Hip Hop is dead

Is that all you got? This was the thought that ran through my mind while I read the album cover of a Lil Wayne recording while I rode the train. Now don’t get me wrong-this is not a diss. I actually was on Lil Wayne when he was…well little Wayne. I thought that back in the day when he was with the Hot Boys he was one the most creative and promising rappers out. He made me feel good about the future of hip-hop.Surrounded by other group members almost twice his age Lil Wayne continually held his own and sometimes even shined all without cursing! Now I know this type of appreciation for wordplay and cleverness is very underrated in our uninhibited world of rap superstars today and general lack of or distaste for vocabulary, but this is what made him stand out to me  some 11 years ago. To put that thought into an even greater perspective at the time I could only think of one other emcee that I liked that didn’t really curse at all. That emcee was Rakim- go figure! This is somewhat dissapointing considering Rakim’s pedigree compared to the barely decipherable mumbling that Lil wayne spits today that is loved by so many of his fans. This is not the hip-hop I grew up on this is somthing else- HIP HOP IS DEAD (as we knew it). The question within that thought that needs to be pondered is- what has been born from it and what is it’s purpose? Lil Wayne is so the epitome of whatever  it is because much like a young and even sometimes current Jay-Z I believe Lil Wayne has become an astute businessman and has become very good at giving the people “what they want”. What they “want” is the real issue. Are today’s youth that detached from the reality of the world that they don’t have anything to rebel against in thier music besides wearing pants that fit and not calling women out of thier names or making money? Are we that satisfied with our selves within hip-hop that we are saying there is no more work to do socially? Or are we saying that even though we influence the hearts and minds of millions of fans we’d rather not really “keep it real”? I say Lil Wayne has a moral responsibility to put a little more medicine in his music if for no other reason than he is probably one of the few out here that can do it and still make it entertaining i.e. Jay-Z on the Hell Yeah Remix with Dead Prez. Now of couse testerone will kick in and most cats including Lil Wayne will probably say “this cat just hating” or “he wanna be me”. I will let you know before you utter the words you would be right. I am hating the fact that we allow our culture to continually be raped, but more that that we accept the sloppy seconds without a second’s hesitation to what the long term effect of our actions are. I would also love to be Lil Wayne. I would love to have the ability to change the world one song at a time for the better and be a part of creating a better future for the world and get paid for it-who wouldn’t? So there. I just came clean. Your turn. Is that all you got?97.

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