| I recently pondered on my new social experiment and | | | | lead the Hip Hop artist of today to the holy grail of |
| musical project to figure out how long I should test this | | | | genuine music, should we still hold him responsible for |
| out for. Starting a career as a MC/Band leader at the | | | | progressing a generation of lost souls? I mean let's be |
| age of 28 may seem a little misguided. Am I trying to | | | | honest we've been lost since before Hip Hop. And |
| catch dreams from years past or am I truly interested | | | | most times we forget that music has always been a |
| in leaving a mark on the musical world? | | | | way to relay stories and anecdotes that could possibly |
| I've been working in and around music for quite a while | | | | one day lead us to freedom, consciously and |
| and have always yearned for the stage. Hey I've even | | | | unconsciously. |
| performed once or twice (and did quite well might I | | | | But this does not answer the question, How old is too |
| add). But in today's world of Hip Hop gone wrong, is | | | | old to rap? Here is my personal answer. |
| there truly a place for the MC who just wants to | | | | As long as you are saying something viable, you can |
| perform and have a good time without the jewelry, | | | | never be too old to express yourself. I still get chills |
| cars, masagonistic lyrics, and mundane messages. In | | | | while watching The Last Poets perform, or when |
| order for us to figure that out, I think we must first | | | | Metallica hits the stage. In my eyes it is the same thing |
| delve into where Hip Hop is today, and who the | | | | when it comes to Hip Hop, Jazz, Soul, Rock, or any |
| leaders are. | | | | genre of music. The problem we have in Hip Hop is |
| And there lays the bigger question, Do we have | | | | that the content has not changed as the artists get |
| leaders in the hip hop community? Who can we look | | | | older. They rhyme about the same things at 35 as |
| to to validate a generation of misguided youth? I | | | | they did at 21. But I find it is more of a personal |
| personally feel I may be too old to really identify with | | | | imprisonment that keeps them in that place, maybe |
| the Twitteration (Twitter Generation) in entirety, but I | | | | even more so than a professional one. So to the MCs |
| can understand the plight of the neighborhoods they | | | | out there rap to your hearts content, but maybe you |
| live in, the things they think about, and what they are | | | | should take a look at your content. Change is growth. |
| going through on a daily basis. This all comes from | | | | Maybe it's time for us to grow up and put something |
| being a young man of color. But will DRAKE lead a | | | | on wax that will be timeless in content as well as |
| generation of young men to understand they need to | | | | character. |
| still "fight the power," or will all of the girls he loves (who | | | | Just my 2 cents on my personal journey. Will I be |
| probably have not been tested) deter him from taking | | | | rapping or touring with my band at 35? Who knows! |
| a strong stance on any issue that won't bring him | | | | LOL That's why this blog is called THE RISE AND |
| publicity. | | | | FALL OF MR. C.J. |
| And while JAY Z is destroying autotune, and tries to | | | | |