Like it or Not eveybody says that every year that hip-hop is on its death bed. I think it is the most popular genre right now.I am really not a fan today;s hip-hop because I find most of today;s hip-hop generic. Eminem, 50 Cent, Nelly, and Ja-Rule are considered hip-hop so as long as they are around the genre won't die. For the record I don't conside Ja Rule or Nelly to be totally hip-hop artists they are pop in my opinion. 50 Cent and Eminem are borderline pop-rap in my opinion. Then they are also rappers like Kanye West, and Nas that I consider to be real hip-hop that at least get radio spins. I hate to say it but rock music is pretty much the deadest of all genre's. Like Rock Music was dominant with New Wave in the 80's and Alternative in the 90's. You don't see any new rock revolution in the 00's do you?



I see a rock movement about... it's called "rock that completely sucks" and it's the rock counterpart of the "rap that completely sucks" phenomenon. These two are also subsidiary movements of the overall "music that completely sucks" movement. It's a disease that has spread through all genres. Rock/rap/good music of any kind doesn't appear to be dead because there are still millions of respective fans buying records and merchandise, but the core of every musical genre is on its last breath because each has been bogarted by big business. Both rock and rap used to have political, social, and artistic motives behind them which have all but disappeared in today's sell sell sell, flavour of the month world of popular music. Even today's "punk rock" is nothing but repackaged teen-pop... Why else should a group of 27 year-old male models sing about the trials of high school? News for everyone: Eminem's a nattering tw@t who's digressed from an edgy white rapper to a self-indulgent megalomaniac, Ja Rule just sucks, and as for the supposed "genius" that is Jay-Z... gimme a break! What is so tactful about "I got 99 problems but a b!tch ain't one"...? Yeah, a genius indeed.

But to be serious about the rock movement thing... there are actually several going on at the moment (emo, hardcore, teen punk) and they all seriously suck. I honestly don't know what happened. And lastly, while commercial rap is doing great business, it's nothing compared to the teen-pop industry. Even the dance music (electronic, techno) that is so popular in the big cities and across Europe is showing unprecedented success that rivals rap. Ever since file-sharing came along, it seems that all the popular genres hold a fairly comparable spot. Most people these days don't subscribe entirely to any particular genre. I don't, even though I have a soft spot for what they're presently calling "Classic Alternative" (new wave, post-punk, ska, synthpop, new romantic) which is mostly 80s music.

Most(but not all) rap today is full of 'get da girl, bling bling, she got game' stuff that makes themselves look silly.
When I was younger, I loved rap, it was at its peak(this was during the gangsta rap era of 92-95).  The thing is, when I was young, I also thought that people who hated rap(there were a few I knew) were bashing black people.  Now, I decided that hating a certain type of music isn't hating a certain type of people; after all, when you get down to it, it's all just MUSIC.  White people should rap, and black people should rock, if either of them wants to.  And let's not forget asians and latinos, and everyone else.  I hope I'm not offending anyone.

I think nowadays, people are just making music just for the thrill of making music.  They're not trying to have a big revolution, they're just trying to have fun, but I could be wrong about that.  Personally, I think most music's still good enough to listen to, but I am tired of punk-pop and rap-pop.  A new sound would be cool, but they shouldn't stick to it.

And I don't care if someone writes the song for someone to perform.  There are good songwriters who can't, or don't choose to sing; and there are good singers who don't fancy themselves as song-writers(I suck at both :-P ).  This makes things work.

And the sagging pants trend SERIOUSLY needs to die.  It was fine throughout 94-97, but now it's just stupid.  It makes them look "outdated". 

I think in 20 years, today's hip-hop fashions (in particular, the whole "lets walk around with our pants pulled halfway down so the whole world can see our butt cracks" thing) will be considered every bit as ridiculous and kitchsy as the absolute worst of 1970's fashion.



people in 2025 will wonder why having your pants all the way down to your buttcracks was considered a fashion craze. ;D




Howard

I think rap might stay on the scene for a long time.



Howard

I think rap might stay on the scene for a long time.



Howard



I agree  :)

I agree  :)



we will see how long rap can last.I'm thinking for another 10 years or so.



Howard

Legal definitions????

