music

What Does Hip-Hop Need Now?

Posted on by raphiphopevolution

So, what is it that hip-hop needs now? There are a few things actually. Firstly, the people- me, you and everyone else; it’s up to us to stand up and say what we want from hip-hop! If we don’t want this pathetic mumble rap and other top 40 garbage everywhere, then we need to do something about it, because if we don’t, then that’s all we’re ever going to get. We need to stop listening to this music, stop promoting it, stop sharing it; Just ignore it altogether. If we don’t give it the publicity that it needs to be successful then it will hopefully start to die down. It comes back to we need to stop making stupid people famous for stupid things!

Even though we can’t control what gets put out there on the radio, if we stop listening to and sharing what is out there then we can try to change what the radio stations and music channels are playing for us. They base what they are playing on popularity and what is going to bring in the biggest audience and thus make them the most money. Therefore, if we ‘the people’ stop tuning in for this crap then maybe things can start to change.

We also have to try and educate our friends on the topic, because some people are unaware the effect they can have when every individual’s behaviour is added together. Others are just unaware of what hip-hop really is meant to be, so we need to show them what it truly is! We need to change people’s perceptions of hip-hop and change how they approach it too. We need to look elsewhere to find our music idols, because the ones that we are seeing on the radio and music channels are generally not the ones we should be idolising.

Secondly we also need the real artists to shine again! But they can’t do this without our help, which it why if we don’t change then there’s no hope for the real musicians out there. We can keep listening to our old school 80’s, 90’s and early 00’s hip-hop because for us old school hip-hop heads, it will never get old. However, this won’t change what is happening to the next generation of music and the next generation of listeners. But, there are actually still artists out there making music that are not conforming to the status quo. This is who we should be looking for, listening to, requesting, streaming and sharing to try and help make real artists famous once again.

If you are looking for these real artists who are putting out new music amongst today’s garbage I would start with these three: J Cole (if that is not obvious enough by one of my previous posts), Kendrick Lamar, and last but definitely not least Lupe Fiasco! All of these three speak on real issues, aren’t afraid to speak the truth and call out what is wrong with society. They are a testament to old school hip-hop, thus if you want real, then start here; but if you want happy, fun and catchy songs then just turn on your radio like all the other sheep.

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Posted on by raphiphopevolution

After the past few weeks talking about rap beefs and everyone trying to take each other down, I thought maybe its time to take it back to what hip-hop was originally about, which is the words that are written and spoken. Hip-hop is not just music, which it what many people think, its actually starts with the lyrics and poetry behind it!

When thinking about this, the first person that comes to mind here is Tupac. Yes, the one and only! Many of you may be unaware that in his time Tupac didn’t just write rap lyrics, but also a lot of poetry. After his death, there was a book released ‘The Rose that grew from Concrete’; which is a book complied of all the original poems he has written, and it’s even in his own handwriting. Many years ago, when I was first getting into hip-hop, I had a close family member buy the book for me, which helped to show and teach me where music was actually coming from. In reading the book, you can see his heart and honest emotions; its so real being written in his own writing because you can really feel his happiness, sadness, pain and anger.

This is the poem ‘The Rose That Grew From Concrete’ which would likely be his most well-known poem and what the book is named after.

Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete

Proving nature’s laws wrong it learned 2 walk without having feet

Funny it seems but by keeping its dreams it learned 2 breathe fresh air

Long live the rose that grew from concrete, when no one else even cared!

However, here is one of my favourite ones that he wrote called ‘And 2morro’. It really spoke to me when I was younger, and still does today. It’s one of those poems that just sticks in your head if you know what I mean? After not hearing it for years I could still remember every word and how I felt reading it.

Today is filled with anger

Fuelled with hidden hate

Scared of being outcast

Afraid of common fate

Today is built on tragedies

which no one wants 2 face

Nightmares 2 humanities

and morally disgraced

Tonight is filled with rage

Violence in the air

Children bred with ruthlessness

Because no one at home cares

Tonight I lay my head down

But the pressure never stops

gnawing at my sanity

content when I am dropped

But 2morrow I c change

A chance 2 build anew

Built on spirit, intent of heart

and ideals based on truth

And 2morrow I wake with second wind

And strong because of pride

2 know I fought with all my heart 2 keep my dream alive

There’s one last poem I thought I should share called ‘ Sometimes I Cry’, its rather sad but very true in today’s world, even though it wasn’t written for today’s reality, it appears some things don’t change even after 20 plus years.

