Seems like it to me, and also to Pierre Bennu:
- I know you've been thinking it. And if you haven't, you probably haven't been paying attention. The art we once called hip hop has been dead for some time now. But because its rotting carcass has been draped in platinum and propped against a Gucci print car, many of us have missed its demise.
I think the time has come to bid a farewell to the last black arts movement. It's had a good run but it no longer serves the community that spawned it. Innovation has been replaced with mediocrity and originality replaced with recycled nostalgia for the ghost of hip hop past, leaving nothing to look forward to. Honestly when was the last time you heard something (mainstream) that made you want to run around in circles and write down every word. When was the last time you didn't feel guilty nodding your head to a song that had a 'hot beat' after realizing the lyrical content made you cringe.
When I heard Jam Master Jay had been murdered, it was the icing on the cake. A friend and I spoke for hours after he'd turned on the radio looking for solace and instead heard a member of the label Murder, Inc. about to give testimony about the slain DJ's legacy. My friend found the irony too great to even hear what the rapper had to say. After we got off the phone, I dug through my crates and played the single "Self Destruction." The needle fell on the lyrics:
They call us animals
I don't agree with them
Let's prove em wrong
But right is what were proving em'
The only thing that kept me from crying was my anger trying to imagine today's top hip hop artists getting together to do a song that urged disarmament in African American communities, or promoted literacy, or involved anything bigger than themselves for that matter. I couldn't picture it.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - mt
I agree with this article -- Hip Hop IS dead! There was a brief flurry a few years back when it seemed that the creativeness and imagination of Hip Hop was the step after rap but that produced.
nothing but pretentious music by pretentious musicmakers --
We're already well into the new rock scene and electroclash. In a sense electroclash owes a lot to Hip Hop but that's where the connection ends. The "art of the day" is to entertain and Hip Hop is boring.
2 - verbak essencs
hip hop is not dead, but it definitelly sounds that way. the other day, i was cleaning my room and i was listening to a local hip hop station and i got irritated with the bullshitt that was being played over and over again. So i went to my cd case and thumbed trough it. And i was feeling ILLMATIC, so i let that ride for a while, and i felt happy, but saddened. I began to think of how good hip hop used to make me feel. And its not like that anymore.
now i truelly understand when older folks would say, to me music aint like it used to be. Its true, i went to a concert and saw the stylistics, the delfonics, and the chi lites. And that is genuine music from the soul. I think that, is whats happened to hip hop. Cherish the old shitt like paid in full, public enemy, common sense, nas,wu tangs 36 chambers. hold on forever because hip hop is not the same. theyre too busy trying to make dope videos, instead of making dope lyrics, and beats, which ultimately results in poor songs, to wack cds. I love you hip hop, but youve changed.
3 - Bob A. Booey
I like that Bennu piece.
Hip-hop's far from dead as a commercial force -- it's at its all-time peak as the new pop music and sells mad loot.
The article is right that hip hop is dead as a political message. I think in some ways hip hop is a very post-modern consumer product, where the style has become the message and the attitude as product has taken over and swallowed whole whatever rebellious or politically empowering ideas black music once had. Even if you want to preach about voting like Puffy's mindless "Vote or Die" campaign did in 2004, it gets lost amidst so much noise and bling bling that it doesn't get taken seriously. Puffy doesn't stand for anything but money, so why would anyone vote based on what he says? "Vote or Die"? That's an implied threat, not a message for change.
That is all.
4 - Chris
agreed, mainstream hip hop is not what it once was. However, there are some emcees out there who use craft in their lyrics, for instance, HUSHH , a couple of white kids, i was in shock when i heard them.. check it out
hushhentertainment.com
one of them has no arms or legs
5 - TBJ
I hope, well, wish, hip hop was dead already..I mean don't these "singers" see that they are basically used for product placement in MTV Videos?
Get Kanye to sell a cell phone, get Missy Elliot to sell clothes, get 50 cent to sell jewlery...it goes on and on..
6 - Marques
R.I.P Hip Hop..
*From a 16 year old kid who knows what true hip hop is. All I have to say..in the words of P.E
DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE..
face it ppl, all the "artists" out now are garbage
7 - Lee
This article hits home ..it's a perfect summary of the direction hip hop has gone or should i say"Hip pop"..has gone to the coporations ....Which makes perfect sense to me seeing as how they have done this to just about every avenue and aspect of music as and art form.....Which saddens me and too short made a piont of this on the 2pac dvd "2pac forever"...That we have been granted this gift of speech and if we dont use it correctly we could lose it forever..Which is what has happend...Pop artists have soggied up the fabric of the hip hop culture and unfortunatly the ones with the pwer to change dont want to and have decided to leave their roots behind Just to make their bank accounts larger...Known of them bother to look towards the streets to look for real "talent "...R.I.P
8 - 14 m toronto
Yeye tupac Rip ANd fuk u Shady Aftermath u to game fukk u U can lik eminems and dresz ASss OUTLAW IMMORTAL!!!
