Hip Hop Is Dead?..Vol.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve all seen the T-shirts, album covers, and magazines. Heard the chatter of unsolicited underground backpackers. Read about the arrest and lawsuits of the illegal downloaders. What’s next?

Will record companies continue to send their underpaid, overworked, fame starved interns to the strip malls, clubs & sidewalks to plaster cars, people, and walls with more ridiculous psychobabble? Is everyone really thinking it, or is it just Nas? And why are still listening to Nas after he was TKO’d & “So Uglied” by Jay-Z? Is it just propaganda from the North to explain why no one from NY is #1.

Yes, the south is responsible for some of the craziest music trends ever created. Yet, it is arguably the most entertaining of the garbage out. Maybe I’m just an “old head” I prefer to get ignorant with my booty shake and old school bass music. It’s the “dancer” in me, pop locking, rag topping, & YEKE! is just in my blood. I rarely get into the discussion about real hip hop because no one knows what Hip Hop is!

In the commercial sense, is Hip Hop dead? Yes! It’s been chewed up, chewed some more, swallowed, digested, and spit back up. It’s part of the big “money” machine of Corporate America. Once people see you can make money with something it turns into a business.

I remember sitting in my music history class astonished by how much I didn’t know about the beginnings of “Hip Hop/Rap/R&B”. That was years ago, I’ve been working in the music industry for over 10 years now. From radio to print, I’ve been surrounded by it. My brother, my cousins, my friends all are deep into the industry. And I’m still a cynic. I’ve met some of the dumbest people in the world, astonished they can even walk around without hurting themselves. I’ve also met people who are grounded and just want to make good music. Some of the most grounded people are the ones you don’t even see. Which means they are the ones you don’t even listen to. Is Hip Hop dead to them, for them? No.

But in a industry where the only the strong survive, does it matter that there are real artist out there? To a few of us who hold out hope that music will one day be restored to it’s root, yes it matters! But do we matter? My opinion is no more valid or important then the next man’s when viewed in a forum. So how do we figure this out? Definitely not by watching BET. A station created for “us”, by “us”, but not sold to one of “us”. Therefore it mishandles the expectations we have placed on the network. It misleads us to think that it delves deep into our issues. When really it’s a victim just like Hip Hop. Maybe a better word is “tool”. It’s a tool to make us think that it’s part of us. Yet it’s driven by a force that has nothing to do with us.

My previous endorsement post, was a dramatization of how an artist has so many different avenues to make money in this industry. “Product Placement” is part of the destruction of hip hop. Artist getting paid to write a song about their favorite gadget, beverage, shoes, etc..has turned most albums into a continuous commercial. Where are the lyrics? Somewhere sandwiched between the hook about Air Force 1’s and Vitamin Water. So is it the artist responsibility to have some tact to want to stand for something? Can you blame a one hit wonder for “selling out” for a million dollars? Look at the people on Fear Factor, Moment of Truth the rest of the dumb reality shows. People do a lot worse for a lot less money. Still doesn’t mean it’s not killing TV. It’s slowly eating away at our brains and turning us into “ad zombies” (see even I promo my own post).

Whose responsibility is it to save an art form? Stay tuned… 

Where Is The Music?

“You download it for free/We get charged back for it/I know your saying/They wont know/They wont miss it/Besides I aint a theif/They wont pay me a visit/So if I come to your job/Take your corn on the cob/And take a couple kernels off it/That would be alright with you? – What a Job Is” – Andre 3000 

 

Who should the average person feel sorry for? The artist who suffers a loss in royalties or the consumer who is expected to pay their hard earned money on half of the garbage released these days? Andre 3000’s analogy is on point, but unfortunately most artist these days are selling corn on the cob with teeth marks.

