People have been saying for years now that “Hip Hop is Dead”. In the early 90’s, purists complained that the West Coast’s overt “gangstarism” was destroying the culture from the inside out. Half a decade later, the Diddy-led commercialism of hip hop was pegged as the cause for its sure enough downfall. And again, at the start of the new millennium when Eminem and Nelly helped to usher in the pop era, hip hop was said to be far disconnected from its roots, and wilting from too much mainstream exposure. The topic has come up again, earlier this year, when hip hop icon Nas released a CD entitled “Hip Hop is Dead“. Some people blame the recent decline on the mass of music coming from the south; that New York (the birthplace of Hip Hop) has not put out as much music as it used to. The past few years, I’ve rarely felt refreshed from hearing a new hip hop record. Lately I’ve gone through my music collection and found myself regularly listening to classics from A Tribe Called Quest, Gangstarr, KRS-One, Pete Rock, De La Soul and Pharcyde just to remember what it’s like to hear quality music. What has happened to the current state of hip hop? Where is its heart and soul today?

There was a time when hip hop was about sending a message. Back in hip hop’s heyday of the ’80s and early ’90s, some of the most popular groups were also some of the most vibrant - the militant Public Enemy, the uplifting Arrested Development, the artistic A Tribe Called Quest, and the teacher KRS-One. Despite different approaches, they seemed to be working together to speak about the black experience and create the melting pot that made hip hop so refreshing and vital.

Today that message is a little harder to find. With the success of hip hop in the mainstream market, most MCs today rap about their material possessions, partying, and “hoes” (forgive the expression). Just turn on any current hip hop music video or MTV Cribs if you don’t believe me. The market has been flooded by music geared towards white suburbia and kids today are fine with it. Let me tell you, “THIS IS NOT WHAT HIP HOP IS ABOUT.” Sure we had our party albums (Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” and anything by Kid ‘N Play) and gangsta albums by N.W.A., but we also had songs with meaning. Ironically, this reminds me of the classic “Self Destruction“:

They call us animals
I don’t agree with them
Let’s prove em wrong
But right is what were proving em’

Today there are still a few artists out there that portrait a positive message, such as Common, Mos Def, The Roots, and Talib Kweli. But the current state of hip hop goes far beyond the lyrics. What about the music itself? Producers today are putting out garbage beats just to make a quick dollar. Producers such as Scott Storch, Lil Jon, The Neptunes, and even my man Timbaland are playing into the mainstream radio market and putting out beats that are unoriginal and uninspiring. Grant it, the money is probably too good to turn down, but when you start producing songs for Paris Hilton or the latest all girl pop group, you start to lose credibility with me. To be fair, there was a day when Timbaland and The Neptunes were innovative and they may still put out a quality beat or two. But there was also a day when you fell in love with a hip hop song at first listen. It didn’t have to be played over and over, forced down your throat by radio and TV, in order for you to nod your head at it like you’re subjected to today. There are a few producers today who are pushing the envelope — Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Just Blaze — but they are few and far between. I’m sure there are some very good producers out there that we have not heard yet, but just because they don’t follow the format of today’s radio they will never be heard. I know there are some of my favorite old school beat makers, such as DJ Premier and Jazzy Jeff, who are still making music today, but radio refuses to play them.

So let me end this rant with a question from the 2002 movie “Brown Sugar“: When did you first fall in love with hip hop? For me it was “Roxanne, Roxanne” by U.T.F.O. The simplistic yet hard beat, the smooth flow of the Kangol Kid, and the wicked scratches by Mix Master Ice was something new that my 10 year old ears were yearning for more. Also, do you think hip hop is dead? If so, when did it die?