“Is Hip Hop Dead?” If I hear that phrase one more time…thanks to Nas, that phrase has been more played out than the word “hater” and “swagger” combined. Sometimes phrases need to be retired (can’t wait ’til the word “hater” is next) but besides the over play of the phrase “Is Hip Hop Dead”, do people still believe it?
With releases this year from Lil’ Wayne (The Carter III), who probably had the most anticipated album, The Game (L.A.X.), The Roots (Rising Down), Jeezy (The Recession), Nas (Untitled) and TI (Paper Trail) later on this month, Hip Hop seems to be beating live and well. The albums mentioned gained great reviews from critics and fan alike.
So who out there still believes that there is no real Hip Hop left? If you disagree, what artist do you think help to bring “the game” back to life? Your thoughts?
September 10, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Its not about the album sales. When ppl say is hip hop still alive, they mean the kind of hip hop that influences, or the old school hip hop that had meaningful and other lyrics that made us actually THINK. Don’t get it twisted, I am not knocking any of the artists that you have named…but HIP HOP is a MOVEMENT, and shouldn’t be recognized by the albums sold, hoes and clothes in the videos or by popularity. I don’t think that HIP HOP is dead…but I do think that we have slightly accelerated in the wrong direction….but we have some saviors out there bringing hip hop back where it belongs! AT THE TOP
September 10, 2008 at 1:38 pm
You make some great points but when I mentioned “great albums” I wasn’t referring to sales, just that the feedback from all albums were great from critics, and I own some of the albums myself. Some of the best albums don’t make the charts.
September 10, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Thats my point also…some of the great albums don’t make the charts. But people love them and they still get praise from the fans. Thats how you know that you are dealing with a true artist. When they love what they do so much that sales or “album reviews” don’t matter. Any one can be a critic, thats why we are all unique in our own right, everyone is different. But to answer your question, Hip Hop is still alive, it is a culture, a way of living, a mind set, and it will never die.
September 10, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Good Post by the way.
September 11, 2008 at 11:03 am
“YOU DAMN RIGHT HIP HOP STILL A LIVE”
“SAMUEL L. JACKSON VOICE” ……………..LLS.
Answer this for me, how many albums will you’ll still listen too ten years from now………..That came out this year?
I was listening to “Jay-z Reasonable Doubt” Lp this morning and that cd still rocks…
October 1, 2008 at 6:23 pm
There needs to be more original artists with something to say except the usual…sex money drugs and murder….we need new voices for the Hip hop movement….to empower the youth…not help the ills of society devour the youth.