9 - Ricky
I Agree to, back in the day Hip Hop artists actually talk about something that's really important like changing the world, or what actually happened in there lives. Now today all they talk about is cars, bling bling, sex and stuff that are not really important in the world. Don't get me wrong there's still hip hop artist like that just there's very few. Now a days hip hop is just crashing with all this beef that's going on, youknowhatI'msayin.
10 - Mickey. B
R.I.P. Hip-Hop, "2pac 4 Forever" listen to "Keep ya head up", "Brenda has a baby", "Changes", Notorious B.I.G's "Juicy", listen to Ludacris's "Runaway Love" & "Diamond in the back" Nas's "I know I can" and other good hip-hop songs u can listen to
11 - ibobby
I don't know folks. I think people are talking the title the wrond way. And yes, it seems like a lot of jeolously going on.... If its not from the East, then it ain't Hip Hop.......so some make it seem.
Making try listing to the lyrics of this
the URL under "iBOBBY"
out
12 - Wicksell
I agree with this article. But hip hop isn't dead to me yet. I still have the pleasure of listening to Common, The Roots, Mos Def, Kweli, Atmosphere, Nas, Lootpack, Illogic, Lupe Fiasco, and my list goes on. I refuse to listen to the rest of the garbage they try ot pass off as hip hop these days. The other day on 106th and Park (watched out of curiosity) Lil' Scrappy said "Hip Hop ain't dead, then what am I doing????" Then the showed the debut of his video "Gangsta gangsta". I thought how much worst can this get. A lot worst, which is why I am thankful for the few artists out there that still bring some actual thought in their music. Thank God for the underground and real emcees. Fuck Viacom.
13 - Obi
I agree, it has gotten worse. But I've recently found and loved such classics as Nas' Illmatic and Wu Tang's 36 CHambers, and they're great. Incredible to listen to what hip hop was like way back when I was too young to really listen and understand, but now I realize. Artists like Lupe Fiasco, who's such an incredible lyricist, probably the best one out there right now, still promote good hip hop so I'm happy.
14 - Rashadlogic
Hip Hop isn't dead. It's just a marketing ploy established by Nas to get sales back to the East coast. Taking subliminal shots at the South and such, if Hyphy from the West coast took the place of South and started to sell like crazy, they would've been blame for killing hip hop. Check it:
15 - Shizz
It is the age old argument of "it is not what is used to be". Motown started out as organic soulful music then ended up churning out cheesy pop records for the masses it inevitably died a death only to become cool again years later. It is an ugly sight I agree. I think it is simply a product of when music becomes commercially aware thus making it less creative â€" it becomes a day job! The magic is thus lost, the masses tap in and the musos (that is us) tap out. In my opinion Hip Hop should have stayed arch enemies with RnB like it was in the late eighties. RnB taught Hip Hop all its commercial tricks as RnB embodies the art of easy listening. Face it guys you miss the rough creative edge Illmatic had. And why? Because Nas wasn’t thinking about how he was going to afford that new house in the hills. Money and Creativity do not blend at all. Rap from the heart not the wallet. As long as Hip Hop is in the claws of the huge marketing machines it will remain dead. But it will rise again. Take Little Brother as an example of hope for us all.
16 - Wicksell
Well said Shizz. Little Brother is in my list also. Rashadlogic, I disagree with that article. I believe East, West, South, have been killing hip hop for some time now. Jim Jones, Cam'ron, Fat Joe, Ja'Rule are pretty much wack in my opinion and does not represent real hip hop. The same can be said for the 100 southern rappers with "lil" before their name. Pretty much almost everything commercial has no lyrical substance or creativity. I remember when emcees could paint a whole picture by just using words. These days you're treated to 3 words recycled in almost every song (ice, 22's, and booty).
17 - unitedwestand
Hip-Hop is dead, and it died a few years ago.
Couldn't agree more with this article. It lost its spark and the soul. What happened to the sweatshirt-clad people huddled in buildings, screaming out their favourite lyricist's name? What happened to the turntables and political views? The back-street groups? Playing music out of huge stereos in the trunks of vans?
What happned to that underground feel? And that feeling that you were doing something to annoy the rich folks? That you were rebelling against racism, poverty, gang violence...
I don't think anybody knew it would be replaced with gold chains, women shaking their stuff for money... With platinum teeth and silver grillz...maseratis and land rovers...