What happen to the good music? Remember when you bought an album and every song was fantastic?  If your under 25, probably not! And surprisingly the “age range” for this is getting higher as the years progress. Are our children even going to know what music used to be? The production, songwriting, delivery, and distribution have all become lax. It’s hard to picture artist slaving away in a studio for hours on end, when you always see them at Somebody’s club. With Somebody’s clothes on, Somebody’s jewelry on, & Somebody’s champagne dripping down their iced out neck. You watch MTV/BET/VH1 and see everything about their personal life, instead of what they expect for you to pay for. Where is the music?

The average person downloads or listens to a song on line because the quality of Cd’s have decreased. I remember a few years back, I was in the studio listening to Brandy’s “Afrodisiac”, and one of the artist asked me to copy the CD. So I just handed him the CD I was listening to and he starts lambasting me about having a burned CDR. The same guy who was asking me to make him a copy was fussing at me when it was actually just a copy of the album I had purchased. That’s when I realized most of these artist are just full of B.S. and drama. I can understand the argument from the producers, engineers, songwriters, labels, and publishing companies.  These are the people who are really losing income, not the artist. Truth is, most artist royalties are split by so many people the artist never really sees any of the money to begin with. The battle they are so into fighting at the end of the day is dealt with by other people.

The day Mary J. Blige comes to my house, knocks on my door and demands her $13…is when I will reach in my pocket and give it to her. I should just start a Mary J. Blige folder for the IRS and send her a 1099 form. After all, I drive a Chevy Impala, drink Coca Cola, lather up with my Jamaican Punch soap from Carol’s Daughter, while I shop on line with my Mac Powerbook at Target with my American Express card. Somewhere along the lines she is making some money while I continue to afford her and others with endless endorsement money for the products I use everyday.  Seems like I should be knocking on her door, right? I’ve supported her since she looked like Keyshia Coles. What has she done for me?

Let me stop before I get into trouble, Ha!

 

 

 

 

Thoughts of “heR”

 

 

“Suppressing feelings just delays, the time they show in other ways.”- Mike Star

 

I thought by writing about my unresolved love the other day I was again just venting away my sorrows. Yet it had me tossing and turning all night. Thinking about “heR” (I capitalize the “R” because that’s the letter her name begins with), and everything I had said. Truth is, she was the best thing that had ever happen to me. She was my best friend, girlfriend, soul mate…you name it, she was everything! She taught me what love was about.

She taught me 1 Corinthians 13:4, but here’s the trick. If you use the King James Version it’s actually 1 Corinthians 14:4. I like to challenge people who spout out the verse to show it to me. Nevertheless, she taught me that scripture. And I know people will argue that it’s the most used and abused verse from the bible. But till this day, because of her..it’s my favorite. I remember she bought me a belt (which i have on right now) and made me a green basket with the little easter basket filler. And glued some rocks to it with different words on it. And wrote out “Love is Patient, Love is kind..”. It sounds really simple, but it’s still my favorite gift to date.  That picture above it not the actual picture. It would be really cool if it was, but it isn’t. Most of the letters, gifts, and memorabilia from that era in my life are discarded or packed away except..:

 

I’ve carried this cheap trinket in my wallet for over 11+ years. I know you can’t tell what it is. But it was one of those, “you keep this side, I keep that side” chains. It was the hotness back in the day. I remember me and my cousin went and bought them. He bought a little key and lock. And I bought this one and they had bible scriptures on them. Long story short, I gave it to her and I’m pretty sure it’s tarnished in somebody’s landfill right now. That’s commitment though, should show you just how pitiful I am! Funny side story, my cousin recently found his so now we’re both living in the past.

Needless to say, I’m in love with the ghost of my past relationship. I’m sure she’s not the same person she was years ago. I’m sure if you mentioned my name to her, she might cringe but go on with her life. I’m on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Every time I hear her name, my heart stops. I used to have a heartbreak kid’s club, but most of my friends got over their first loves. They’ve all become husbands, fathers, or hoes. Either way, I’m the only person still mourning “What could have been…”. The only one still trusting that God will deliver me love if it is intended for me to have it. Aawh!
 

