Wiz
09-27-2003, 08:30 PM
From www.rapnewsdirect.com
According to the International Recording Industry hip hop is the fastest rising music market. In addition to that the Recording Industry Association of America already ranks hip hop as the second most popular form of music. Given these statistics there is no doubt that hip hop is big a part of American culture. However the thug image is not hip hop. In a recent Internet interview, DJ Lord Ron a respected DJ and producer, discredits the thug image in hip hop.
“Where is the validation in being a hooligan, a gangster, a mugger?..It’z a wack validation because REAL thugs move in silence and any real street person who represents being from the streets respects that code of silence na mean. Now, when I see or hear these artists claiming to be thugs. I see nothing but followers of a trend just for the dollar bill na mean. I even heard the bubble gum group ‘B2k’ use the word ‘Thug’… Do you really think these artists are real thugs?…A person can be anything they want to be in this society and to blame others for your actions of being this thug is straight up wack yo!…America is in love with violence & sex it does sell but there are many other topics that these rappers can write about.”
DJ Lord Ron starts out by saying that real thugs do not go out and boast about the things they do. The real thugs keep it in the street. For a real thug to go on an album and boast about the things they have done would basically serve as a confession and would lead to them going to jail. Lord Ron states that the “thug” image is being followed because it is the current trend; it is what is selling. The people who are buying into the thug image do not realize the motives behind these artists is strictly money.
The consumers buy into the thug image as reality. The people who listen to that music begin to think that it is acceptable to do the things that are being talked about in the songs. Listening to constant talk about violence and drugs does affect people. Here is an example of what these people are listening to. The following lyrics are from one of the more popular rappers Eminem, from his song “Killing” from the Marshall Mathers LP, “You faggots keep eggin me on til I have you at knifepoint, then you beg me to stop? Shut up! Give me your hands and feet I said shut up when I'm talkin to you You hear me? Answer Me? Or I'ma kill you!" This violent excerpt is just one of the many examples from Eminem. Eminem clearly relies on shock value to get attention. Another popular “thug rapper” is 50 Cent, here is the chorus to his hit song “In Da Club”. “You can find me in the club bottle full of bub. Look mami I got the X if you into taking drugs I’m into having sex, I aint into makin love. So come give me a hug if you into getting rubbed.”
This song talks about taking drugs and having sex as everyday things. Kids are going around singing this chorus as casually as if they were singing the alphabet. 50 Cent is what is wrong with hip hop today, almost like a microcosm of what's wrong with what the general public see as hip hop today. 50 Cent started off as a reasonably talented lyricist. Then he got shot. This provided the media with a marketing spark and had him touted as the next Tupac. Now it is almost impossible to watch music television without seeing 50 Cent promoted in some way.
Rappers such as Eminem and 50 Cent have taken a firm control over mainstream hip hop. However, some hip hop artists are doing what they can to make a positive difference.
One example is the group Blackalicious, which consists of members Gift of Gab and Chief Excel. Gift of Gab addresses the thug scene in the following excerpt from the song “Shallow Days”. “But music does reflect life and kids look up to what you’re portraying and mimic what you act like. Its time for a new day an era in rap, conscious styles, makin’ them aware of the happenings but their ears seem more steered towards self-annihilation so then they might laugh and write this off, like I’m out here just blowing wind, maybe label us soft or unreal, something they can’t feel, while they keep yelling murder murder murder, kill kill kill.” The Gift of Gab starts out by trying to reach the thug rappers and make them realize that kids look up to them and mimic the things they do. He wants to start a new era in rap with socially conscious lyrics. However, he knows what is going to happen, he is going to be written off and the people will continue on with their ways. To the mainstream audience the message of positivity is thrown into the “soft” category. The mainstream audience labels music with positive messages as not “real” when in fact the thug image is what is not real.
