HIP HOP in America... Open discussion on Hip Hop in your town... (compare, live)

[boreatwork]

Originally Posted by mas23

Not really a big fan. Tyler the Creator is a good rapper but I'm just not feeling their music. I respect their grind though, doing it without a deal.

I cant get with that devil @#$#. They're for real about that anit-christ @#$%. Kids listening to their every word and want to follow them. That isnt creative to me thats BullS@#$. I grew up on Bone Thugs n Harmony, and Three 6 mafia around the DC area the epitome of that serious dark music but the way they did it was creative and catchy but it wasnt real. These dudes really rappin bout some sacrilegious stuff, not just for the music and album sales. Who supports that?

[mas23]

Originally Posted by boreatwork

I cant get with that devil @#$#. They're for real about that anit-christ @#$%. Kids listening to their every word and want to follow them. That isnt creative to me thats BullS@#$. I grew up on Bone Thugs n Harmony, and Three 6 mafia around the DC area the epitome of that serious dark music but the way they did it was creative and catchy but it wasnt real. These dudes really rappin bout some sacrilegious stuff, not just for the music and album sales. Who supports that?

For real. Not only the Devil stuff but almost everything they rhyme about is strange. Oh well. Can't knock their hustle and I still think Tyler is a good MC (reminds me of Guru) but not too crazy about them

mas23

[FLA17]

Haven't heard of anything from Cincy, South Carolina, charlotte, orlando, oklahoma, nashville(other then young buck) and pittsburgh before wiz

[Psykomonkee]

Originally Posted by Nomad443

Me personally, I make a distinction between Hip Hop as a unique "inner-city cultural movement" and Hip Hop as an "industry." I believe that Hip Hop as a "culture" is dying out or is at least on its death bed. Hip Hop as an "industry" is alive & well. Hip Hop as a culture was an urban/inner-city based cultural movement that arose among blacks and Puerto Ricans. The various elements of Hip Hop were originally consolidated on a whole in the Bronx, NY, and then spread throughout the other boroughs, Jersey, Philly, & CT around the same time. By the late 80s it spread throughout the country. This creative, inner-city cultural movement consisted of MCing, DJing, Graffiti art, and Breakdancing and was a movement among the youth of the inner-city.

I couldn't agree MORE, and THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN BY "LET'S TALK HIP HOP" (Not BET and MTV, but "Turntablism" aka DJing, "Tagging" aka graffiti, Rap and the different types, etc... ALL of the CULTURE and all that falls under it).

Originally Posted by Nomad443

I believe that Hip Hop as a "culture" is dying out or is at least on its death bed.

I hear you, but I actually believe that it's still alive (not on a death bed) and well, but we as a whole just ignore it. Hip Hop is SO neglected... In this thread, I was and am hoping to hear from others that can help us uncover the mystery of where the culture is hiding in everyone's cities...

Originally Posted by Nomad443

Hip Hop as an "industry" consists of the contemporary record industry, various media outlets (video shows & contemporary radio conglomerates), commentators such as college professors and journalists who write about Hip Hop (but who didn't grow up on it, and usually don't know what the hell they're talking about), and other such elements. While early Hip Hop as a culture seemed to promote individual creativity, intelligence, and community consciousness, Hip Hop as an industry seems to promote pure ignorance (in my opinion). The current scene seems to be "dumbing down" a whole generation

I'm not saying that early Hip Hop was totally positive, righteous, or conscious. But it was definitely "balanced." Everything in the universe has positive and negative, and both were well represented in early Hip Hop, often times by the same artist. Much of what is now coming out is pure Hollywood, they are actors fronting to be something that they are not.

