long and it doesn't change the fact that art isn't your talent.

Yet, despite this, I still hear people telling me that you are not an artist if you haven't gotten signed. Then, when I challenge them on their views, they back it up by saying that they are correct because CEO's and radio personalities would agree with them. Wake up. Of course a CEO is going to tell you that you can only be legitimate if you work with them. Of course these guys will tell you anything to make you buy into their system. Even then though, your average wannabe rich rapper will still trust the system, and trust the CEO's and labels, who make money off exploiting people, while still buying into the don't trust the police bullshit. Police are there to try to keep the peace, yes there are bad apples, but for the most part, they are there to help you, while the CEO's are their to screw you. Yet, you still believe the CEO's? Again I must say it: wake up.

But again, I said hip hop is dieing, not just rap. Graffiti is dieing. The B-Boy is almost forgotten. The true art of turntablism has been pushed back underground, and even there it is harder to find in many places then it once was. Yet, none of this is discussed. All you hear is this bullshit about Nas saying the south is killing hip hop and the south saying Nas is jealous of their money. First off, that's a horrible attitude. Instead of denying being the decay of an art form like any true MC would, you get Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne on the radio talking about how Nas just wants their money. Second, no, the south did not kill hip hop. What has been hurting the rapping part of the art is how suddenly everybody wants to sound like the stereotypical south rather than sound unique, or sound like themselves.

This brings me to my next thought. The loss of originality. As much as I don't personally like soulja boy or T-Pain, at the very least they at least tried something new. Soulja boy may be garbage, but he gets my respect because he is a far different type of garbage than every other mainstream artist you hear. T-Pain pioneered the use of the auto-tune effect in rap and R&B, which garners my respect. Then, you get the copycats again. Seems like all of the sudden everybody and their dog have decided that auto-tune makes them the shit. It doesn't. You are not original, you are not a visionary, you do not sound cool, learn how to sing or shut the fuck up. Once you hop on a bandwagon and start playing follow the leader like a lot of people have with auto-tune, you cease to be an artist, and become a copycat. I've seen dudes sell out to the mainstream despite not having sold anything or getting any real benefit from it, and it sickens me that they would not only sell out, but shortchange themselves while losing any creativity they previously had. Even worse, these people then listen to the actual art and have the nerve to criticize originality for it's non-conformance to the mainstream.

Then there is the decline in the quality of beef. While it would be nice to pretend that everybody should be able to get along, some people just won't see eye-to-eye, and so beef will occur. At the same time, you should expect these 2 people to still realize that this is a problem between musicians (for the lack of a better word) and should be settled in the music. Seems like every time I turn around dudes are challenging each other to actual fights, slapping people's Cousins, and just generally doing stupid shit rather than sitting down and working on actual track. Then there is the flip side, dudes who release so many battle tracks that they cease to have an effect. Here I'm thinking of guys like 50 cent, who at this point I wouldn't be surprised if I found out he was beefing with my old kindergarten teacher. People aren't taking there time to make there attacks great. Instead they lay back on the same tired cliche's and go with the quantity over quality idea. To these people I say: Wake up, and step up.

I already know I'm going to be challenged on what I'm saying. I will hear "you're just a white guy from the suburbs, what do you know about hip hop". Apparently, more than you. Hip hop is an art, and art is universal. It can be appreciated and understood by people of any culture, so long as they allow themselves to see the art. I can see it, I know many others who can, but a lot of people look at it solely as a business, and that's where the problem lays.

Let me break it down:
there is a plague killing hip hop.
If you look at hip hop as a way to make money, you are part of the plague
If you think rap is the same as hip hop AND consider yourself a rapper MC, you are part of the plague.
If you dismiss sampling as thievery, you are part of the plague
If you think grafitti is the same as tagging, you are part of the plague.
If you think that your little shoulder dance and bump and grind are part of B-Boying, fuck you, you are part of the plague.
If you think being ignorant and dumb is cool, you are part of the plague.

I'll let you guys post more If's here.


Comments

Two things: I agree. And I disagree.