Sometimes when I’m alone

I cry because I’m on my own

The tears I cry R bitter and warm

They flow with life but take no form

I cry because my heart is torn

and I find it difficult 2 carry on

If I had an ear 2 confide in

I would cry among my treasured friends

But who do u know that stops that long

To help another carry on

The world moves fast and it would rather pass u by

than 2 stop and c what makes u cry

It’s painful and sad and sometimes I cry

and no one cares about why.

So, after reading the last three poems, I hope I have opened up your mind to the words, feelings and emotions behind what real musicians write. This shows just how real Tupac was, he wrote about life, and the truth; whether it was good, bad or ugly. The problem was back then that a lot of people didn’t want to hear the truth which is why hip-hop faced such an upward battle back in the 80’s and 90’s. However, after reading this I hope it will make some people take a second look at others rather than just judging people based on what they look like. Tupac was more than a rapper, he was a real artist.  He was something rare that I don’t know if we will ever see again.

Here’s what the book looks like for any of you who are interested:

 

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Hip-Hop Beef

Posted on by raphiphopevolution

Well after last week’s beef between Eminem and MGK, which is just heating up; it has brought up conversation about other hip-hop beefs, who has made the best diss tracks and who has ended whose career. Now its too early to tell whether Eminem has lyrically killed MGK yet as that is an ongoing battle, however Eminem fans will tell you that MGK won’t be around for much longer. This is shown by Eminem’s past track record, he’s gone up against other artists such as: Mariah Carey, Ja-Rule, Everlast, Limp Bizkit, Benzino, Iggy Azalea and Canibus. Now who have you heard of, and who is still putting out music? Its safe to say who won those battles; so maybe MGK should look back at the past to see what his future will be.

So, who had the biggest beef in hip-hop? Tupac vs Biggie, Ice Cube vs NWA, Dr Dre vs Eazy E, Nas vs Jay-Z, The Game vs G-Unit, 50 Cent vs Ja-Rule, Eminem vs, well anyone? Well, arguably I would say the biggest beef in hip-hop has to be Tupac vs Biggie because even after more than twenty years since they were both killed they still dominate the sound of old school hip-hop, their fans are still arguing over the two of them and still pick sides of the war. These two were both kings of hip-hop in their own ways and most hip-hop fans will have either one of them in their top three rappers of all time which goes to show the impact they have had on the industry. It is impossible to say who won this war between them as it is more of a subjective argument to who you prefer as they are both on the same lyrical level. Me, I prefer Tupac 100 percent, but that’s just my personal view due to who I grew up listening too. The facts here are that neither of them could end the others career because they both had so much talent and passion behind what they were doing.

The same cannot be said for rap beefs nowadays. When someone old school like Remy Ma comes at (new school) Nicki Minaj in a beef, she comes strong with two diss tracks. But the way Nicki fires back is by getting her friends on a track to diss Remy. This is pathetic, it destroyed all her credibility in my eyes (not that I respected her in the first place). But how can you enter into a rap battle with someone, thinking you’re the best and can out-rap them, when you can’t lyrically take on someone on your own? The difference here is that would kill her career in the eyes of true rap fans, however the rap fans of today don’t seem to care about that or respect the unwritten rules of hip-hop, battle rap, and diss tracks.

Out of these rap beefs over the years come some lyrical geniuses, and some great diss tracks. Now everyone’s got a different opinion on which is better, but it always brings a good debate! One of my personal favourites is by The Game. His song 300 Bars and Runnin’ is a fifteen minute long diss against 50 cent and his group G-Unit. Its just shot after shot at them, its non-stop lyrical bars, its not focused on being a top 40 hit or making a perfect song, it’s about what its meant to be. You would struggle to find many other rappers who can do this for fifteen minutes straight, so I have a lot of respect for The Game since he made this.

I also can’t miss out Eminem’s song Nail in the coffin, it completely buried Benzino! There was no way for Benzino to come back in the rap game after that song. I then have to give a special shout out to Tupac’s song Hit ‘Em Up, Ice-Cube’s song No Vaseline and Nas’s song Ether. To me these are all classic diss tracks that represent the true meaning of lyricism and battling for the crown! These are all songs made by true rap legends who have earned their place in the game through their skill and rhymes. They all fought the hard way to get to the top and have never had anything handed to them unlike the rappers do nowadays.

What do you think?

Eminem vs Machine Gun Kelly

Posted on by raphiphopevolution

Well after what’s been happening in hip-hop this week, I thought it was only fitting to write about Eminem and Machine Gun Kelly.

