2008 Woodie Awards
It just isn't music anymore
Sam Sotheara
Issue date: 9/23/05 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Rap, Hip-Hop, whatever you want to call it, isn't just music. Hip-Hop is a global industry, influencing everything from clothing to video games. Hip-Hop is a lifestyle, a culture. The music and the artists are the corner stone of this lucrative billion-dollar industry.
If you paid any attention to the world in the past 15 years, you've probably noticed the quick and dominant rise of Hip-Hop and the status quo isn't likely to change.
I spend a good amount of time driving and that's also when I listen to music. Lately whenever I listen to Rap, I tend to ask myself "What happened?".
Rap isn't what it used to be. I remember when Hip-Hop had messages, stories, and aspects of life. You could feel the artist's emotions. You could hear the artist talking to you. You felt the artist's message.
"These ideas are nightmares to white parents. Whose worst fear is a child with dyed hair and who likes earrings. Like whatever they say has no bearing, it's so scary in a house that allows no swearing, to see him walking around with his headphones blaring. Alone in his own zone, cold and he don't care, He's a problem child and what bothers him all comes out, when he talks about his f***in' dad walkin' out..." - Sing For the Moment, Eminem.
Hip-Hop made you think, it made you sad, angry, laugh. It motivated you. You could move to it or sit back and just nod your head to the beat. Hip-Hop made you feel all these things. No other genre could provide all that in one package.
"...I see no changes, wake up in the morning and I ask myself, is life worth living? Should I blast myself? I'm tired of bein' poor & even worse I'm black. My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch. Cops give a damn about a negro,pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero. Give the crack to the kids, who the hell cares one less hungry mouth on the welfare..."- Changes, 2pac.
Rap has a genuine explicit nature and honest, real lyrics. It's that honest approach that brought Hip-Hop to mainstream music and why it's where it is today. Hip-Hop entertained you, informed you, took you to a place, and brought back memories. Some songs touched your life; some were apart of your life.
If you paid any attention to the world in the past 15 years, you've probably noticed the quick and dominant rise of Hip-Hop and the status quo isn't likely to change.
I spend a good amount of time driving and that's also when I listen to music. Lately whenever I listen to Rap, I tend to ask myself "What happened?".
Rap isn't what it used to be. I remember when Hip-Hop had messages, stories, and aspects of life. You could feel the artist's emotions. You could hear the artist talking to you. You felt the artist's message.
"These ideas are nightmares to white parents. Whose worst fear is a child with dyed hair and who likes earrings. Like whatever they say has no bearing, it's so scary in a house that allows no swearing, to see him walking around with his headphones blaring. Alone in his own zone, cold and he don't care, He's a problem child and what bothers him all comes out, when he talks about his f***in' dad walkin' out..." - Sing For the Moment, Eminem.
Hip-Hop made you think, it made you sad, angry, laugh. It motivated you. You could move to it or sit back and just nod your head to the beat. Hip-Hop made you feel all these things. No other genre could provide all that in one package.
"...I see no changes, wake up in the morning and I ask myself, is life worth living? Should I blast myself? I'm tired of bein' poor & even worse I'm black. My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch. Cops give a damn about a negro,pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero. Give the crack to the kids, who the hell cares one less hungry mouth on the welfare..."- Changes, 2pac.
Rap has a genuine explicit nature and honest, real lyrics. It's that honest approach that brought Hip-Hop to mainstream music and why it's where it is today. Hip-Hop entertained you, informed you, took you to a place, and brought back memories. Some songs touched your life; some were apart of your life.