Money, Poets and Rappers

Really, I'm nothing near a hater. But I'm tired of the same club based, mainstream radio music that is overplayed every single day. I completely understand that people are hustlin and that type of music is what people listen to. Maybe I'm picky. Maybe I expect everything to be to my liking. Thats totally unfair but at least play some decent music from time to time.

I have come to the conclusion that what attracts people to a song or artists is beats. Whether it be a laidback beat, bass knockers, sampled beats, club music, the beat is what keeps the listener hooked to the song. Take for instance, Dipset. Not to diss them, but they probably aren't the type of lyricists that i would enjoy listening to. To me, they're just another group of artists of bling bling, money spending rappers like everything else on the radio. But as far as beats, Heatmakerz gets it done most of the time. I say whatever gets your head nodding or foot tapping is pretty much on point. Most of the time, the delivery or lyrics just kill it. But beats are far from the point I am trying to make.

What brings me in usually is an artists way with words. Their delivery, rhyme scheme, the content of what theyre saying. The artist has to make me believe that he feels what hes spitting. The reason that I "dislike" most of the music that is released recently is because these artists have lost the passion for music. I have a reason to believe that more than half of the artists now-a-days are doing it for the money. Hence, this "ballin" rap that we hear every single day of our lives. I have fallen in attraction for "old school" rap. Im not saying that its better. Im just stating that it has more depth and reason to be listened to than this other music. Story tellers, spitters, ARTISTS painting pictures with words. There is a difference between "artists" and "rappers."

Way before I was a supporter of "intellectual" rap, I started listening to and watching Def Poetry Jam on youtube. People with a way of words that can sway a crowd with their delivery. Id like to think of it as music without the beat in the background. I was always inspired while watching these videos at the way you can feel that these poets feel every single word they are saying. Even got me at a point where i would blog poems that i would come up with from time to time. But thats the stuff i like to hear. ( This is the part where i name drop people to look up on youtube so you can see where im coming from. Poetri, Shihan, Gemineye. There you go) On a sidenote, I find it sick that Mos Def hosts that show. What a great idea.

In that comparison, I dont really suggest that all rappers start rapping like poets or start telling stories or anything like that because that would just take away the whole culture of hip hop. There is a reason that there are different genres and types of rap making it what it is today. What Im posing is that artists should start start making music for a reason other than financial gain. I find myself respecting underground artists more in a sense that they arent making anything close to what these mainstream artists are but they are still making soulful songs from the heart. Spit something meaningful. Its possible to be mainstream and something worth listening to. The rap in the early '90s were all about having fun, telling stories, having something interesting to say. An example of a good mainstream artist is the group Outkast. In my opinion, you could say theyre in a league of their own. No one is really spitting anything like them. Beats nothing like them. But at the same time, you can still see them on BET and MTV. Well not now, but they got better shit to do. Haha I dont believe hip hop is dead, I just think it has formed into something that people who know what real hip hop is cant really recognize. Its sad to say but its true and being that were in our current recession, people are still gonna be greedy in getting more money. And still gonna be spitting their bling rap that people like to get their money.

Im still hoping for glimpses of the past. Hopefully it comes back. Until then, the only radio Ill be listening to is Pandora.