Now Eminem is someone I would still consider to be an old school hip-hop artist, he was in the later part of the old school music, but he still belongs in this category. He came up on the music scene in the late 90’s and grew his career through the early 2000’s but he came up with other old school legends like Dr Dre which is likely why he has always had that old school flow to him. He has then grown to legend status over the years and has now claimed the tittle ‘Rap God’, which hasn’t really been challenged; even true legends like Redman, Rakim, Nas and Snoop Dogg respect his game and have openly declared they wouldn’t come up against him. People couldn’t deny his success when he lyrically killed Jay Z on his own song Renegade.

He would likely appear in most real hip-hop heads top five, or at least top ten. Yes, Eminem is in my top five rappers, however I have been bitterly disappointed with a lot of his more recent music. Its not the same as it used to be, he seems to have fallen off his game for a while now. But in listening to his new album ‘Kamikaze’ that he released this past week, it has some old feel to it, it feels like he’s coming back strong, which is exactly what the hip-hop industry needs nowadays.

One of his new songs ‘Not Alike’, he’s taken some shots at some shitty new generation rappers. This then caused a fire back from MGK who he took shots at for talking about his daughter Hailey. MGK’s song ‘Rap Devil’, while I’ll admit has some good wordplay in it, just isn’t on the same level as Eminem, its basic wordplay with some auto tune thrown in there.

Here’s Eminem’s first shot at MGK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCCQVu5wroM

(not the best quality)

Here’s MGK’s fire back to Eminem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp0BScQSSvg

The whole hip-hop industry is now watching and commenting on the new beef between the two of them, everyone is now waiting for Eminem’s diss track to be fired back as we all think (well most of us) that he will completely burry MGK. What was MGK thinking going up against a rap god? He must know there’s absolutely no way he can win this one!  Unless this was only a PR stunt to get people speaking his name; because let’s face it, does anyone really know who he is, and does anyone really care about him? Ha, not really, so I guess from his perspective it has at least got people speaking his name and raised people’s awareness of him, regardless of whether it’s in a good way or not. Well for now we’re just waiting for Eminem’s reply that will likely end his career.

The great thing to come out of this is that it is bringing real rap back. Its taking away from the current crappy mumble rap that’s everywhere around us and has people listening to music for what is actually being said. These battles that are coming are hopefully going to put real hip-hop back on the map!

#theworldiswatching

Have your say:

 

Is It All Over For Real Rap Now Then…?

Posted on by raphiphopevolution

Even though everywhere we look we are surrounded by total and utter crap rap music, that doesn’t mean the real stuff doesn’t exist out there. The problem is that all this new school music is blasted everywhere and anywhere thus it completely drowns out anything real and destroys most peoples chance of hearing any real music.

Now for a while myself I gave up completely as I was completely sick of hearing anything new because it was all the same. This made me tune out altogether and I refused to even listen to anyone who wasn’t from my generation of music. I didn’t care what anyone said about them, and I didn’t even go out looking for any new music, I just dumped them all in the same category; yes I’ll admit it I’m a stubborn person.

However, it all changed one day about three years ago when a song I had never listened to by an artist I had refused to listen to started playing. The song was ‘Crooked Smile’ by J Cole featuring TLC. I was shocked; it was real, it has lyrics, it had meaning, it had truth! Even more surprisingly it even had a nice beat and mixed with the vocals of TLC to blend a song that would appeal to the masses as well as getting a real message out there at the same time. One line that really caught my attention was “We ain’t picture perfect, but we worth the pictures still”. Here’s a link to the song for all you newbies who may not have heard this before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzzMOMkjm8A

Thus, I started looking into this guy J Cole, I looked back at all of his albums and mixtapes and it was similar to what I had grown up with! This is great I thought, finally someone I can listen to and respect in today’s generation. This wasn’t the usual crap that you hear everywhere; so was I wrong to completely ignore all new music and put them all in the same boat? Yes, I’ll admit it, I may have been slightly wrong to do this, however I don’t take back that 90% of it is still complete and utter crap. This does mean though that there is still about 10% of this generations rap music that is worthwhile listening to; artists like J Cole, Kendrick Lamar and a few others are still worth a listen.

J Cole comes across as someone who was born into the wrong generation of rappers. He is an old school rap artist whose stuck in the new generation; however this may not be a bad thing as he is teaching them that real old school hip-hop will never die!

I’m now kicking myself because I attended Rapture (Eminem’s concert) in Auckland about four years ago; and J Cole was playing as a warm up artist at his show. However, me being my stubborn self, I didn’t want to know and didn’t turn up until Eminem was playing!! If only I had known then what I do now, but hey I guess that’s what I get, you live and you learn. Luckily I actually managed to see J Cole live in Auckland last year and it was worth every cent!  Such a real artist that reminds us that real music does still exist in today’s music scene, you’ve just got to know what to look for and refuse to accept anything less!