Stop trying, I’m not buying!

 

 

I’m so sick of people trying to sell me things. Yes, little girl at my door, “I don’t want your girl scout cookies”! You and your dad, who never talks to me anyway, please go away. Maybe I could be nicer if I had a child of my own, but I don’t.

It isn’t limited to girl scouts and their horrible cookies. It’s all the catalogs that I know I didn’t sign up for begging for my money. I swear my friends sign me up for catalogs just to come over my house and laugh at me. I get a new one every month, even though they threaten to not renew me without a reply.  Also, it’s the lady at the gas station trying to sell me jewlery, books, oils and whatever it is she’s made at home for “gas money”. Despite all the aggressive entrepreneurs & tree killers the most evil aspect of selling is, advertising. It’s fair to say companies spend a great deal of time and money trying to think of ways for you to buy their product.

Some odd reason the average American can’t retain enough information to be smarter then a 5th grader, yet they can recite, “Where’s The Beef?” commercials from 20 years ago. It’s because your brain has been damaged. Scary part is, you can still use it!

That’s right, you heard it here first. Commercials, Advertisements, even the cute little Girl Scouts are damaging your brain. It’s safe to say with the mass invasion of advertisements, in the next 40 years we will all be zombies. Not even good zombies, but the cheap low budget “28 Days” zombies. Walking around humming jingles. Finishing catch phrases. Wearing shirts with names on it. Oh wait, we already do that.

What’s my point? Just say no to being a Zombie!

Poor Misunderstood Me..

 

I guess I’m considered a live wire. The kind of person you can’t read until I’m right in your face. You know how you see someone off from afar, and you start thinking things about them instantly. It doesn’t have to be anything particular, just thoughts that jump into mind. I’m the kind of person that doesn’t work with.

I’m the Huey Freeman (from the Boondocks) type in human form. With my curly hair, light complexion, and pro-black, anti-everything attitude..it’s like my boy Aaron Mcgruder modeled him after me. Sometimes I backslide and get a dash of Riley thrown in there, thanks to my cousin and friends. But for the most part I keep it mellow and free.  I’m educated, Post College graduate. I had to finally go ahead and finish my Masters in English Literature. Although talking to me sometimes, you wouldn’t know it.

Regardless, I wear my education as a badge, quickly sending challengers home to study. I also enjoy reading Religious Literature. I wholeheartedly believe that to be a good Christian you should be open to everything, study, & find a suitable interpretation of what you don’t understand. Therefore, I am quick to challenge ”Sermon Parrots”. A Sermon Parrot, repeats back things they hear in a sermon as fact without reading or interpreting the text for themselves. They are among the list of the most dangerous Christians..

#1. Fake Christians

#2. Judge & Jury Christians

#3. Hypocritical Christians

#4. Sermon Parrots

#5. list goes on and on…

Sermon Parrots are strong in their force of ignorance & should be taken down at all cost. I will however, devote more time to this in another post.

I enjoy the simpler things in life. Being by myself being the #1 priority. I’m the type of person who could exist in a world by myself. Kind of like Will Smith, in “I Am Legend” . Except if I had any pets it would be a a wild vicious pet that I just threw slabs of meat to occasionally. I hang out with my cousin, who is my best friend. And I have 2-3 close friends that I consider worthy of my time. Other than that, just work & play.

As far as work goes, I am sort of a field-hand. You know the guy who just shows up on your farm and will do anything for like 2 months? That’s me! Not to give the wrong impression, I have job & income stability. The fields in which I work in just allow me to be more random with my choices. So I’m scattered all over the place for the most part. I’ve lived in different cities, states, and I’m too paranoid to do different countries. Although, I have traveled to many places abroad I just feel like my American Status is challenged in the country of my citizenship, so let me go to another country and get into some trouble. Imagine me on the “Locked up Overseas” TV show, begging the United States to help me. Unless I’m locked up in Iraq, I doubt I’m getting any relief.

