Shown above is the Vibe Magazine cover from February 1998 when hip hop was actually worth listening to. This cover was dedicated to hip hop's greatest rappers at the time including Methon Man, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Master P, Lil Kim, Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, and Foxy Brown. In my opinion the 90's consisted of THE BEST R&B and hip hop artists and music hands down!!
I remember having blank tapes and recording songs that used to come on the radio so I would have them on hand whenever I needed. Music just isn't the same to me anymore. Back then when all these artists were out they were so talented and well rounded that I never thought they would be off the scene. I look back and wonder where all the real talent went. Of course there are still some past greats doing their thing like Jay-Z and of course Diddy (idk what his talent is but he makes hot music lol), but what about all these other past artists who just disappeared?
I really think music is becoming more and more "pop-ish". Look at Nicki Minaj, she is just about the only female rapper out there making huge numbers... But you can't tell me she isn't a pop artist. Her songs are very gimmicky and animated like pop music. And I'm not throwing shade at Nicki in any way, I even bought her album. I'm just saying you don't really hear music these days with substance to the lyrics. And that's not just with her, other rappers as well. Take Rick Ross for example. All he raps about is living the lavish life, cars, drugs, money, and hoes. Ok... every other artist raps about the same (Gucci, Wacka, etc). Back then each rapper had his/her own style and story. They didn't all rap about the same thing and I think that's why the industry was so successful back then. Which leads me to wonder, what happened? I watched a video on youtube a couple of weeks ago of a speech given by Lauryn Hill in 1998 where she said that artists continue to speak about the same things because they are so worried about falling off, they dont give themselves enough time to step down and experience new things. Therefore, their raps remain the same. I definitely agree.
I don't know where hip hop went wrong, but I need it back. I need music that I can relate to. Not music that I like just because the beat is hot, or because of sick punch lines, or because they're talking about all the things I WISH I had (long money, fast cars, etc). I don't want to keep hearing about being the baddest b*tch, or the chick that makes him keep coming back, or the chick that can take your man. I want MY hip hop back, the one that teaches lessons in life (Lauryn Hill), or just the good old feel good music from back then! How do you feel about hip hop today compared to what it was then?? Do you think our music is dying? Let us know!
Also if you could choose which rappers to be on the current Vibe magazine if there was one made similar to this one, who would you put on the cover??
Xoxo,
-LaBellaBoss
Well, I didn't live to know THAT hip hop. As for nowadays though B.o.B never disappoints me, you should listen to a few of his mixtapes, especially "no genre"!! :)
ReplyDeleteAs for the cover I'd put B.o.B, Eminem, Lupe Fiasco, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and T.I(btw you're so right, no women at all!! I probably should throw Nicki on there just for the sake of having a female presence :p)
I actually do lil all of B.o.B's songs that he's come out with! I will have to try out his mixtape, thanks for the heads up! I like your list of who you would put on the cover. I would probably add J Cole, I think he's a GREAT lyricist. I think there are some underground female rappers, but they don't get attention because of Nicki. SN: I HATE that you didn't get to experience the great music that I did when I was growing up :-/
ReplyDeleteOne contributing factor to the fall of "real" or "thoughful" music is the fact that sex, money and drugs sell. That's why artists like Gucci, Waka and Rick Ross tend to get more spins and radio play than more introspective artists like Lupe, J Cole or Wale. Think about it, Erykah Badu had to get naked and do a song with Ricky Rose for promotion of her new album. People didn't even know who wale was before "No hands". We live in a society where most young black men respect Boosie more than Barack. That being said, there is plenty of good music out there, it just doesn't make it off the shelf, and that is discouraging for up and coming conscious rappers. As for the cover it would be Kanye, Wale, Drake, BoB, J Cole, TI, Kudi and Weezy.
ReplyDeletehmmm you have an amazing point to this i think honestly the reason "hip hop" is the way it is because now a days rappers are not looking to challenge themselves as far as lyrics goes like they are afraid to voice their true feelings i know money could make life a little better but there is always problems Wale gets all this hype when he really is just bringin a new style to be honest rap will never be the same again hip hop died in 05
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you both said! Especially the fact that there IS good music out there, it just doesn't get any air time, radio play, etc. Also the lack of videos on BET, MTV, and VH1 is also affecting the music world. If you turn to either if these so-called "music" channels, majority of the air play goes to reality shows. Back then, videos were played throughout the day, which gave different artists more shine. I think that REAL music fails to break through because so many people prefer the "money, sex, drugs" songs over the songs with meaning.. Why? because that's what's popular and believe it or not, so people don't know how to go against the grain. *sends up prayer for the music industry* lol
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ReplyDeleteI'm the same way with the music on my computer! I can't remember the last time I put up to date music on it, other than recent albums that I bought. Everything in the music industry is turning into pop, especially hip hop and R&B. Look at Rihanna and Beyonce, these are basically the two female R&B singers at this time. Even though they're considered R&B artists, their music is very pop-ish. True R&B artists like Monica and Keyshia Cole don't get noticed as much. Artists are focusing more on the quantity of their sales rather than the quality of their music. Thanks for your opinion! Going to check out your blog now :)
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