"Although this Court does not hold itself as a music industry expert and most of what it knows on the subject was gleaned from the testimony of the witnesses at the hearing on plaintiffs' application, it appears that there are at least three variations of what is referred to as "rap" music. The first is traditional "rap" which encompasses primarily lyrical rhyming with a secondary emphasis on a musical background. The second variation is "hip-hop" which focuses primarily on the musical component of songs which are up-beat and have a high tempo and rhythm. The third variation, which is the subject of the music at issue in the case at bar, is "gangster rap." This form of rap music combines the high tempo music of "hip-hop" with the lyrical rhyming of rap and appears to focus on themes which may be associated with gang cultures and might include the use of profanity, depictions of violence, and/or anti-law enforcement messages"

Legal definitions????

"Although this Court does not hold itself as a music industry expert and most of what it knows on the subject was gleaned from the testimony of the witnesses at the hearing on plaintiffs' application, it appears that there are at least three variations of what is referred to as "rap" music. The first is traditional "rap" which encompasses primarily lyrical rhyming with a secondary emphasis on a musical background. The second variation is "hip-hop" which focuses primarily on the musical component of songs which are up-beat and have a high tempo and rhythm. The third variation, which is the subject of the music at issue in the case at bar, is "gangster rap." This form of rap music combines the high tempo music of "hip-hop" with the lyrical rhyming of rap and appears to focus on themes which may be associated with gang cultures and might include the use of profanity, depictions of violence, and/or anti-law enforcement messages"



That's a good story Martha. :)


Howard

So . . . What does it take to be a part of hip-hop 'culture'?


I grew up around the "hip hop culture", though I didn't adapt to it. I think it's the type of music & style that the person follow like punk or heavy metal.

I myself grew up during the hip hop era but I never was attached to it.I listened to it but after my favorite JamminOldies station changed their format to a rap sound,I got turned off by it. >:(




Howard

The Beastie Boys are the only true rap left. They remind me of the rap back in the 80s and early 90s. Cheesy fun with a message.
I love that they aren't afraid to be nerds, either (The Star Trek parody in Ch-Ch-Check It Out is priceless). 

there's not much rap left in this world these days.How many of the true old school rap artists are still around these days? ???



Howard

The Beastie Boys are the only true rap left. They remind me of the rap back in the 80s and early 90s. Cheesy fun with a message.
I love that they aren't afraid to be nerds, either (The Star Trek parody in Ch-Ch-Check It Out is priceless). 


The Beastie Boys are no longer true rap. They morphed into some alternative rap machine. We know it and they know it.

LL Cool J has a new record around.

Tanya

Well,a whole load of young guys and girls are coming onto the rap scene every year so maybe within the next few years or so,rap will become bigger.



Howard

Well,a whole load of young guys and girls are coming onto the rap scene every year so maybe within the next few years or so,rap will become bigger.



Howard


Not necessarily. I'm a 16-year-old who goes to one of the most uninformed high schools on earth, and I can tell you that rap is most definitely fading. A lot of what's starting to be trendy is either the punk rock/alt/emo scene and the pop/soft-progressive rock scene. And is become every day a more sub subculture.....Just give it, perhaps, a year.

I grew up around the "hip hop culture", though I didn't adapt to it. I think it's the type of music & style that the person follow like punk or heavy metal.


Yes, I suppose it's also a frame of mind.

Not necessarily. I'm a 16-year-old who goes to one of the most uninformed high schools on earth, and I can tell you that rap is most definitely fading. A lot of what's starting to be trendy is either the punk rock/alt/emo scene and the pop/soft-progressive rock scene. And is become every day a more sub subculture.....Just give it, perhaps, a year.



Yeah I agree Gen.about a year or 2. :)



Howard

It's a disease that has spread through all genres. Rock/rap/good music of any kind doesn't appear to be dead because there are still millions of respective fans buying records and merchandise, but the core of every musical genre is on its last breath because each has been bogarted by big business. Both rock and rap used to have political, social, and artistic motives behind them which have all but disappeared in today's sell sell sell, flavour of the month world of popular music. Even today's "punk rock" is nothing but repackaged teen-pop...