A big part of the thug image problem is the media such as MTV, BET and the radio. The media is a money-making business and decides what is to be popular and who the next superstar artist will be. The media outlets essentially spoon-feed society what to listen to, this in turn shapes the product they are selling. If the media only plays songs and videos with thugs and gangsters then the new artists coming up will conform to these standards so that they can make it in the business. An artist that is struggling to survive day by day will naturally get desperate. In this desperation the artist will do anything for that recording contract which will end his struggles. In the quest for the recording contract the artist will conform his talents to what is popular so that he may be popular. This in turn leads to an influx of thug and gangster copycats. The solution to this cycle is in the power of the fan. The radio and television stations need a wake up call. The reason the stations keep playing the same thug music is because they keep getting bombarded by requests from kids. The fans of good music and people who care about the youth must call in to their radio and television stations and demand quality music. If enough people call in the media will listen. The only problem with this solution is that a campaign must be made in order to really pull it off. Although it will take lots of organization a successful campaign is possible. In the words of the famous social scientist Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
The media helps shape the hip hop artist but the individual artist still holds some responsibility for the current state of hip hop. The mainstream artist has been using the same thug cliché for several years. The repeated use of this formula has cut off the creativity that once drove the hip hop culture. Hip hop had always been about trying new things before other people could think of it. Hip hop emphasized creativity. Now as long as this formula is selling nobody is going to change. Furthermore, hip hop is losing soldiers. The pressure for the real hip hop artist to sell out to the masses has never been higher. To illustrate this point is Krs One; a hip hop pioneer. Krs One was one of the most respected true hip hop artists and several of his albums are considered by true hip hop fans as classics. However he lost a lot of respect after working with mainstream artists such as Puff Daddy. In an interview with ThaFormula.com, Krs One was asked about his change of style that started in 1996, Krs responded with, “I have to compete; this is the whole real issue. I may not be able to continue my legacy as a classic Hip hop record maker. It’s like, either I get with the Neptunes and let them produce a hit LP for me or… I don’t know… I am not being supported.” Krs One fell victim to the commercialization of hip hop by tailoring his style to appeal to the masses. The reason for Krs One changing his style is money. Krs One noticed that the less talented mainstream artists were making a lot more money and he sacrificed his music to get a piece of that pie. This has happened to other artists as well and most have been unsuccessful in crossing over to the mainstream. The mainstream artists hold the biggest responsibility. What we need for them to do is to make revolutionary changes using the power they wield with their popularity, but as long as the money is being raked in it is doubtful this will happen. What needs to happen is to get more grassroots artists and organizations striving towards creativity instead of record sales. The way for this to happen is to support these artists. One way to support them is to simply spread the word about them. These artists do not get media attention therefore it is up to the people to let the other people know. Another step to support these artists is to stop downloading their songs off the Internet. These artists need the record sales more than a platinum selling artist does. Although the Internet allows these artists to gain exposure, they also need to be supported financially by people buying the albums. The financial desperation of some of these artists often leads them to adopting a thug image to attain record sales.
According to the International Recording Industry hip hop is the fastest rising music market. In addition to that the Recording Industry Association of America already ranks hip hop as the second most popular form of music. Given these statistics there is no doubt that hip hop is big a part of American culture. However the thug image is not hip hop. In a recent Internet interview, DJ Lord Ron a respected DJ and producer, discredits the thug image in hip hop.
“Where is the validation in being a hooligan, a gangster, a mugger?..It’z a wack validation because REAL thugs move in silence and any real street person who represents being from the streets respects that code of silence na mean. Now, when I see or hear these artists claiming to be thugs. I see nothing but followers of a trend just for the dollar bill na mean. I even heard the bubble gum group ‘B2k’ use the word ‘Thug’… Do you really think these artists are real thugs?…A person can be anything they want to be in this society and to blame others for your actions of being this thug is straight up wack yo!…America is in love with violence & sex it does sell but there are many other topics that these rappers can write about.”
DJ Lord Ron starts out by saying that real thugs do not go out and boast about the things they do. The real thugs keep it in the street. For a real thug to go on an album and boast about the things they have done would basically serve as a confession and would lead to them going to jail. Lord Ron states that the “thug” image is being followed because it is the current trend; it is what is selling. The people who are buying into the thug image do not realize the motives behind these artists is strictly money.
The consumers buy into the thug image as reality. The people who listen to that music begin to think that it is acceptable to do the things that are being talked about in the songs. Listening to constant talk about violence and drugs does affect people. Here is an example of what these people are listening to. The following lyrics are from one of the more popular rappers Eminem, from his song “Killing” from the Marshall Mathers LP, “You faggots keep eggin me on til I have you at knifepoint, then you beg me to stop? Shut up! Give me your hands and feet I said shut up when I'm talkin to you You hear me? Answer Me? Or I'ma kill you!" This violent excerpt is just one of the many examples from Eminem. Eminem clearly relies on shock value to get attention. Another popular “thug rapper” is 50 Cent, here is the chorus to his hit song “In Da Club”. “You can find me in the club bottle full of bub. Look mami I got the X if you into taking drugs I’m into having sex, I aint into makin love. So come give me a hug if you into getting rubbed.”