I agree:

Hip-hop, the word, has now come to mean something wholly different from it's original interpretations, and thus, is "dying" in the sense of losing it's roots and it's originality. Mainstream artists that call what they do "hip-hop" are lying to themselves more often than not, especially people like Nas who I respect as an artist and a person, but who has lost touch with his own roots, truth be told. His entire "Southern music is killing my beloved Hip-hop" was laughable since, in all reality, that which was Hip-hop died the moment it left the burroughs and hit MTV. And that includes Nas' own tracks, because hip-hop was a movement, a lifestyle, a culture, not a type of music.

Laying claim to Hip-hop is like laying claim to an eagle, a river, or snow on a mountaintop. It's like laying claim to being God simply because you can paint a picture or sing a song. Your images and words come from a source, and you do not own that source. In the same frame of reference, Hip-hop comes from a source which none of us can lay claim to, and it is more than just MC's and DJ's, though hip-hop as music started with these two integral parts. As Wyze stated, we're losing some of the other parts of hip-hop as culture: bomb art, b-boys, parties in the park. Instead, "hip-hop" has become whose gun is bigger, whose hood is grimier, and whose nose is whitest from the 'caine. And we're all to blame for it, not just the South. Remember, Mims is from Manhattan, not Atlanta.

Pimp C once replied to a question regarding the "death of hip-hop" being caused by the South, and more specifically, the music he and Bun B were putting out with other well known southern artists. He said, paraphrased, "Fuck hip-hop. We don't wanna be called hip-hop. What we make is country rap tunes, not some old Hands Up HIgh in the park, happy 'Get Down On The Floor' hip-hop. What we speak on is what's really happenin' in the hoods, the ghettos, the cities where all of our listeners is from." That's the true line in the sand, right there. Hip-hop was made for happy times, for parties, for celebrating. So when a rapper is talking about having money and girls and drugs and clubbin' and shit like that, it's EXACTLY like the hip-hop of yesteryear. But at the same time, it isn't relevant. It isn't what is really happening.

Alot of the best music, the very same music that Pimp C is referencing, which the Hip-hop heads want to decry as killing Hip-hop, is actually all that's left of that happy mentality hip-hop had. Today's hip-hop "expert" almost wants to claim that true hip-hop is about the ghetto, about the toils of the working man, about the dark corners of society that are overlooked by "mainstream" eyes, which is NOT the hip-hop that the first DJ's and MC's envisioned. Yet the very same experts were decrying the death of hip-hop in the 80's when groups like NWA took the forefront with their pictures of realism, speaking about police brutality, gang warfare, etc. Is that not music of, for, and from the "ghetto" that these "experts" now wish to extoll as true hip-hop?

The problem is that "hip-hop" as a description is subjective to each person's opinions and attitudes. What I think is hip-hop you may not agree with. So rather than state that hip-hop is dead, why don't we just state the obvious: Hip-hop will never again be what it once was, regardless of what we feel it once was. Now, let's all move the fuck on and make music. If you like your music happy, then fuckit, go make happy music.

that works too

Lets all have sex with hip hop!

HIP HORGY

Hip Hop ain't dead. She just haven't let the knew generation take over yet. No disrespect to dat n***a Jay. he still rippin, even nas too himself. but daamn they gotta pass it down like a virgin chick.

And who ever is saying "your not an official artist if you ain't signed" is a fucking dumbass. Lol these wanna-be's ain't official till they got they paper work together yea hear...damn, some cats got a looooooooooooong way to go in the game.. its a shame

Um... your second paragraph contradicts itself. I think you made a typo somewhere, care to clarify?

Cajete.. all u do is talk shit. keep typing behind that keyboard thats why u didnt show up to ghouls park pussy boi. now shut the fuck up and stop bringing ur problems to other peoples page. u talk bad bout other rappers.. but u urself cant rap for shit. just stfu mayne unlike u, i get respect. i dont play tough behind a keyboard to impress internet kids.
R.I.P Cajete.. u got slaughtered.. u betta watch yea lips

Well, seeing as how I think you both have each other blocked, I guess this is where shit is going down?

I'd like to take this in the exact opposite direction and challenge that hiphop is more alive than it has ever been. Before immediate laughter breaks out, hear me out first.