#Itaintoveryet

This was him last year live in Auckland:

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Is it Music or Business?

Posted on by raphiphopevolution

Last week’s post was focused on what rap music has become, but this week’s post explains why us old hip-hop heads hate today’s music so much.

The music by all of these new school artists is focused around having a catchy beat to get people’s attention, and a repetitive hook of a few words that people can easily pick up and mumble along to. It works with a mass audience because its fast, simple, catchy and gets stuck in peoples head rather easily. A lot of the time there doesn’t need to be any real words, verses, or meaning to what they are saying, and the sad part is their fans don’t seem to care. This music is the complete opposite of old school rap, and it spits in the face of the people who created it and the struggles they had to go through to even be heard.

Why is this music being made then if its not real music? The real answer here is money. The industry can use it to sell whatever they want. Sex, alcohol, expensive cars, flashy clothes and jewellery all sell a certain lifestyle. Their fans buy into this lifestyle, they look up to it and admire it, they then want it for themselves. They want to have their own parties just like what they are seeing in these video clips and hearing in the songs, they want to become these people.

This is fuelling a constant cycle though as it is only making the industry even bigger and allowing more of these “rap” artists to come into the industry and make more of the same music, saying the same things, doing the same things, and selling the same lifestyle. If the people said no to this music, and didn’t listen to it then it wouldn’t exist, but because people are buying into this lifestyle which is so far from reality for most, it only carries on the cycle.

This is what rap music has become; it is no longer about the music being made, but instead about the money being made from it. I guess it really is smart on their part, its good business! But now that’s all it is- a business. Most in the rap music game today are complete sell-outs and are only doing it for what they can get out of it. There is no longer any passion behind what is being done, there is no art to creating the music, and there is no meaning behind what is being said.

New School “Rap” Music

Posted on by raphiphopevolution

When talking about new school rap music I am referring to this generations rap music, and that generally means any rap music that was made in the past ten years or any new rap artists that have come out in the past ten years. I am calling it rap, but only by association and only because that’s still how the music industry categories it; however, it is one hundred percent not something I would include in the real hip-hop and rap category. To most old hip-hop heads, today’s rap music is a complete insult to the genre and goes against everything that rap once represented.

When talking about this generation of rap it includes people such as Drake, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Lil Wayne, Lil Pump, Migos, Lil Uzi Vert, 6ix9nine, Young Thug, Lil Yachty and Future. Whether you’re a fan of rap music of not, you have still likely heard of these artists somewhere because they are all pushed in our faces as the stars of hip-hop and rap music.

There definitely are new styles of rap music now and one of the them has been named by many as ‘mumble rap’. Some of today’s artists seem to have embraced the name and are proud that that’s their style of music; however, it was never intended to be a compliment, it was meant to insult the style of “rap” that they have created, and to distance their music from real rap. Why the name mumble rap? It’s an accurate description of the music they create. Most of it is mumbling along to a beat where most people cannot understand a single word, if there are even words in there to begin with.

The problem is that all the young kids today are hearing is this so called “rap” because it is blasted non-stop all over the radio stations, social media, music streaming services and the likes of MTV. These “rap” artists are even winning music awards for their so-called rap music, which is an even further insult to the people who fought to bring rap music alive.

Whether people like the new school “rap” or not, the overwhelming consequence of it is that it blocks out the old school rap which means that no one ends up seeing or hearing the real rap that once existed at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Real rap still exists out there and us old hip-hop heads know where to find it; but the young kids wouldn’t even know where to begin.

Old School Rap Music

Posted on by raphiphopevolution

Old school rap music generally refers to music made in the 80’s and 90’s. Generally, most of the music made after this time isn’t worth the paper that its written on. Back in the 80’s and 90’s music was a real art, and rappers had real talent.

There was real meaning and lyricism behind everything that was written and said. The music was about the skill of rhyming and the lyrics spoken rather than the beat that its on. This meant that if you didn’t have any real rhyming skills, you wouldn’t make it far. This was a time of battle rap and freestyling which meant everything had to be authentic, creative and have an impact!

Back then rap music was an expression of how people felt and what was going on at the time. There was a lot of good party music made, but in addition to that a lot of the music spoke on social issues that were surrounding the times. They weren’t afraid to stand up for injustices and call things how they saw it. This music was something that could bring people together and unite them from all over.

Old school rap is a term referred to by people who can’t stand the music of today; and those people (us) are also referred to by many as old school hip-hop heads. I don’t mind this name actually because to me it means I respect and listen to good music; so, I’ll take it!

The biggest thing to take away about old school rap is that no matter who or what style of rap you listen to from those years, or even whether or not rap music was your type of music or not it was 100% REAL!