This song talks about taking drugs and having sex as everyday things. Kids are going around singing this chorus as casually as if they were singing the alphabet. 50 Cent is what is wrong with hip hop today, almost like a microcosm of what's wrong with what the general public see as hip hop today. 50 Cent started off as a reasonably talented lyricist. Then he got shot. This provided the media with a marketing spark and had him touted as the next Tupac. Now it is almost impossible to watch music television without seeing 50 Cent promoted in some way.
Rappers such as Eminem and 50 Cent have taken a firm control over mainstream hip hop. However, some hip hop artists are doing what they can to make a positive difference.
One example is the group Blackalicious, which consists of members Gift of Gab and Chief Excel. Gift of Gab addresses the thug scene in the following excerpt from the song “Shallow Days”. “But music does reflect life and kids look up to what you’re portraying and mimic what you act like. Its time for a new day an era in rap, conscious styles, makin’ them aware of the happenings but their ears seem more steered towards self-annihilation so then they might laugh and write this off, like I’m out here just blowing wind, maybe label us soft or unreal, something they can’t feel, while they keep yelling murder murder murder, kill kill kill.” The Gift of Gab starts out by trying to reach the thug rappers and make them realize that kids look up to them and mimic the things they do. He wants to start a new era in rap with socially conscious lyrics. However, he knows what is going to happen, he is going to be written off and the people will continue on with their ways. To the mainstream audience the message of positivity is thrown into the “soft” category. The mainstream audience labels music with positive messages as not “real” when in fact the thug image is what is not real.
A big part of the thug image problem is the media such as MTV, BET and the radio. The media is a money-making business and decides what is to be popular and who the next superstar artist will be. The media outlets essentially spoon-feed society what to listen to, this in turn shapes the product they are selling. If the media only plays songs and videos with thugs and gangsters then the new artists coming up will conform to these standards so that they can make it in the business. An artist that is struggling to survive day by day will naturally get desperate. In this desperation the artist will do anything for that recording contract which will end his struggles. In the quest for the recording contract the artist will conform his talents to what is popular so that he may be popular. This in turn leads to an influx of thug and gangster copycats. The solution to this cycle is in the power of the fan. The radio and television stations need a wake up call. The reason the stations keep playing the same thug music is because they keep getting bombarded by requests from kids. The fans of good music and people who care about the youth must call in to their radio and television stations and demand quality music. If enough people call in the media will listen. The only problem with this solution is that a campaign must be made in order to really pull it off. Although it will take lots of organization a successful campaign is possible. In the words of the famous social scientist Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
The media helps shape the hip hop artist but the individual artist still holds some responsibility for the current state of hip hop. The mainstream artist has been using the same thug cliché for several years. The repeated use of this formula has cut off the creativity that once drove the hip hop culture. Hip hop had always been about trying new things before other people could think of it. Hip hop emphasized creativity. Now as long as this formula is selling nobody is going to change. Furthermore, hip hop is losing soldiers. The pressure for the real hip hop artist to sell out to the masses has never been higher. To illustrate this point is Krs One; a hip hop pioneer. Krs One was one of the most respected true hip hop artists and several of his albums are considered by true hip hop fans as classics. However he lost a lot of respect after working with mainstream artists such as Puff Daddy. In an interview with ThaFormula.com, Krs One was asked about his change of style that started in 1996, Krs responded with, “I have to compete; this is the whole real issue. I may not be able to continue my legacy as a classic Hip hop record maker. It’s like, either I get with the Neptunes and let them produce a hit LP for me or… I don’t know… I am not being supported.” Krs One fell victim to the commercialization of hip hop by tailoring his style to appeal to the masses. The reason for Krs One changing his style is money. Krs One noticed that the less talented mainstream artists were making a lot more money and he sacrificed his music to get a piece of that pie. This has happened to other artists as well and most have been unsuccessful in crossing over to the mainstream. The mainstream artists hold the biggest responsibility. What we need for them to do is to make revolutionary changes using the power they wield with their popularity, but as long as the money is being raked in it is doubtful this will happen. What needs to happen is to get more grassroots artists and organizations striving towards creativity instead of record sales. The way for this to happen is to support these artists. One way to support them is to simply spread the word about them. These artists do not get media attention therefore it is up to the people to let the other people know. Another step to support these artists is to stop downloading their songs off the Internet. These artists need the record sales more than a platinum selling artist does. Although the Internet allows these artists to gain exposure, they also need to be supported financially by people buying the albums. The financial desperation of some of these artists often leads them to adopting a thug image to attain record sales.