Hip-Hop is probably the only genre of music where your age is as important as your skills. The un-spoken rule is that it is a “young man’s sport”. Sure you have some exceptions to the rule… JayZ , Snoop, Busta come to mind first. But for the most part it gets rid of you once you get into your thirties. Hip-Hop looks at you like you are its annoying parent trying to remain cool by staying at the party way too long. That’s changing, though. Look, if your trying to start a career at thirty whatever, you better be the second coming, because its going to be tougher than if you were some 19 year old. Still, more and more as the audience grows older and more sophisticated, there’s too classes emerging. (Excuse me, the FUCKING JETS JUST LOSS TO DENVER PFFFFFFF!) You got the new school verses the old school, new west, old west and so on and so on. Rap recycles its self better than actual people due plastic! In a year a two an artist, if he/she is not careful, can become an has been over night! (Where’s Plies???) That’s why you see so many artist dropping what seems like and endless stream of music all the fucking time. Artist had 2 learn that the audience has a short attention span. Every new artist is the greatest of “all time”! New is “cool”. Rappers are like Iphone’s, don’t get caught with the first generation jawn! Fortunate for older artist there is an audience demanding to be fed, unfortunately they don’t always get the “love” (publicity) That say, the Rolling Stones or the Chilli Peppers get when they drop new projects. Also the younger generation in Rock, “salute” the elder a little more. Just recently, I read an article on Lil Wayne and he stated that there’s no more beef in rap because it’s not about competition anymore. He went on to say that competition was for “old niggas”.
It’s a bunch of people that loath this new generation of rap stars. I hear it all the time, “Man, this shit they playin on the radio is trash…” “I cant stand so and so, that ni99az wack!”Some People long for the days of the 90’s when the rap they loved blasted in the streets everywhere. It does seem, compared to days before, there is more disdain for newer artist. Maybe it’s the internet that makes any idiot with a computer a critic, and its easier to spew hatred globally. So if you hate the new Drake, all you gotta do is hit up your favorite site and blast away! Wasn’t that easy before. These days a rapper can come along, completely jack a style from somebody else and strike it rich and he’s never held accountable. The younger consumer, with their limited hip-hop knowledge, just assumes that the new “guy” came up with the style first. The real tragedy is that these artist rarely pay homage to their predecessor. It’s the competition thing in hip-hop that I don’t care what any body thinks, will always be there. Everybody is fighting to keep their “spot” like life literally depended on it. It ain’t easy! The latest beef emerging on the rap landscape is between Luda, Big Sean and Drake. Luda has dropped a track called “Badabing” takin subliminal shots at em both. Is Luda considered an older rapper now? Seems like just yesterday … Anyway, If there is a solution to this problem, it would have to have its roots in unity. The Chris Brown and BustaRhymes massive hit “Look at me Now” is a prime example of how this could and should work. Rappers are getting older and younger at the same time. Both generations can learn a lot from each other. This is true for the consumer as well.
SALUTE.
P.S. Thanks for all the love and positive energy y’all sent my daughter’s way. Melah is ok, getting ready to start school and we are hopeful and humbled by her strength… Also,
We out on this “Perfect Timing” promo tour so I will hit yall up in a few and let yall in on how it’s going!
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