Is Hip Hop really dead?

From time to time I hear fans say that hip hop is dead. Why is that? It is true that it has been commercialized a lot but it is the same situation with almost every genre. Do I hear anybody say that rock music has passed away? No.

I agree that a lot of mainstream rappers lyrically are trying to fit in and make money but does that mean that’s all the culture has to offer mainstream wise? Nas, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Eminem are still making quality albums while we in recent years have been blessed with new rappers such as Lupe Fiasco, B.o.b and now J. Cole.

The reeeeeal hip hop

Fans seem to use this term to separate commercial stuff from profound tracks. Am I really the only one on this planet who thinks this is bullshit? At the end of the day it’s a matter of taste and since we all relate differently to the lyrics, I just can’t see how anybody can dictate what’s real. A line about a cat can mean the world to you while it can be absolute garbage in my ears.

Electronic music seems to be a sin in 2010 (soon ’11) and people use it as a reason to hate someone’s album and as an argument as to why the genre is dead.

Electro (“pop”) has always been popular and has had an enormous influence on the hip hop genre. Just listen to tracks such as Dick Almighty by 2 Live Crew (1989), Rocking it by The Fearless Four (1982) and Ghetto Thang by De La Soul (1989). They all contain samples from Kraftwerk.

The fact that electronic music was a part of hip hop in the 80’s makes it a part of the roots of the whole genre. Who decided that it all of a sudden should be illegal?

What is pure hip hop anyway? Artists have sampled other genres since forever; soul, blues, funk, rock, jazz etc.

With the invention of the Ipod and Internet, music is so accessible so I can’t believe that anyone would ever be dumb enough to say a whole genre has passed away. All the amazing Rakim, KRS-One and Big Daddy Kane albums are still possible to put on your mp3-player, and they are still on the shelves in the stores.

Is it because your favourite rappers aren’t getting airplay? Because the most popular rappers these days aren’t necessarily the best and most skilled? If you ask me, it is all about what you let get to you. No one forces you to listen to someone you don’t like.

Maybe if the general hip hop fan stopped acting like a dictator and welcomed innovation, he would see how wonderful and great the genre still is and always has been.

P.S. Did I forget to mention that Talib Kweli had a sold out concert in my little country, Denmark, a few months ago?