The effect hip-hop has had on Atlanta... (North Atlanta, Dunwoody: real estate, violent crime)

[JC84]

Originally Posted by muxBuppie

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

But at what point does it "become" real hip hop when the vast majority of mainstream culture label it that way? BET, MTV, VH1, radio, all call this new crap "hip hop".

[JPD]

Originally Posted by equinox63

Cop killer was by Ice T...

It was also a heavy metal song, and not a hip-hop song.

[oakhurstlauren]

Originally Posted by muxBuppie

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

And who listens to commercial radio anymore anyway? With all the options out there now, why would one subject themselves to repetitive radio play? There is plenty of local enlightening hip hop in Atlanta, always has been, always will be. The groups tend to be more underground, but with so much accessibility to music through the internet, location nor mainstream radio can force anyone to listen to anything they don't want to. Every single genre of music has good and bad. I listened Body Count growing up in middle Georgia lol, and I grew up just fine without killing any cops.

Raise your kids right and music is just entertainment and not a substitute for a moral compass.

[mike7586]

Originally Posted by equinox63

Cop killer was by Ice T...

And now he is a cop on Law & Order: SVU, LOL.

[ocsanders]

Originally Posted by mike7586

And now he is a cop on Law & Order: SVU, LOL.

I actually chuckle about this as well when I watch SVU.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

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.

Indeed. Before you know it today's hip hop generation will be yelling at their kids to turn it down and asking why can't we go back to real music like Gucci Mane and Ghetto Mafia.

[muxBuppie]

Ok, first off Body Count sucks. It just does.

Second, thugs and ganstas existed long before rap and will exist when(or if) it dies.

Third, Hip Hop was always about artistic expression and enlightenment, as well as letting the world know what does happen in lower class minority neighborhoods. Mainstream rap music kills almost every element of hip hop and only caters to the negative dumb or dance-ble stuff which has a place but should not be the only thing in your face.

Fourth, I don't know what black youth today will have for their grandkids but I barely listen to rap/hip hop so I will have plenty for mine.

[NorthDeKalb]

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.

Ahhhhhh yes, I remember those days.

Staying up late to see Night Tracks/Friday Night Videos, and sincerely excited about it because they were the only options at the time.

It was a totally different era I tell you. The lineup looked something like Duran Duran, Bananarama, the Go Go's, Run DMC, Cindy Lauper then Madonna etc. and everyone was introduced to everything whether you liked it or not. This is sure to be interesting, but who else remembers "I want my MTV?"

[plessthanpointohfive]

Originally Posted by equinox63

Cop killer was by Ice T...

And it's not just rap or hip-hop that has songs like this. Ever listen to "Mr Jack" by System of a Down? It's such a great song, too.

By and large, both "Cop Killer" and "Mr Jack" aren't really about killing cops. They're angry statements about the abuse of the police state. Frankly, I'm glad stuff like this exists because it gets people all riled up and talking.

And I love cops! My cousin is a New Orleans police officer. And I'm not anti-authority, etc. I just like a little subversiveness in my music sometimes.

[equinox63]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

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

I can't say much for Biggie except that he had a nice flow, a certain amount of lyricism, and a talent for telling riveting street narratives in 1st or 3rd person.

But Ice Cube's "Amerikkka's Most Wanted" and "Death Certificate" were classics. Almost each and every song on both albums was packed with relevant social and political commentary... not some thuggish dumbed-down buffoonery.

And even though NWA was very misogynistic and they always talked about the tough streets of Compton, they were never bragging about how rich they were from selling drugs... Even the song "Dopeman" is speaking somewhat negatively about Dope dealers, listen to it. I think the main conflict people had with them at the time was the language... and that wasn't even a huge deal until "F*** the Police" came out... That's when NWA and "gangsta rap" was seriously targeted.

As for Tupac, although he was as much a pawn of the music industry as anyone else, at least there was some balance. For every misogynistic song there was a song uplifting women. For every negative song, there was a conscious song... For every song that was about ignorant stuff, there was one about revolutionary topics. Tupac's whole catalog wasn't all "Hit Em' Up" nor was it all "Dear Mama" or "Keep Your Head Up"... but at least it was a little balance. Can we say that about Jeezy or Gucci?

And one should also note that all the people you mentioned got virtually NO radio airplay (except for a few of their most mainstream songs)... Today, you can hear the raw and dirty stuff on 107.9 any Friday or Saturday night...

(Does anyone still listen to the 88.5 Rhythm and Vibes show on Sundays from 10pm to 2am?)