But to be serious about the rock movement thing... there are actually several going on at the moment (emo, hardcore, teen punk) and they all seriously suck. I honestly don't know what happened. And lastly, while commercial rap is doing great business, it's nothing compared to the teen-pop industry. Even the dance music (electronic, techno) that is so popular in the big cities and across Europe is showing unprecedented success that rivals rap. Ever since file-sharing came along, it seems that all the popular genres hold a fairly comparable spot. Most people these days don't subscribe entirely to any particular genre. I don't, even though I have a soft spot for what they're presently calling "Classic Alternative" (new wave, post-punk, ska, synthpop, new romantic) which is mostly 80s music.
On the today;s "sel sell sell" flavor of the month issue that can be attribted to to MTV going for teens mainly for its music listening audience and also the telecommunications radio act of 1996. The telecommuncications act of 96 radio got more into a pop format meaning if an artist wants to hit it big the song must have a catchy beat or lyrics(that means the lyrics may not have the best meaning but its catchy and the song gets into your head.) Also the radio act of 96 allowed radio operators to own a whole load of stations(there used to be limit on a how many stations a radio operator could own before 96.) I don't think teen-pop is a big business right now(maybe 4-5 years ago in the US at least.) All US radio plays is R&B/Hip-Hop anymore. The dance scene in Europe which you mentioned in your post is basically dead in the US currently. Dance Music was pretty big in the 70's(Disco) 80(Pop/R&B), and even up to the mid 90's with the club music music thing in the US. Somewhere around 97-98 is when the whole dance music in the US fell off radio mainstream totally. I think dance music falling off the radar but can be attributed to maybe mainstream hip-hop taking over a danceable art form in my opinion getting big in the US in 97. Remember the East-West Coast thing with rap music with Biggie and Tupac's deaths in mid 96/late 97 maybe canbe attributed to  keading rap music to the mainstream. After Biggie's death Puff Daddy hit it big with "I'll Be Missing You" which sampled The Poilice's 1983 hit "Every Breath You Take". Ever since that song hit big in 97 Commercial hip-hop was off to the races to being a big business in the music industry.

As for what people listen too I myself don't prefer one musical genre over another. I like 80's Pop/R&B, 80's News Wave, 90's R&b/Dance and 90's alternative rock. I like some 90's rap but not like a whole lot of it.

On the today;s "sel sell sell" flavor of the month issue that can be attribted to to MTV going for teens mainly for its music listening audience and also the telecommunications radio act of 1996. The telecommuncications act of 96 radio got more into a pop format meaning if an artist wants to hit it big the song must have a catchy beat or lyrics(that means the lyrics may not have the best meaning but its catchy and the song gets into your head.) Also the radio act of 96 allowed radio operators to own a whole load of stations(there used to be limit on a how many stations a radio operator could own before 96.) I don't think teen-pop is a big business right now(maybe 4-5 years ago in the US at least.) All US radio plays is R&B/Hip-Hop anymore. The dance scene in Europe which you mentioned in your post is basically dead in the US currently. Dance Music was pretty big in the 70's(Disco) 80(Pop/R&B), and even up to the mid 90's with the club music music thing in the US. Somewhere around 97-98 is when the whole dance music in the US fell off radio mainstream totally. I think dance music falling off the radar but can be attributed to maybe mainstream hip-hop taking over a danceable art form in my opinion getting big in the US in 97. Remember the East-West Coast thing with rap music with Biggie and Tupac's deaths in mid 96/late 97 maybe canbe attributed to  keading rap music to the mainstream. After Biggie's death Puff Daddy hit it big with "I'll Be Missing You" which sampled The Poilice's 1983 hit "Every Breath You Take". Ever since that song hit big in 97 Commercial hip-hop was off to the races to being a big business in the music industry.


The conglomerates definitely screw things up for everyone. When you blame MTV for something, you're not really blaming MTV, you're blaming the company that owns MTV and about a hundreds of other media (Viacom). Clear Channel and Infinity Broadcasting are the two major radio conglomerates who own almost every radio station anywhere (I'm hyperbolising a little). Commercialisation and corporate hijacking is art's #1 enemy.

Dance/Electronic thrives in metropolitan areas even in the U.S. NY, LA, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, San Francisco, etc... each have club districts where the techno scene still rules. The larger the city, the larger the scene. Nothing like what it is in Europe, but nonetheless, it is a successful genre.

Hip-hop is undeniably successful, but I maintain that since the advent of file-sharing, no genre holds a near-monopoly anymore. One cannot judge by the pop charts any longer, for people are not buying their music as much as they are downloading and burning. Every genre has pockets of fans in every community, and ever still there are the majority of people who are eclectic in tastes.

I think hip-hop will continue to be around just as long as the artists are bringing in the money.



Howard