Keepin It Real

Let me start out by saying that, although I'm not a gangsta or a thug, I enjoy listening to rap and hip hop every now and then. That being said...

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO RAP MUSIC?!?

I mean I can't stand rap music now. And apparently, a lot of people agree with me. As of 2005, hip hop sales were falling so much that TIME magazine felt compelled to ask the question of whether or not hip hop was "dying". Some of the theories floating around are: that some young people are tired of the violence, degrading imagery and lyrics.(not likely) Another theory is that falling sales are due to illegal downloading and P2P networks.(that's possible) Or perhaps it's because of the lack of lyrical content and "sampling" by newer artists.(maybe)
However, I don't subscribe to any of those theories. They all seem to have a hint of truth to them, but I think that the people who came up with those theories have overlooked one monumental idea that links them all together.

Today's rappers have SOLD OUT!!!!

There I said it.
Now before anyone decides to pop a cap in my, well, you know...let me just explain what I mean. When rap began back in the 1970's, all the way up until the late 1990's, people loved it because they could relate to it somehow. It spoke of poverty, crime, hard times, difficult situations, hopelessness and hope; it told the life stories of those who felt like no one ever listened or cared. Sometimes it was humorous, oftentimes it was violent, but it always seemed to SAY something, even if not everyone liked what they heard. The "old skool" rap could be thought of as an anthem for a whole group of people who needed an outlet; a voice.

The rappers of today still hold true to certain aspects of the "old skool": they still speak of "smackin' their b@*ch up" and other acts of violence; they still grossly overuse profanity. The difference seems to be that their target audience is no longer the disenfranchised masses, it's themselves. Or the upper classes.

Put away the gat, I'm still explaining!

Almost anytime you hear a hip hop song on the radio today, it's like listening to someone read the store directory out of VOGUE magazine. Lyrics are inundated with references to Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and countless others. Most of which are spelled wrong in the lyrics! These people are shopping for jewelry and bling at places like Tiffany and Cartier. While drinking Courvoisier and Cristal.
What regular person can do that? I can't. The people in my neighborhood can't and I would like to think that my neighborhood is a step or two above the ghetto and they certainly can't unless they're doing something shady on the side. How are the rest of us listening to these rappers supposed to make any kind of connection to what they're talking about? That was the beauty of rap to begin with! That the person in front of the beat knew where you were coming from. can they really do that from Rodeo Drive?

So, the next time one of you "new skool" rappers are rolling down the street in your pimped-out Escalade, wearing your yearly salary's worth of ice around your neck or on your teeth, and your D&G clothes and Prada shoes, listening to the radio and hear your new track drop, when you turn your Gucci sunglasses to look around you, know this:
The people in the minivan behind you and the beat up Toyota next to you, just turned off that same station and are now listening to someone who really understood us. Someone who kept it real. Kept it simple. Like Run DMC. Or Vanilla Ice.
Peace, I'm out!