First of all, there are plenty of underground artists making a decent living off of touring around the world. Most of all underground artists tour oversees because America has horrible taste in hiphop. This is the world of indie hiphop. They aren't controlled by labels so they are free to experiment as artists. This can be good and bad. It means they have to not only be good at MCing, but also at the business/marketing side of things too (some have labels, but the labels give them complete freedom).

Ok, now that I've established that. This is an era where anyone can produce a full album and compete on a playing field with the pros (production quality wise). This is partly what's ruining hiphop due to the army of clones that emulate any popular artist, but at the same time the ease of access has made the hiphop community so much closer than it's ever been. Instead of handing out demos on the streets, anyone can get their songs heard from anyone in the entire world. That's some powerful shit right there.

Hiphop will never die, hiphop doesn't live on MTV, or the radio, or sales. It's in each and everyone one of it's collective artists that make up it's whole. Hiphop is what you make it. And there are plenty of amazing artists still out there, some of the best hip hop has ever seen even.

I'm sure I could keep going, but I'll save you the pain. Good rant though, I hope my counter rant helps.

BWAHAHAHA, o wait, there's more. Never mind, let me continue reading.

I will give you that the underground music scene is doing well outside the U.S., hell, there's even a few Canadian "mainstream" artists that I like (K-Os and Classified). Payment for underground artists and he ability to get your music out is a good thing. But all these lemmings are fucking retarded. Apparently, trying to sound like a mainstream artist is what makes these people cool? But you addressed that, so I won't beat a dead horse.

Still, hip hop is a lifestyle, not a music genre. What about the graffiti, b-boying, etc?

Don't get me wrong, I feel what you're saying, and I'm with you on that. Hell, I don't actually believe hip hop is dead, but there are still issues that need to be dealt with.

First off, I gotta give Wyze props for engaging this discussion. As you know I don't believe "hip hop is dead/dieing/about to die". After reading these responses I think I've gained more insight into the situation. "Hip hop" is evolving. To be completely honest, I have not listened to "MTV" music in about 2 years (I know a lot of people claim that, but its the truth in my case), when I go to the bar or drive down Albert Street I sometimes hear that bass banging non-lyrical jibberish. I listen to most of my hip hop on Newgrounds now.

"The problem is that "hip-hop" as a description is subjective to each person's opinions and attitudes", what Ingenius said is right on it. I think Hip Hop is a community. Some members of this community rap, others break, some paint, a few produce, a couple scratch, a handful sample and so on. Now maybe some parts of hip hop culture are not as prominent as they used to be, but cuts heal. Those "lost arts" are just waiting for "virgin artists" to bring life into them.

I do agree that the lack of originality is a problem in this community, but as long as WE are continuing to make art that is from our heart, we can't die. An English professor once told me "No writer is original in this day and age, everything has been done before, the English language only has 8 basic sentence structures. To make something original a writer would have to create his/her own made up language." I think he's full of shit, but it kind of puts into perspective how difficult it is to be original in this time.

P.S.- A signed artist is an employee, if you make art YOU ARE AN ARTIST, no if ands or buts.

In no particular order:

Well, I suppose it's nearly impossible to make a new english sentence structure. However, there are still people breaking new ground with music (props to Yun Veroz on that one).

Agreed on the art comment.

I can also honestly say that I listen to more newgrounds hip hop than anything else right now. There's a few other rappers I listen to as well, but generally, I listen to Newgrounds.

Also, hip hop is definitely different things to different people. Agreed on that statement.

Thanks for the props.

I don't think hip hop is dead....Yet.......it's either in a state of a coma or has some severe type of cancer lol

honestly hip hop has been in a critical state for a LONG time now......i remember when i was growing up watching all these dumb ass rap videos on t.v.
and if you think about it mainstream rap has been crappy for quite some time now,
all i saw on t.v. was stupid rappers such as bow wow and ludacris etc.

i think ludacris has gotten way better since back then....but.....people just have to be willing to look up GOOD hip hop music and try their best to promote it....
Eminem just got back in the mainstream scene not too long ago so i think there's hope yet!!!!

lupe fiasco was one of the first artist that didn't advocate violence or drugs in his lyrics.....so i dunno i really can't say hip hop is DEAD but it's def come a long way, as artist we just have to choose the right path and show these pitiful creatures we call humans the right path to glory!!! *feels like morphius*

-UNIQUE LINX-

Let us show these lunking meatheads what is hip hop!

