We’ve heard the same argument again and again. Music sucks nowadays, especially Hip Hop/Rap. Everything was better back in the days. No ones making classics anymore. I’ve only heard a few albums that even got me open this whole year. Yakety fuckin’ smackety. Every time I hear some on go on about how there are no more good Hip Hop albums anymore I just roll my eyes because at one point in time I was that person. Since none of us have a time machine we might as well deal with the present rather than complaining because shit ain't like it used to be.
Have major labels completely fucked up the music industry by making it radio and single based? Yes. Have record companies been slow in adapting to the digital age? Yes. Insert some other shit that we already know and have written about ad naseum here. This isn’t the time for beating a dead horse, it’s the time for informing consumers that there is *gasp* still Hip Hop worth purchasing and (wait for it!) even more on the horizon to get excited about.
Hip Hop is far from dead but the way we used to hear it and become exposed to it may be dead forever. If you’re not scouring the internet or the bloggerverse for that new shit then chances are you have no idea what (if any) new Hip Hop albums dropped last Tuesday. That’s partly why I started doing my What’s New In Dart’s iPod posts every Friday after reading Eric @ When They Reminisce and Travis @ Wake Your Daughter Up and searching for many of the artists and projects they mentioned on their blogs that I didn't even know existed.
The truth is that there is a vast amount of music out there which makes sense because the digital nature of the market makes it so that more artists can potentially make music and get it out there to the listening public. This is why things like the Rawkus 50 exist in the first place. Last week, Sach Orenstein of Ohword.com made a post about the declining nature of Hip Hop and how nothing interesting or good has come out lately. Mind you, I’m elbow deep in new shit and playing joints on my iTunes when I read his post so I’m like “Bullshit!”.
I had just recently done a post with Travis on WYDU where we each listed our favorite 25 releases of the 1st quarter of 2008...I had to shore my list down then and that was more than a month ago! Rather than agree with Sach that nothing good was out and agree that Hip Hop sucked I called him out on his assessment of 2008 Hip Hop albums so far.
He, of course, wasn’t impressed with my assembled list of 50 plus projects worth purchasing but I expected as much. What pissed me off so much were all of the posters that just thought I was talking out of my ass. I NEVER do that. If I say it, I can back it up (Anyone care to revisit the 100 Cult Movies Of The Internet Era week again?). As far as the list I put up, I have about 10 more joints I can add to it after one week of leaks and promos.
In conclusion, if all you’re going to do is bitch, moan and whine about how horrible Hip Hop/Rap music is now then I don’t care to read or hear about it because I've heard it and read it all before. I’d rather just go about proving you wrong and doing what I do regardless. Go forth and search some of the blogs I check and read on the regular via my own Technorati favorites list to find some new music on your own.
*Anything else I would’ve said in this blog I’ve already said in previous blogs and in posts #1, 9, 15, 16, 18, 24, 34 & 53 here. Also, I'm the new panelist on the production battle blog I Hook A Beat Up along with other members of the blogging version of The Avengers. Check it out.
One.
Have major labels completely fucked up the music industry by making it radio and single based? Yes. Have record companies been slow in adapting to the digital age? Yes. Insert some other shit that we already know and have written about ad naseum here. This isn’t the time for beating a dead horse, it’s the time for informing consumers that there is *gasp* still Hip Hop worth purchasing and (wait for it!) even more on the horizon to get excited about.
Hip Hop is far from dead but the way we used to hear it and become exposed to it may be dead forever. If you’re not scouring the internet or the bloggerverse for that new shit then chances are you have no idea what (if any) new Hip Hop albums dropped last Tuesday. That’s partly why I started doing my What’s New In Dart’s iPod posts every Friday after reading Eric @ When They Reminisce and Travis @ Wake Your Daughter Up and searching for many of the artists and projects they mentioned on their blogs that I didn't even know existed.
The truth is that there is a vast amount of music out there which makes sense because the digital nature of the market makes it so that more artists can potentially make music and get it out there to the listening public. This is why things like the Rawkus 50 exist in the first place. Last week, Sach Orenstein of Ohword.com made a post about the declining nature of Hip Hop and how nothing interesting or good has come out lately. Mind you, I’m elbow deep in new shit and playing joints on my iTunes when I read his post so I’m like “Bullshit!”.
I had just recently done a post with Travis on WYDU where we each listed our favorite 25 releases of the 1st quarter of 2008...I had to shore my list down then and that was more than a month ago! Rather than agree with Sach that nothing good was out and agree that Hip Hop sucked I called him out on his assessment of 2008 Hip Hop albums so far.
He, of course, wasn’t impressed with my assembled list of 50 plus projects worth purchasing but I expected as much. What pissed me off so much were all of the posters that just thought I was talking out of my ass. I NEVER do that. If I say it, I can back it up (Anyone care to revisit the 100 Cult Movies Of The Internet Era week again?). As far as the list I put up, I have about 10 more joints I can add to it after one week of leaks and promos.
In conclusion, if all you’re going to do is bitch, moan and whine about how horrible Hip Hop/Rap music is now then I don’t care to read or hear about it because I've heard it and read it all before. I’d rather just go about proving you wrong and doing what I do regardless. Go forth and search some of the blogs I check and read on the regular via my own Technorati favorites list to find some new music on your own.*Anything else I would’ve said in this blog I’ve already said in previous blogs and in posts #1, 9, 15, 16, 18, 24, 34 & 53 here. Also, I'm the new panelist on the production battle blog I Hook A Beat Up along with other members of the blogging version of The Avengers. Check it out.