I can agree with that... I hear you and understand that this isn't so much a sweeping generalization, but a pointing out of majority rule. It's sad that it has to be that way, but the reality is that Hip Hop is such a powerful culture that it is bigger than any one neighborhood, city, people, nationality, race, MENTALITY, CLASS or so on... With that being said, it's also much bigger than any collective ideas or mentalities. Meaning it has also affected the lives of many many many people that have been negatively impacted lives and spread negativity themselves... Hip Hop almost has no box. It's the living culture...
Unfortunately, some people have nothing to share with the world, but they know how to make a beat that people will dance to... Can't really try to push it out of the family as not being a part of Hip Hop. It's just more like the crazy uncle in the family that nobody knows how they're really related to him...

Other thing is that, not everyone's reality is the same... Once apon a time, I refused to accept certain artists like Mac-10 as being "Real Hip Hop" because it wasn't anything like what I was used being a KRS-One fan... It wasn't until I saw an interview with him that changed the way I think. He spoke about how he makes music for HIM and people LIKE HIM, NOT for these other backpack emcees out there that are reading dictionaries to figure out more witty ways to make a point. That spoke to me and made me realize that when Hip Hop hit everyone's town, it didn't suddenly bring the Bronx life to their town. They were STILL in Houston doing Houston things, still in Inglewood, do Cali things, still in Miami doing Southern things... They weren't gathered around in circles next to park benches spittin rhymes with each other, but they were gangbangin, crip walking, in strip clubs, tipp'n on 44s, or whatever it is they were doing in their own towns. So they adopted the culture, but the culture is living and fluid, so it naturally grew to fit their lives. Not dictate it...

That's how I still respect certain rappers (that I still feel are pure garbage as emcees, but I won't try to deny them pass to the culture, because I realize that many of them live in sub-culture (sub-culture of hip hop) worlds that I simply don't belong to, and they are making music for people LIKE THEM) as still being a part of the hip hop family whether I like it or not, like Waka Flocka, Lil B, Dipset (YES, I HATE Dipset... GARBAGE emcees, but that's only my opinion) and Nelly... (I don't like those guys... Lol, but somehow I still jam to all of them if it's playing).

[Psykomonkee]

Today's questions:

Q1-----
IS THERE A HIP HOP CONVENTION/FESTIVAL THAT HAPPENS IN YOUR TOWN? IF SO, PLEASE TELL THE REST OF US ANYTHING YOU CAN ABOUT IT...

For example, Atlanta does the A3C Festival every October showcasing Underground artists...

Q2-----
WHAT CITY DO YOU GUESS WILL BE THE NEXT CITY TO HAVE A HIP HOP TAKEOVER? (I'll explain... I already know that many don't buy into the "takeover" idea, and many disagree with what "takeovers" happened, but for this discussion I'm going to just define it so we can just answer the question rather than burn time debating the "takeover" itself)

The "takeovers" happened only a few times...
-NYC started Hip Hop

-at one time, Los Angeles blew when it introduced it's version of Gangsta Rap, and it appeared that it's influenced spreaded as far east as Ohio, Detroit and Atlanta.

-Then NYC took over again.

-New Orleans had a short takeover when it introduced that "iced out cover, self boosted tapes and CDs" with No Limit and Cash Money.

-NYC took over again as it usually does...

-Atlanta hit big with several new sounds that are heard even in NYC causing NY to ask "when's somebody going to bring Hip Hop back?"

Other cities have "blown" like Oakland, Houston, Memphis, Chicago, Miami, Philly and Detroit... But none of them had a "takeover"

WHAT CITY WILL HAVE THE NEXT TAKEOVER? Will NY take it back? Will LA take it with all it's new sounds coming out through new talent? Detroit is really gearing up for a huge Hip Hop impact, will it be Detroit?
Also, WHAT CITY WILL BE THE NEXT TO "BLOW?" When it comes to a "next to blow" question, a city can only really "blow" once... So, LA, NO, NY, Chicago, ATL, Houston and so on are all disqualified... Has to be a city that has gone for the most part, under recognized. Having one or just a few good acts doesn't count as "blowing," i.e: Cleveland, St. Louis, Pittsburgh etc...
To "BLOW" you've had a big impact by spreading your local, sub-culture across the nation but falling short of a "Takeover"

[Psykomonkee]

Originally Posted by FLA17

Haven't heard of anything from Cincy, South Carolina, charlotte, orlando, oklahoma, nashville(other then young buck) and pittsburgh before wiz

Cincinnati - Hi-Tek is from Cincy. Check him out...