Most rappers nowadays say theyre from the hood...but whats a 26' rim tire got to do with the hood? Sure, now that you're rich and "made it out of the hood" you're entitled to some stuff, but why should you use this money as the constant theme in your songs?
Rappers forgot where they came from.
"she's dead, she's dead...."
Props to my homie Nas for tellin it how it iz.
18 - murder-tha-DJ
Hip-hop is dead...this is the reincarnation...
The Game, Papoose, Nas, Young Jeezy...and company
Bringin it back, slowly but sure-footed
just hope they don't sell out too......
"hate it or love it, the underdog's on top"
just hope that dog doesn't get too comfy on the top
19 - Murf
ok ok hip-hop took a lick with mike tyson hook but i dont realy think it's dead realy people think about this for a minute or two do you realy think that mcs that we say killed hip hop. would say things about how man women they got or money weed ect. if it didnt sell.the way i see it if you dont like it dont buy it. the way to effect these rappers is to effect there pocket sence they got so much MONEY IN THE BANK cause to me a real mc dont talk about how much they got cause they know most the people that buys there cds is trying to get a bank account feel me.
20 - DJ We
hip hop is dead ty nas for bringing it back. Jay-z,Common,Lupe Fiasco,Talib Kweli,Notorious BIG,Tupac, i can go forever that i wanna thank for bringing rap back.These people are inspirations and talk positive.Not about money cars or wateva
21 - WEBZ
I am mixed race and have been a fan of Hip Hop/Breakbeat based music for over 22 years,im in my mid 30s now,i produce my own music,and even tho ive never made a penny from it, i love it more than ever,But what i see on mtv nowadays,makes me sick to my stomach,it also reminds me of what Disco ended up like,souless money grabbing ,no dignity having hoars.all u hear about is how they are "real Hip Hop" and its all about walking around stone faced,how they had it worse than everyone else in the hood,and all done with totally fake sincerity.When i see footage of B-boys from the late 70s i notice that they knew how to smile,even coming from a time that was far worse than now .What these clowns nowadays need to do is get on a plane,and go to a Jungle/Drum n Bass party and see and hear where Hip Hop,s heart still beats STRONG,and then go to parts of Africa, or Dehli in India ,,and see what poverty,and "keepin it real"really is.This will show them for what they really are.spoilt selfish little cowards.Its the same old story,"im real Hop" No your not, u are bunch of shameless ,ballless cultural prostitutes.Hip Hop is supposed to be undefinable,and suprise you at every turn .A soon as you start waving money at these idiots,its like they lose their soul and self respect.I bet if u asked them to endorse a Klan rally,one of them would do it,if u paid them enough!If u wanna talk REAL innovation and breakbeat culture,well Hip Hop has a new name DRUM AND BASS.We will see who the"real Hip Hop" people are,When the backlash comes,when the money men have gone,and mainstream america has found something else to exploit....doin it for the love. "Suckers sellout so i stand aside,another brothers greed overtakes his pride".(Hijack.U.K)
22 - Shawn, Norfolk, VA
Hip hop isnt dying because it lacks innovation.
Hip hop isnt dying because it doesnt have smooth lyricists that make u wanna try your hand at freestyling.
Hip hop isnt dying because it's commercialized.
So here it is: Hip hop is dying because it doesn't stand for anything. Hip hop artists don't stand for anything. Hip hop fans don't stand for anything. As a result, they both fall for anything and everything. Puffy: a joke. 50: a joke. Lil Wayne: a double joke and a court jester if there ever was one.
So what does hip hop really stand for now? Where's Public Enemy? WHere's Ice-T? Where's Tupac? What ever happened to Snoop? Why is Dre' so soft now? How did we go from strong activists to weak minded, bamboozled Amos and Andy's? How did we lose our substance and our style?
That's why hip hop is dying...it no longer stands for anything. Once it got the commercial attention it deserved, it turned its back on its purpose instead of using its new found celebrity to promote the agenda and the plights of its fans. RIP.
23 - Ed
Hip Hop is dead....it was in its golden ages only like 5 years ago, those were its last days, with Xzibit's "X", eminem, snoop dogg, Dre's chronic 2001, method man and redman's blackout... but now its filled with a bunch of idiots who can't sing, and the beats suck. only good mc's left are few, one of them is ludacris. i have to say that he's pretty good.
24 - Jacky
Hip Hop is dead and only a few are bringing it back. Ty Nas :]
Whatever happened to "Throw your hands in da air"
With all the new commercialized "hip hop", we dont feel it to throw our hands up. No powerful meaning words as in 2pac's words (r.i.p)Nowadays its all about money and fame. That isn't what they struggled for? They forgot were they came from and who they got it from.
25 - none of your buisness
hip hop aint dead its on life support realy it is