On a lighter note, I do enjoy playing basketball, dancing, reading, & strangely carpentry. I don’t watch much television, but when I do it’s mostly ESPN (SportCenter), History Pieces (documentary or series), or Law in Order. Sometimes I’ll sneak and watch the buffoonery of reality television, but that’s only to stay in the loop. 

I am eternally single, as mentioned in my past post love has come and gone. I don’t think I’m able to give any woman 100% of me, and until then i don’t think it’s fair to cheat her or myself. I’ve been trying to get my “monk” vibe on. I remember that was the first conversation I had with “heR”. She said she was going to become a nun, I said a monk, everyone else said they’d prefer to be heathens. It’s funny years later I’m still contemplating it. Although, there are a few things I can’t do without…talking being the biggest. Yeah I know what you were thinking. 

Other than those fine qualities mentioned above, I’m just on a endless journey to becoming a better person. That’s about all you need to know about me, for now!

 

 

  

To Understand Unresolved Love..

 

To truly know me is to know where I’ve been. There isn’t a person out there who knows me that doesn’t realize just how disenchanted I am with love. I gave my heart away years ago, and till this day I can’t feel my heart beating.

Young love, is foolish love. You know how you find that one person who just stops everything you know and makes you feel like you’ve never had a feeling without them. Like you never breathed or saw things as freely or clearly. You say to yourself, there is no way I could live without them. And tell yourself that there is no way you WOULD live without them.

Fast forward years of depression, regrets, & an ice boxed heart. You look back and analyze things, and see them from a more mature view. I shouldn’t have lied. I should have been more forthcoming. Maybe it was not her fault for choosing what was best for her at that moment. Still it hurts no less. How do you fight the temptations of a loveless world, full of beautiful women and opportunities? It’s not that I’m not surrounded by gorgeous women everyday. Or that they possess qualities any less of “heR”. It’s just that my soul knows that she was it. 

It’s that free will, that gets you everytime. All I had to do, was follow God’s word. It was lie that broke us apart, and I was guilty. Not of the common “relationship lies”, but one of my own custom doing. The blame of other’s is gone, because it was my responsibility to know better.  I should have trusted in who I knew her to be. I should have trusted that she would have understood, if given a chance to make the choice herself. It was my growing up, that triggered that understanding.

I love her. I can’t even shake the feeling till this day. I can’t deny it, I can’t hide it, I can’t get over it. I hurt her because her understanding of me was forced upon her. She wasn’t given a chance to see me stripped free of the mask, sins, and arrogance. I came to the conclusion years ago, after years of disregard on her part that I should just leave her alone.

You know the inner stalker in us all wants to just talk to them one more time. Just hear their voice. You wonder what they are doing, where they are, what they’ve accomplished. I kept thinking if she has gotten married, or had children I could finally let it go. I would know that because she’s moved on and because of who she was, that God would have delivered her a soul mate. Meaning, I just wasn’t it. Then maybe I could believe that there was possibly someone else out there for me. And I emailed her for years, begging her just to respond back to me. Till one day during a conversation with God, I just asked him to forgive me.

Here I am, able to wake up every morning. I have a good job, place to stay, I am blessed in so many ways. Why am I being so selfish? I have no idea what effect our break-up had on her. I only know that she wasn’t the type of person to ignore me if she wanted anything to do with me. Which meant that all I was doing was being a nuisance to her.  All i was doing was reminding her of the years I wasted of her life. Although we were extremely happy for it all to end like it did seemed like a waste (at least to her). So I asked God to just bless her with happiness & love, and in return I’d leave her alone. I’d stop asking him to mend our love.

So for that, I hope she is happy. I hope she’s married with kids and with someone who loves her to the capacity of his ability. I can’t bear to say, “love her more than me..” because I don’t think it’s possible. To Live, is to Let go. And I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do either!