Confusion In The Game

Hip hop is not dead. The people that buy the records are just confused. It's not our fault either and there is a lot of reasons why. We need a better definition for what is going on. That is a good a place to start as any.

As a fan of music (that's right I said fan), I need to have my shit set up better than it's been for a hot minute. These are hard times and just like people weigh their pine flavored baggies to ensure it's not light, folks won't buy a fucking thing if the music and the presentation doesn't connect on every level.

It's been said that the south is killing the art-form but that's a huge source of debate. It doesn't what state you wake up in, if your career is based on a gimmick you're a singles artist. You have to know if people like the gimmick song, or love to do the gimmick dance that your album is going to a hard sell.

Why? Because they are not album artists; and that's cool. In the pop world, it's always been about the single and to see hip-hop grow to that magnitude is the shit. However, the problems show up when the A&R folks involved with these acts decide that it’s a better idea to grab a bag full of beats and rush an album out that they know sucks.

So now the set-up is all fucked up. The kids are all about the single and instead of working the gimmick song until its run is over, the attention is diverted into putting together an entire album of re-hashed shit that is not nearly as clever as the song that got them to that point to begin with.

Now, if said artist comes up with another chant/dance combo that is born of true inspiration… come with it, but to push a product that that is disorganized fucks the whole show up…period.

Now as for the album artist, the artists that get into this because they can create albums that can bang from start to finish, I feel for them right now.

But under no set of circumstances should these people be forced to go outside of what they do to put out a whack-ass single. Let's take David Banner for example. Banner is the fucking truth in every way, shape or form.

His ability to speak and most importantly lead the new consciousness of hip-hop needs to be his thing and yet dude has admittedly been forced to scale down his point of view to sell more records (which btw…doesn't seem to work).

Where would rap be right now if Chuck D was forced to do "Funky Cold Medina" knock-offs? That's not a diss to Tone Loc, but It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back defined that segment of hip hop for its time.

Now Banner is a grown ass man that makes his own choices. But it's really fucked up that the venom he spits in his interviews can't make it to his first singles.

All this shit has gone downhill because it is assumed that people want it that way. No, people want the truth. So if you dance fine do your dance. Be the best snap, crackle and pop ass mutherfucker that you can possibly be. Get your publishing money for that hit song, play as many shows as you can, get that song title on some t-shirts. Stick to what you are and know your limitations.

If you have an album that is worthy of the term album, then step up and work out every single detail that follows through on your vision.

Both situations have their place. To me, Jay-Z's Kingdom Come record barring a few really bad moments was really underrated. But if you think I want to hear "Beach Chair" when I'm at the bar scheming, you are fucking crazy. That track is too deep and somber to find out if she's more Lil Kim or India Arie. And no hell no, would I ever drop a need on that fucking Huey record " Stop, Drop, and Roll" or whatever that shit is called in my house.

And as for the people who poison the process because they are afraid f losing their expense accounts and their invites to Puffy's latest party, I have a question for you all.

Would you rather take huge trend chasing risks or would you rather put together projects the right way? If it was me, I'd rather be seen as the person who breaks a higher percentage of projects that I sign because they are set-up and marketed the right way and the public connects to them. I would hate to wake-up today knowing I was responsible for bullshit….

Xilbup