Today’s rant is about the lack of lyricism in the rap game. I’m just sick of it. A catchy hook, a Mickey Mouse rhyme does not equate to good lyrical content. Why are good lyrics such an issue with me? I’ll tell you why. I can remember a time when rap music used to be how we communicated to each other our stories and talked about the things that were happening to us, good and bad. NWA let us know how it was going down on the west coast, Wu-Tang let us know the ways of the island world on the east and Bone Thugs represented for the mid west. They gave us an in depth, raw and uncut account of what was really going on in places we would never see, or of places where we lived but had no voice to tell it. Then what happened? The man got to us, that’s what happened. The man had us convinced that the music was about the money, not the message, and the money was all too important. I mean how else would we be able to get out of the ghetto and take care of our families, we had to sell out, we had to do it for the money. Yeah the man and the money= watered down commercialized rap. Also known as Commercialized Crap.

Stunt deez.

So lets make new meanings for old words, because they know how much we like to ebonicize the language. Let’s make a cheesy dance based off of some ole school steps our parents did back in the day and call it new, because they know we sho like to party. Let’s flaunt some rented riches that we don’t own, and can’t keep, because they know we will invest in things of no value, always trying to keep up with the Joneses.

Sarcasm is dripping all over that last paragraph. I know better, you know better, but do the right people know better? I don’t think so. Tomorrow my partner will tell you what real lyrics look like. And maybe we’ll even drop a few bars for those of you who are jonsing for a cipher…..

5 comment(s) thus far...:

[flahy] [blak] [chik] said...

R.I.P. Real Hip Hop...

maybe one day it'll revive itself, but until then I got my Ipod..lol

Ain HD said...

Yo.

Dig the post.

I don't think there's a lack of lyricism in the rap game, but there's definitely a lot of "crap" being pushed by the man to the masses.

We've got a stop depending on radio on BET to give us our Hip Hop fix. There's a lot of great music out there waiting to be found. A gang of good Hip Hop albums came out in '08 (ie: Black Milk, Invincible, MURS, COMMON, Q-Tip, NAS).

Of course we're missing the balance in mainstream... that balance was provided early on, when you had a 2 Live Crew for every NWA. Now we have about 20 Soulja Boys for every Mos Def.

Hip Hop has always thrived off of its variety. Nothing wrong with the dance tracks, we just need the radio to pump a message into our veins after our heart rate comes back down :-)

ESS AY VEE OH EL OH YOO ESS! said...

HOLLA AT ME WHEN THE CIPHER POPS OFF!
I'm JONSIN' to tell everybody how it is on the mean streets of the College Area of San Diego, CA.
Don't get caught without your backpack...or your grocery club card.
It gets TRILL in the field!

eysqueen said...

@ savvy

LMAO west side represent yo set! and you know, when i went to SD I didnt even see a ghetto, where is it at?

Naturally Alise said...

@AinHD

I agree it is about balance, amazing how everything: be it life, music, mathematical equations, or love is best when in balance.

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