THE FALL OF CONSCIOUS HIP-HOP AS WE KNOW IT, PT 1

Let me first start off by saying hip hop music has over achieved in every aspect since its humble beginning. It has made many of people millions and millions of dollars. It has changed generations, it has brought awareness of the ill in society, it has given many people party pleasures, and it has changed how people view fashion. It has given thick women a platform to excel in an arena that other genres have always ignored. Hip Hop has become a billion dollar industry. It has bridged the gap in race relations. Hip Hop has spread all across the world. I can go on and on about how Hip hop has influenced the media by way of commercials. In every business you can think of you can see hip hop in it.

As I brag about these great accomplishments, I can also see something else that is infecting hip hop; I see an underground push to destroy it from the inside out. I see the promotion of thugs, drugs, money and murder which seems to be the new suit that is being pushed to the public, with its high being the exploitation of women, which I have also participated in. I see a new generation that is mesmerized by this new suit, with its flashy material that stands out more than the original fabric from which hip hop was designed.

Nas came out with an album in 2006 called Hip Hop is Dead, and he caught slack for releasing it, but was he right? In the following weeks, I will dig more into my theory of what’s happening to conscious hip hop. But for now, here is a clip from Grandmaster Flash, The Message.