----------LONG-AS-HELL POST WARNING----------
It is now common LAW to have the words "in the (or da, or tha) club" either in the chorus, or in the first two lines of half the rap songs (& "R&B" songs) out today, especially on Mtv & the radio. I'm not hearing too many songs about killing, so much as I'm hearing that every song has to take place IN THE FUCKING CLUB!
Be prepared to definitely feel the wrath of people on this board if you say anything about hip-hop being "old", "over", or "stale", even if it really is. Aside from some REAL gems, still trying their best to bring some new heat, break some new ground, try something different, everybody who actually is worthwhile to listen to, they're pretty much fighting a losing battle, hip-hop (and pretty much music in general) has passed the commerialization point.
It's seeming to be similar to when Motown ruled music (The Beatles were done by 1970, so it was pretty much Motown), and by the start of the seventies every single record, didn't matter by who, fit the same formula, everything sounded the same. Berry Gordy didn't want to change, What's Going On almost didn't happen, and if it hadn't, popular music probably wouldn't have become as economically, well, popular (meaning, we wouldn't be seeing 8x platinum albums).
Hip-hop purists, of course don't want to hear this shit, it's sacrilige (sp?), but 18 years ago, RUN DMC's Raising Hell went 3x platinum, that was huge, that was astronomical for a rap record. Hammer & Vanilla Ice saw that the money was worth it to sell their souls to video & radio, and look what happened, Hammer went diamond, Ice went 7x plat. Those two "artists" (and maybe LL, Walking With a Panther-era) were solely responsible for making image more important than music. If you look the part, you sell records, having skills is just an added bonus, they're not required. Sound familiar?
Rap is pretty damn close to death, if it isn't dead already. Look at us, we're on a 2PacBoard, we're living in the past. 'Pac's been dead for almost 9 years, none of us (or at least the ones of us who still snap up everything 'Pac related, news, music, or clothing-wise) really ever took the time to let go, and really realize that TRL slowly was creeping into this culture, and companies like Interscope records suddenly decided to hurry up and bury Death Row when they saw an opening, then take the image that was introduced and exploit it. It's nothing new, really, it's been done in all types of music, the difference over the years, was that there was always a handful of people (sometimes maybe even one artist) who would bring said musical genre back from the brink. Marvin Gaye did that for the ENTIRE INDUSTRY in 1971, Stevie Wonder did it right afterwards for R&B with Talking Book, Prince did it numerous times during the 80's for Pop music, and Guns N' Roses brought Rock & Roll back from the hairspray days in '87 with Appetite For Destruction.
Who do we have for Rap music? Eminem? He's become a clown in his videos and on his songs, as good as he is lyrically, Just Lose It or The Real Slim Shady will ALWAYS be bigger hits than Toy Soldiers or Mosh. As much as he criticized Marky Mark and Vanilla Ice, he's become them, he can't cross back to hardcore now, did anybody hear his collab with Boo Yaa TRIBE? No, they were too busy buying Ass Like That singles (and no, I'm NOT a fan of Em's).
Don't feel bad, Rock has been dead since Axl Rose went off the deep end, R&B was killed off by Teddy Fucking Riley and New Jack Swing suddenly decided to kick real instruments out of the studio. Country (if anyone cares) is as formulaic as Rap is right now. Every song is about being as Redneck as you can be. Did Johnny Cash ever dream that that was where the genre he actually made decent for two seconds would go to? Did 'Pac ever think bullet-proof vests would be publicly worn outside certain rappers clothes today, flaunting their "invincibility"?
'Pac did cater to the media, yes, but he didn't pose for the cameras, he spit at them, he gave them things to write about, yes, but did they ever write anything positive about him while he was alive? No, they villified him, they crucified him, and he was the one person who had the tools to save Rap music. Yes, he flaunted gangster mentality, flashed money around, but he had plans built up in the background, he didn't just donate to charities, he built charities, foundations, started organizations, put his money towards promoting Black culture, and in a sense, sought to help cultivate our youth in general. He was also intelligent, showed his intelligence, and put his work ethic to use, with his vast unreleased catalog, and his movie career on top of all this. But no, 'Pac wasn't going to save hip-hop, he was going to move on from it, remember, he was an actor first, and he was an activist before that, it was in his blood. He knew this beast had hit it's peak, and this genre was too rich with resources to not have it's resources plundered by the music industry.
Rap didn't die with 'Pac, but it was put on life support, and in all actuality it died when Diddy's No Way Out record came out, went 7x platinum, and won the grammy for best Rap record. Shades of Jethro Tull winning Best Heavy Metal record. Who here can call All About the Benjamins a rap song? As much as you could call Mo' Money, Mo' Problems a rap song. At that point, the edge was gone, there were no more "Cop Killer" moments, suburbia opened up it's doors for this regurgitated MC Hammer clone (named Puff Daddy at the time), ready to dance and smile for all the record companies. If Miles Davis were alive at that time, he would have killed Diddy where he stood, no doubt about that.
So who are your heroes, now? Who's Rap's Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Beatles, Prince, Guns N' Roses, Miles Davis? No matter how good Common is, he'll never sell enough to become a major force. No matter how brainless 50 Cent is, he'll always sell 6-7 million. You know Em's Encore is 4x platinum, they're calling it a bust. Run DMC NEVER went 4x platinum, Ice Cube never went 4x platinum, Quik, E-40, Tribe Called Quest never went 4x platinum, Snoop went 4x platinum once, 11 YEARS AGO (and since, he's whored himself out to every inch of media in this country, even moreso than Diddy). Now, anything less than Country Grammar or Marshall Mathers LP numbers are a bust in rap music.
Who's the hero, I'll ask again. Nas? Nas never did better than double platinum. Jay-Z? He went 5x plat once, but sold his soul for an ANNIE sample, got old ladies singin' 'bout, "Big Pimpin....'", and he retired with all his money, just like Vanilla Ice. Cube is a family-friendly actor now, Talib will never sell enough to make a difference, and Kanye West is the "IT Girl" for White celebrities to say they're into.
Meanwhile, everybody seems to be going "in the club" nowadays.....
