Hip-Hop. Loved by many, understood by few. It's a huge topic to tackle (which is why I'm only semi-tackling it). We all have our favourite rappers and emcees and we all have our favourite albums and stand alone tracks but nowadays many of us are left wondering ....what the hell happened? More and more we find ourselves heading back to the vault of the eighties and nineties and early 2000s to get our fix of meaningful lyrics encased in beats that stick in our minds like macaroni and cheese to a stove pot.
There's no way to pinpoint just where it all went wrong with hip-hop music, although it's probably around the same time it went wrong with every other kind of music, when the hippies and music lovers were shoved out of the record labels to make room for the yuppies and suits. Around the time when show business became more business than show and when making a dollar became more important than making a good record. Hip-hop transitioning (for better or worse) from making feel good music (Run DMC) and relevant music (Public Enemy) to pure product placements and bravado.
One way or another the game changed and current hip-hop artists must now struggle against the backlash of who is perceived as hip-hop (aside: blasphemy and parodying my favourite movie too, brain bleach please) and who is actually hip-hop. Wouldn't it be great with all this technology to have an app or a site that could help us differentiate? To be able to once again see true talent for what it is without the hype machine or the media barking in our ears about what is supposedly good and who the supposed new hip-hop kings or queens are? Wouldn't it be great to be able to make up our own minds about it?
In a word? Yes and this is what lead me to the idea for DroptheMic An website/app that gives emcees, djs and beatmakers the opportunity to network, build a following by showcasing what they can do to people who have a genuine interest and appreciation for their craft. Hip-hop didn't start out being all about swag, jewels and cars.It started out as a form of expression, craftsmanship and a way to release energy. As Common puts it "The joy and beauty of being a hip-hop artist, you can truly express who you are. When you're a rapper you get to say what you think, what you feel, people hear your perspective, people hear your spirit, your soul (if you're using that) and they hear your imagination to be able to write a rhyme and say look, this is what my life has been about."
It's time we get back to the what was awesome, fun and exciting about Hip-Hop. That which ignited our souls and hearts and made us walk with a little more swagger and break like our lives depended on it. With that in mind, here's an old school hip-hop playlist for inspiration, so hip-hop hippity-hop and don't stop...........
P.S Do yourself a favour and check out The Art of Rap it's an absolutely fantastic (and informative) way to spend an hour and a half of your weekend. Peace Out Kittens!
"Find yourself, find your art, Find your heart." Snoop Dogg
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