This is the longest thing I have ever read about hip hop and rap in general. Neither are my thing, but I agree with some points you and others have made.

Question though, if hip hop is a life style involving b-boys, turntables, and graffiti, is black metal a life style involving burning churches and condemning mainstream religious ideas in favor of satanism? I very much hope it isn't. Hip hop should remain a genre and not a stereotype of a lifestyle.

The definitions of hip hop and rap are vague enough already. Can you still dish out hip hop with deep lyrics and good instrumentation without getting involved in the scene or is that a contradiction of my own?

Rap is the music, hip hop is the life style. And if we were going by stereotypes, hip hop would be about bling, girls and cars....

TLDR; i dont care what a white boi from the suburbs says about Hip Hop.

Just messing of course. That was a good read for sure, read all of it, and the majority of the comments, some insightful replies from InGenius (as usual), KillBillvolume2, and MickeyMao. What I lke most about your "rant", essay, newspost, whatever it shall be called is how it wasn't entirely a cliche diatribe that expresses a view on how music is "dying" (better word choice: changing) and thusly should never change, stay with its roots, stay how my group of people likes it, etc. but how you're actually exploring how the buisness & money, popularity (shit that has nothing to do with music, or art generally), people with misplaced EGOS that are overzealous towards technicalities, and all that jazz. Well maybe you werent as much getting at the latter, but I agree with the majority of what you said sir. I think.

I like KillBill2s point about how music/art doesnt need to be thought provoking. It can be everything and anything you want it to be; music on Sesame Street, the shit that Hannah Montana sings to pre-pubescent girls, an orchestral genius like Stravinsky, etc. all has its purpose and isnt "better" than the other, it isnt hurting music as much as its expanding boundaries, and *POTENTIALLY* opening more availability for different experiments and style meshing; even if the technical quality may be diminishing. with that said, i think Soulja Boy is garbage like the next bitter, pretentious FL Studio user, but when my ass is "crunk" at a college party I don't need intellectual shit to roll with. "CRANK DAT HO" is perfectly suitable for a common mind, and its kind of egoistical to deprive a musically unintelligent individual of what they like. Not all music needs to suit cocktail parties. I know that wasnt really a point in your message, but its getting annoying when people suggest that amount of effort and technical skill will ALWAYS equates to the quality of music.

I generally agree with mainstream labels, bigwigs, and whatnot destroying originality within popular music. But even with that said, how much can the people who set the stages on MTV, radios, other big corporations be at blame? They try to pump out tracks that will appeal to the largest audience of listeners. If they were to include a larger diversity of songs in their networks, would they sell as much? After it all, it is their JOB, wouldnt you try make the largest sum of $$$ that you could at your job as well? And I could pretty much copy and paste your point 2.) in here to sum up this paragraph...

I could write some more, but theres no point of continuing to flog a dead horse on just 1 blog ;)

By all means continue. And yes, I definitely get that there is a time and a place for intellectualism in music. But that doesn't mean that you have the hear the same "get naked girl" stuff every song lol. You can do simplicity at least mildly different then others do it.

Liked the comment man :)

Wow. I'm stunned at how much insight was given to this topic.
As was said, there are really quite a few assumptions being made by the statement "Hip Hop is Dead".

1. A culture / type of music can be 'killed'.
- I find this to be quite a common misconception. You can't kill a thing, an idea, a belief. It can be supressed. It can be convoluted and distorted to the public. It can evolve. It can not die.

