There is something rotten in the state of hip-hop.
The movement started out as the pulse of the streets-moving from timely dance records to political conscious tracks.
Public Enemy revolutionized the music video and made it a medium that could provide a powerful message. Let us forgive the fact that the success Public Enemy led to three seasons of Flavor of Love-who knew a hypeman could become so popular.
When gangster rap came to the forefront it supposedly represented "the truth" of the streets. Rap was a way for people to get out of crime-ridden areas and make a name for themselves.
However, the world of rap is severely disconnected with the rest of the world. There are people who try to remain socially conscious but just come a few steps short. Puffy asked people to vote or die, but I don't think he realized that young voter apathy can't be cured by idle threats. I didn't vote last time Puffy and I'm still around... what now?
Really will.i.am? A sparse celebrity-filled video? That is really going to win me over. I hate smug and I hate celebrity opinions and I loathe it when the two come together. Back in the day the political messages had critical thought, now they have Scarlett Johansson.
The worst offender is DMX-and I am not talking about just his music. In a recent interview with XXL, Dark Man X not only admitted to not knowing who Barack Obama is, but proceeded to make fun of the name.
In a world that is more socially conscious and less materialistic than the late '90s, rappers are still talking about their bank rolls, big pimpin' and bustin' all types of caps in all types of respective persons' derriere. Rap needs to change its tune before I am ready to re-check-check-check out its melody.
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