| I think that hip hop dedicated emcee Nas raised the | | | | of social commentators and opposed some resistence |
| debate. Now it is up to us to answer yes or no to this | | | | to the US discriminatory policies against Black Folks. |
| interrogation. | | | | Their words had some weight and were largely |
| However, I think it would be senseless just to debate | | | | supported by people living in the hood. |
| on whether hip hop is dead or not. Our answers should | | | | Nowadays, hip hop is totally different. Not only has it |
| be full of nuance instead of being blinded with a | | | | become commercial, but its audience has changed. I |
| common artistic blur. | | | | sometimes have the feeling that it has lost its original |
| Since its creation in the Bronx, NYC, in the late 6O's, hip | | | | meaning. Many of you, commercial rappers rolling in |
| hop has often been in a 911 emergency state. Real, | | | | your benzos with your hoes and jewels have buried |
| authentic hip hop emerged from the street, mainly from | | | | hip hop alive. You made the whole world believe that |
| the black commnunity and was aimed prior at street | | | | hip hop was only about the grand hustle and making |
| audiences. Although a common misconception that hip | | | | big dollars. |
| hop is about self expression only is widely accepted, | | | | Many of you, weak underground rappers have |
| this point is often totally misunderstood. | | | | stabbed the soul of hip hop. How can you, clowns in |
| An emcee is supposed to express himself, but a lot of | | | | the game, make people believe that you can bless a |
| other artists do- without having any hip hop spirit in their | | | | mic? Regardless of your color, you HAVE to be skilled |
| way of expression. If hip hop was about expression of | | | | and to be convincing to rap! |
| self only, then acts like Marilyn Manson and Emo boys | | | | More strikingly, a great majority of you, suburban |
| would be hip hop too... | | | | youths, have spat on real hip hop like Nas raps while |
| You are hip hop, not only by proving your emceeing | | | | revering so called rappers who are closer to pop |
| skills, but by carrying the heritage of hip hop culture | | | | artists than anything else! |
| with you which means to me, that, regardless of your | | | | However, I do believe that hip hop in its essence is still |
| skin color, you can relate to hip hop culture in one way | | | | alive. It will live on as long as the spirit of Maurice |
| or another. That's being hip hop to me. | | | | Malone's hip hop shop will be carried on. It will survive, |
| But I digress...the question is to know whether what we | | | | as long as real people will talk about real things. It will |
| call contemporary hip hop music is dead or not. | | | | survive, if only unexperienced but nevertheless skilled |
| Many people who have grown up with masterminds | | | | emcees will accept to learn from their predecessors. |
| such as Ice T, NWA, Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash | | | | Real hip hop is the reality of the streets and cannot be |
| might be really disappointed with the turn hip hop is | | | | summarized with the commercial crap we see on |
| taking right now. | | | | MTV. |
| Even in the early 80's hip hop wasn't expected to | | | | Hip Hop will live on if rappers accept to think less about |
| become the commercial value it is right now. Emcees | | | | the money and more about their art. |
| and DJs did their art much more for their own pleasure | | | | Hip hop has a future, but not without you, emcees, |
| and for their wide street audience. | | | | breakdancers, sprayers, DJS, listeners and anybody |
| Emcees like Public Enemy and NWA played the role | | | | else involved in the rap game. It is all up to you. |