2. A change from the original = death.
- As every biological organism has shown, a species can die off or evolve. This is nearly true for cultures and musical genres. As stated, they can not die. Therefore, they are left to evolve. If one doesn't hear that style from 20 years ago getting played on the radio anymore, they assume that it's died, when really, certain elements of it have been changed. Take Deejays as an example: DJs work with break beats, turns, samples, keyboards, etc. They do not produce lyrics. If instrumentals were played on the radio then one day a guy wants to put a rhyme structure on top of it, while dropping the samples, does that mean that Deejaying is dead? No. It's only evolved into a different piece of art, based on the collaberation between two artists.

3. "I know what ORIGINAL hip hop is, and this new shit ain't it."
- People have this idea that hip hop was started sometime in the early 80's in America. Hip hop was originally Africans dancing to drums in villages and has been evolving for hundreds of years. To all the emcees here: When's the last time you spit over a jimbe? To the b-boys: When's the last time you danced to a drum circle? Now does your statement of "never" mean that hip hop is dead? I say no. Once again, hip hop has evolved.

4. Hip hop = lyricism. If lyricism dies, so does hip hop.
- This has been brought up a couple of times, so I'll throw my two cents on it:
Hip hop IS a culture. It consists of 5 elements:
Deejaying: Turnin those tables, layin them beats, sampling
Emceeing: Droppin flows, whether freestyle or written
Breaking: Dancing to the break! Whether you're windmillin or just toprockin.
Writing: The correct term for graff. That's putting your visual art up.
Producing: The business. Generally public relations and distribution of art.
As you can see, "rapping" is just emceeing. You can't kill a culture by lacking intelligence in your lyrics. If you're going for poetry (Wyze, Mickey), then flow it. If you want to make club bangers (Bill) then that's your art. If you want to make diss tracks (Ses, Cajete, Broken-Needle) then that's what you want, and you should do it to the best of your ability. Art is what you make it.

...I forgot my point. Anyway, I've rambled on for long enough. Great discussion, Wyze.

Interesting thoughts. And ya, there's definitely a lot of depth that's gone into this topic. It's awesome :)

I have to go to school soon, so I'll just keep this short.

The more I read, the more sexy you became. And I read it alllllll.

I'll probably leave a proper comment on this subject later today or this week.

Awesome. And ya, I'm super sexy! :D

wtf how do u call hipho REAL MUSIC i mean the singers just talk they dont even sing there is no melede go listen to sum ROCK and HAEVY METDAL u noob!

we love you too

^^^^^^^^^To the guy above.

If rapping is just talking. Let's hear you rap. That's like dissing poetry because it's just words with no one singing it. It's sad to see such great ignorance.

Burly, read the thread before you comment. He'd already mae a good response so he was just fucking around there...

Someone had to say it.

for sure

Let me break it down:
there is a plague killing hip hop.
If you look at hip hop as a way to make money, you are part of the plague

-----No argument there @_@

If you think rap is the same as hip hop AND consider yourself a rapper MC, you are part of the plague.

-----Hip Hop Isnt music. Hip Hop is Culture. Rap is the Music. there is not other definition and this is 100% right

If you dismiss sampling as thievery, you are part of the plague

-----Fuck u dude, theres nuthing wrong with theivery...ima THeive and damn proud

If you think grafitti is the same as tagging, you are part of the plague.

-----geuss im part of the plague....cant tell the diffrence.....its all hot either way u do it... =(

If you think that your little shoulder dance and bump and grind are part of B-Boying, fuck you, you are part of the plague.

-----@_@ that was so right that i busted a gut luaghing

If you think being ignorant and dumb is cool, you are part of the plague.

------ *Changes Grades on report card*

u forgot some shit here buddy

+If ur to wurried about ppl 0 Bombing u off the NG charts

YOUR APART OF THE PLAGUE

+If u 0 Bomb the Person on top of the chart so ur track can take its place..

YOUR APART OF THE PLAGUE

+If u 0 Bomb a track due to an opinion set in the author comments

YOUR APART OF THE PLAGUE

+If u Suck dick for Bus Tokens

YOUR APART OF THE PLAGUE

but on a serious note i got a very solid Ignorant solution to save mainstream hip hop

every one Buy guns

and Kill every "Rapper" who lives Below the Masin Dixin line :D

lollol jk jk

lmao, You heard it here first. Delinquent is advocating southern genocide