Saturday, May 12, 2012

Something I've noticed in the current hip hop culture.



As a lot of you know, I've always enjoyed the hip hop culture and rap music. I've seen a lot of trends come and go, and come back for the better or worse. I've gone through a phase where I would rail against songs that had any form of disrespect to women, or anything degrading in them (as folks could see in my previous blog addressing such issues) . I wouldn't even touch a club song with a ten foot pole with a condom on the end of it because I was "too conscious" for all of that, lol. Nowadays things are a bit different.

These days, instead of restricting myself based on prior beliefs, I am willing to check out the artist to see for myself, and take their music for what it is. Recently, I've been exposed to Tyga, Big Sean, and Lil Wayne. And you know what? I may not like the stuff that Tyga, and Big Sean put out, but I take it for what it is: Music made strictly for dancing to. If a person loves to dance, then it suits them. Since I don't go to the club, nor can I dance (strange fact for the day), I figure the music wasn't made for me and leave it at that. Lil Wayne has surprised me at times during appearences on various albums (Nas and Damian Marley's Distant Relatives album), but I still don't go very far to search out his stuff. I enjoy GOOD gangsta rap even though I was never a gangsta. I knew people who were into the street life,I can sympathise with their struggle and feel where they are coming from. Believe it or not, some of the smartest people are/were all in the street life, it's just the dumb ones who put their business out there and get caught up, and some cases, skin color plays it's part as well (don't front, it is true that cops will go after anyone looking "suspect", and that particular level of suspicion depends on the area you live in regardless if you are in the street life or not). Some of these people get dismissed because they may not have graduated high school or been to college. That doesn't mean they are stupid or uneducated, they just have a different degree from a different school that some of us may not have gone to.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is stop being so restrictive. Think about it, the hip hop culture is the most diverse culture to come out of this country. Run DMC was the first to incorporate rock samples in their music, and as a result, many many legendary artists have used various samples from various genres of music to this day. I'm not saying all hip hop fans should go out and buy all albums by every artist ever made, but when I find an artist that may not fit into my so called parameters or requirements for a dope emcee, I check it out, and then form my opinion regardless. They may be Black, White, Puerto Rican, Asian, thug, ex laywer, ex scientist, homeless,street scholar, political, etc. If they spit that real hip hop, then I'm all over it. Life is too short to be trying to fit yourself in a box. That being said, here are some more dope emcees I've encountered over the course of several years. Feel free to check them out. Maybe they might gain a new fan or two!


Bambu- http://bamburants.blogspot.com/


I Self Divine- http://first-avenue.com/event/2012/05/iselfdevine


David Thompson- http://www.kooleyhigh.com/


Keith Charles Spacebar- http://spacebar.bandcamp.com/album/beforecommonera


Lute- http://westsidelute.bandcamp.com/album/west1996


Brother Ali- http://rhymesayers.com/brotherali


Termanology- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termanology


Psalm One- http://regularblackgirl.com/


Tito Lopez- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiTDfdw_WCE


Aceyalone- http://aceyalone.bandcamp.com/releases

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