The effect hip-hop has had on Atlanta... (neighborhoods, law)

[ocsanders]

Side note: as a child of the 70s who grew up listening to 80s and 90s hip hop, I am appalled at some of the songs that these new, so-called artists are creating. Listening to Cell Therapy and Get up, Get Out inspired me as a teen...but all of that is history. There is absolutely no inspiration coming out of the current music in Atlanta (unless its underground).

But I am moving to the city (after being out of the south for over a decade). I have two little children and I am truly afraid at what options they will have to listen to. I can shelter them, but exposure through peers and school is inevitable.

[JC84]

The problem is many people can't separate the music from reality. I grew up listening to that sort of music, in a middle class neighborhood in Massachusetts. The lifestyle that music represents just wasn't present. Honestly, the demographics were much different, and I'm not sure if that has something to do with it. But bottom line is, I don't feel that parents here get involved as much in their kids' education and overall development. Kids become lemmings to this music and don't seem to be taught (or at least reinforced) to separate it from how they should live their lives.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by ocsanders

Side note: as a child of the 70s who grew up listening to 80s and 90s hip hop, I am appalled at some of the songs that these new, so-called artists are creating. Listening to Cell Therapy and Get up, Get Out inspired me as a teen...but all of that is history. There is absolutely no inspiration coming out of the current music in Atlanta (unless its underground).

But I am moving to the city (after being out of the south for over a decade). I have two little children and I am truly afraid at what options they will have to listen to. I can shelter them, but exposure through peers and school is inevitable.

You just have to make sure you imbue your set of values and set of acceptable behavior on them and not allow them to run with hooligans. As far as music goes, just accept the fact that you are "old" in their eyes now. This is a pattern that all parents had to deal with at some point when the music of their youth became old.

My father said that the stuff my brothers and I listened to in the 80s was crap and wasn't real music like the O'Jays or Stevie Wonder. My grandfather told my father the stuff he listened to was crap and wasn't real music like Count Basie or Duke Ellington. My great grandfather told my grandfather his music was crap and wasn't music like Scott Joplin. It is a never ending cycle that every generation will have to endure.

[Big L]

I personally do not feel that hip-hop (or any other form of music for that matter) has made Atlanta worse. Metro Atlanta has changed dramatically from the time Southern rappers first hit nationwide through now. In actuality, none of those changes either positive or negative had anything to do with hip-hop. If you were to do a timeline and look at what has happened in Metro Atlanta from the MC Shy D/Success N Effect era through the OutKast/Goodie Mob era then through the T.I./Ludacris era and beyond, you will see that the many positive and negative changes have happened that have nothing to do with hip-hop.

I think the lack of quality in most mainstream hip-hop and R&B is happening nationwide. Back in the day, local hip-hop or R&B artists could still get their music played on local stations or even catch a break by being an opening act or something of that nature. These days, most stations are owned by larger entities (Radio One, Clear Channel, etc.) and the playlists are pretty much set in stone. When I was growing up, a Black station in L.A. didn't sound like a Black station in Atlanta. Likewise, a Black station in Atlanta didn't sound like a Black station in New Orleans or New York City. Nowadays, you'll get the same 5 songs in every city ad nauseum.

As far as Atlanta and hip-hop are concerned, the only negative that I can see is that some people may tend to come here thinking that they can make it in the rap game. I don't really count it as a total negative since people have been relocating to other cities for years for similar reasons. I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, so Lord knows that I have come across people who have moved somewhere hoping to be "discovered" *lol*.

[Big L]

Originally Posted by JC84

The problem is many people can't separate the music from reality. I grew up listening to that sort of music, in a middle class neighborhood in Massachusetts. The lifestyle that music represents just wasn't present. Honestly, the demographics were much different, and I'm not sure if that has something to do with it. But bottom line is, I don't feel that parents here get involved as much in their kids' education and overall development. Kids become lemmings to this music and don't seem to be taught (or at least reinforced) to separate it from how they should live their lives.

There was also more of a balance back then as well. For every "gangsta" rap song that was played, there was also a decent slow jam/ballad, a nice R&B song, or a more-positive rap song played as well. To go even further, some of us grew up watching the old MTV where there was actually music most of the day. That was along with shows such as Friday Night Videos on NBC or Night Tracks over on TBS. As a result, we were exposed to Pop/Top 40 and Rock as well as R&B and Rap/Hip-Hop. That doesn't seem to happen much these days.

[JC84]

Originally Posted by Big L

There was also more of a balance back then as well. For every "gangsta" rap song that was played, there was also a decent slow jam/ballad, a nice R&B song, or a more-positive rap song played as well. To go even further, some of us grew up watching the old MTV where there was actually music most of the day. That was along with shows such as Friday Night Videos on NBC or Night Tracks over on TBS. As a result, we were exposed to Pop/Top 40 and Rock as well as R&B and Rap/Hip-Hop. That doesn't seem to happen much these days.

Very true. I grew up in the mid 90's but still, there didn't seem to be as much hateful, ignorant "music" as there is now these days.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by JC84

Very true. I grew up in the mid 90's but still, there didn't seem to be as much hateful, ignorant "music" as there is now these days.

Tupac
Biggie
NWA
Ice Cube's Cop Killer ring a bell?

[Lagwagon113]

I think it has made more people want to live out this dramatic "being held down by the man" and "struggling in the ghetto" mentality. I mean when you have kids in the suburbs talking about life in the ghetto.....I mean come on. It sort of becomes a self fulfilling prophecy in a way. Kids want to emulate this "struggle" so they engage in the gangs, drugs and violence that is glorified in the music creating a never ending cycle.

I'm not saying the music has to be G rated but at least have some substance beyond "hey look at me I'm a big tough guy".

[equinox63]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Tupac
Biggie
NWA
Ice Cube's Cop Killer ring a bell?

Cop killer was by Ice T...

[muxBuppie]

Originally Posted by suprascooby22

Please enlighten us oh wise one.

ocsanders already explained. What you hear on the radio dealing with all that negative stuff is not real hip hop.