South Carolina - Check out Danny! aka D.Swain. Alternative Hip Hip artist. I think he's signed to Roc Nation

Orlando - Check out SoL.iLLiquist.of.Soul... Very interesting

Nashville - B-Hoody... And Chancellor Warhol

Pittsburgh - I like Devin Miles. There's also Varsity Squad, they're... eh, okay (I hate it when emcees SOUND like they are TRYING to rap). Then there's RayDawn aka RayDawn the 86th. He's cool. Can't forget Beedie "The Beat Bully."

[Spade]

While St. Louis did have only one artist that was consistent. They still had a relevant sound and was a city for better or for worse (I emphasize this) still in the charts for a good part of the 2000s. I mean you went from Nelly to the St. Lunatics to J-Kwon to Chingy to Jibbs in a matter of 6 years. Even Huey had a hit. So I wouldn't count St. Louis either. I mean nobody really screamed out Midwest like that until Nelly came on the scene. Chicago rappers and Cleveland rappers didn't really shout out the region like that.

[Psykomonkee]

Originally Posted by boreatwork

I cant get with that devil @#$#. They're for real about that anit-christ @#$%. Kids listening to their every word and want to follow them. That isnt creative to me thats BullS@#$. I grew up on Bone Thugs n Harmony, and Three 6 mafia around the DC area the epitome of that serious dark music but the way they did it was creative and catchy but it wasnt real. These dudes really rappin bout some sacrilegious stuff, not just for the music and album sales. Who supports that?

I DO!

Those kids are DOPE! Not everything they do is devilish... That's mostly Tyler (sometimes Hodgy), and he's not a devil worshipper. He's simply an athiest (big difference) so to him, saying something that to others is demonic means nothing to him cause he doesn't believe anyway. Bone members actually aren't really "athiests" and they still messed with that Quija and devil stuff... And "Triple 6" mafia? Really??? But then again, I don't think they gave a *$#! about anyway... (by the way, I'm a fan of both. Maybe I'm just twisted)
Tyler just says that stuff because people react to it. Whatever is going to get a rise or knee jerk reaction, he's going to say. He's a kid that just hates people saying what you can and can't say and do, so he rebelliously sets out to say exactly what people think to be taboo... "That's that Wolf Gang Swagger!"

But, like I said, not all of their stuff is that dark devil stuff... Check out MellowHype's Yellowblack album, or their Blackenedwhite album. DOPE! And check out Earl Sweatshirt's album. Also, Domo Genesis' album is nice... OFWGKTA is nice, don't buy that devil stuff! They are just athiests picking on the things you shy from...

As an example: look up these songs:

MellowHype---
-Brain
-Loco
-CopKiller
-CocainKeys

Earl Sweatshirt---
-epaR
-Couch
-Earl

OFWGKTA---
-Cool

[Psykomonkee]

Originally Posted by Spade

While St. Louis did have only one artist that was consistent. They still had a relevant sound and was a city for better or for worse (I emphasize this) still in the charts for a good part of the 2000s. I mean you went from Nelly to the St. Lunatics to J-Kwon to Chingy to Jibbs in a matter of 6 years. Even Huey had a hit. So I wouldn't count St. Louis either. I mean nobody really screamed out Midwest like that until Nelly came on the scene. Chicago rappers and Cleveland rappers didn't really shout out the region like that.

So, has Saint Louis' "blow point" already passed? Or have they yet to really blow and can still look forward to it in the future?

[detroitlove]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

Z-Ro's subject matter is much more mature than Soulja Boy's. Shouldn't even be in the same thread...

soulja boy shouldn't be mentioned at all!! swagger jacking lol