One.
17 comments:
Agreed. People take more time to critique and criticize than listen. If you take the time to really listen rather than just move on as quickly as you can to the next leaked joint. They would realize there is a lot of high quality music out there. I use to get maybe 40 albums a year. Now I get that easily in 4-6 weeks probably less. I read on some blog the author wrote a review on "Rising Down" after listening to it once and probably said he won't listen to it again until the dust blew off his CD and he remembered he had it. The lack of good listeners is killing hip-hop. Nothing sounds good if u don't take the opportunity to listen.
Sheeeet!!! Your not checkin' me, I'm checkin' "What's In Dart's..." for what I'm missin' out on!
Hell, I didn't even know about that Tanya Morgan EP!!! Keep up the good work my man, even though I may not comment as much or peep the movie and comic posts as much, I highly value your opinion and appreciate your dedication and passion for the music. Even the "what I'm checkin' or Late pass" post are a must for me! Take Care my man! Oh, and I'm watchin' the Cavs-Celts game right now, it's good to see someone who's as big a hoop junkie as myself
@ Eric:
If it wasn't for you, Travis, Dallas, Dan Love, Flood, Brandon, Weiss, Sweeney Kovar @ Classic Drug References, Mike Dikk & Raven @ Dumpin, Stuntin On Prose, 2dopeboyz and a gang of new blogs like Moovmnt, Highing Fly, and the list grows monthly pushing the envelope with each successive post it'd be a wrap for me.
One.
i say good on ya Dart - I don't hardly keep track of contemporary hip hop outside of big releases or those that get a lot of play in the blogosphere but your lists are still required reading. it boggles my mind that anyone could say there's "no good music" coming out - whoever makes such a claim is either bitter, crazy, stuck in the past or some combination thereof. whatever, it happens to nearly every American generation - people get past 30 or so & decide their music was the best. it's just that hip hop (in terms of of widespread exposure) wasn't old enough for that to happen until recently - shit's been going for w/guitar bands for decades, since Boomers decided that rock peaked in '68 or whatever (and again w/70s rock, punk, post-punk, late 80s indie, emo & so on depending on your age/taste).
^I actually have the opposite problem - there's WAAAAY too much great music being produced for any one person to keep up with. I don't know how you even to get to so many releases.
Alot of good underground albums that are slept on, I'd like to see you review more west coast stuff like this...
http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Artist-Jacka/dp/B0007NFL8
fixed url...
[url]http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Artist-Jacka/dp/B0007NFL8Q[/url]
Most of the hip hop I purchase is from reading your iPod drops, Dart. If you fall prey to the Hip Hop Sucks These Days Movement, I'll be screwed. Don't give up the fight, fam.
Haha woooord, It's certainly not that there's not enough music or good music out there, for me personally it's just too much at some moments, I mean hell go at sites like HHB and you'll find something new (not meaning good everytime) every single day, I should hire someone who runs my pc and keeps downloading and listening to music all day and at the end gives me a compilation with the finest selections haha, naw but anyway, there's so much good music out there, and me still being young and thanks to the internet I don't even only have to discover what came out last tuesday but the last 15years(at least), peace and keep doing your thing
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KvUnWNUrckc
"If it wasn't for you, Travis, Dallas, Dan Love, Flood, Brandon, Weiss, Sweeney Kovar @ Classic Drug References, Mike Dikk & Raven @ Dumpin, Stuntin On Prose, 2dopeboyz and a gang of new blogs like Moovmnt, Highing Fly, and the list grows monthly pushing the envelope with each successive post it'd be a wrap for me."
What I don't get any love, Dart? I feel I push the boundaries of being an irasicible hater to glorious new heights.
I don't just say new music sucks. I say it in new and unique ways.
@ Sickamore: I know what that's a link to already...the LeBron dunk on KG? I'm sick of them not being able to win on the road. Hopefully they handle biz tomorrow in The Jungle and finally put them away in Game 6 @ Quicken Loans Arena. They gotta win a road game sooner or later, right?
@ Doc Zeus:
My bad, I was still reeling from the fact that the C's couldn't yet put together a decent run in a winnable game on the road. I have almost 160 blogs listed in my favorites and you're near the top if that's any concession, though.
One.
Amen Dart. Much love to you, the folks at 2DBz and HighingF and all others for all yall do.. it's recognized and appreciated..
i'm with you. and actually, i'm old enough to remember back in the day, heads were complaining that the hip hop of the early '90s wasn't as good as the hip hop of 1984.
i've come to learn that when it comes to hip hop, the "classics" are whatever you came of age listening to.
and yes, it takes a lot of effort to hear good new music. but it IS out there, and you're not gonna find it on the radio, or even on a lot of the label-sponsored hip hop blogs out there.
There is plenty of good Hip-Hop out there, its just getting harder and harder to find it.
Another new and not well known artist is Dert. He just dropped his debut The Short List and its an exceptional slice of funky instrumental Hip-Hop. Check it out.
Excellent blog, keep up the good work.
I couldnt have said it better my self. If your opinion is always negative how do you expect hip hop to grow? I do agree that there is artists out there who you could talk to me about and I immediately would pass up. But thats all with good reason. Also, to criticize an artist who you grew up on because their new album doesn't sound like their old work is just plain ignorant.
Thanks for the post, swing by my blog anytime. Peace
Dart, your blog is invaluable. Period.
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