"I know this is a recession but the music that you makin is gonna make it the great depression"
Jay-Z "Death Of Auto-Tune" (thanks dude :)
what a way to start huh ? You have got to be kidding me. Has this really what it's been reduced to ? s***....we don't even have female rappers no more. That's one good thing I can say about the hype surrounding Nicki Minaj...at least until Lil Kim or Eve decide to make an album. Nicki has all the right elements to bring that female mc essence back to the world of Hip-Hop: voice, personality, flow, lyrics & yeah...she's definitely a cutie !
I absolutely love the Hip-Hop honors show because it pays homage & tremendous red carpet respect to the pioneers that opened the door for what we call hip-hop. I dont care who the hottest artist is. If they know anything about hip-hop, they would come & pay homage to the people that came before them
90% of everyone looks & sounds the same. I couldnt tell half of these n****s apart. Too much clicking & certain NYC dudes ass kissing trying to be South instead of doing them. Skinny jeans ? NOT ! I thought it was always worse to have your pants too low or too tight....granted, that was a style way back when but there were other styles to choose from too. My point is VARIETY & DIVERSITY ! the problem is that when record labels see one thing jumping off in certain demographic, they will try to get newly or veteran acts to follow suit in pursuit of quick gratification or as i say, premature ejaculation. It also forces the artists to reexamine themselves which eventually leads to them trying to fit in instead OF BEING THEMSELVES. If the records were really selling in big numbers, then I could understand the trend being worthy
There are no artists taking risks as the audience continues to settle for some of these stupid ass looking clowns with all this excess jewelry for nothing. I remember when jewelry was cool but after 2004, it got corny & ridiculous. And because I'm from the town that started that trend, I HAVE A RIGHT TO SPEAK !
There was a lot of debate I had with folks over the Kanye issue. This dude really thought he was doing something in the name of Hip-Hop & all he did was make Taylor Swift more famous than she already is and with good measure cause I actually love her work. Note to upcoming artists: THAT S*** DOES NOT WORK ! even as a Brooklyn hood boy myself, I can say that integrity, class & character is the key to success in addition to grinding & will carry you a long way when your career cools at a great level. And dont tell me about record sales leverage. I get soundscan & if you saw the numbers half of these dudes are pulling in even with the tremendous exposure they get, you would shake your head. It's embarassing that all the marketing money & alleged payola schemes go into feeding the public bulls*** & making people around think this is what hip-hop is all about ! so with that being said, I dont blame the artists that much. Only the ones that revel in their own ignorance & especially the ones who still dont know how to talk properly for interviews. I wish an A & R would tell me what the kids or people think it's hot. ARE YOU F****** KIDDIN ME ? besides my own & a host of nieces & nephews/cousins, I spent a GREAT deal around kids. The advantages of being a former school teacher & trust me when I tell you..most of these kids are ready to be challenged & some have grown sophisticated even (one of my former students loves Maxwell) & that alone shocked me. These kids today like great music but because of lack of musical education & diversity on radio & video, they are forced to go with what is constantly fed to them. I swear....if they took it back to when people used to vote on the radio what song or artist was hot, 90% of these dudes would not be here !
There are sooooooo many GREAT & meaningful rap artists who are putting out great diverse rap product but not getting the same coverage like Playaz Circle,The Clipse, Saigon,Gloria Velez (yes the video vixen - she's ill with it !!), Sean Price, Ras Kass, Joel Ortiz, Asher Roth, Kel Spencer, Rustee Jux & especially Slaughterhouse & while im not the biggest Wale fan, I TREMENDOUSLY HONOR & RESPECT WHAT HE'S DOING & HAVING JAY-Z's COMPANY BEHIND YOU SAYS A LOT ! plus he obviously recognizes the music history of his city by infusing the Go-Go sound with strong Hip-Hop ! THAT'S WHAT ORIGINALITY IS ABOUT !! very interesting how some artists diss Jay-Z or call him old because he took a stand against the Auto-Tune users & won. Good..now let's see who really got talent. The ones who complain & beef obviously don't
It's not about old school or new school, east,west, south or north ! it's about a need for change, balance & respect. I'm from an era where no two rappers sounded or look the same. You couldnt say that you was the best..YOU HAD TO PROVE IT THROUGH VARIOUS MEDIUMS & if you wasn't original or being a trend follower, you were ousted. All I see now is muthaf******* BUYING their way to stardom & once they get there, they become bigger bafoons than they were. Being a trendsetter is something that I have lived by since I was 12 years old..hence the name Planet 12. Somebody on Facebook told me for my birthday to save the music.The only way that me & many other artists like me can ever accomplish such a thing is that people have to save themselves from the bulls*** ! I truly cannot do it alone. On the R&B side, Maxwell has given us a head start by coming back & selling big with increased radio plays after 7 years of not being in the radar. Just goes to show you it's never too late. The people spoke..the powers that be listened. This is why when I invite you to my shows, it's deeper than just comin to support. It's showing people that there is great music out here & they dont have to settle ! so on that note, HIP-HOP STILL HAS A LOT OF REMODELING TO DO IF IT EVER WANTS TO COMPETE WITH THE POP/COUNTRY WORLD LIKE IT ONCE DID. Need proof: Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 is still in the top 10 on the Billboard after two months ! like I said before, meaningful great hip-hop will always prevail no matter what the current bulls*** trend is !
PLANET 12 IS UPON YALL !