The hip-hop world suffered a major loss this past week with the death of one of it’s earliest pioneers, who is arguably the most responsible for the spread of rap music. On Friday, October 2^nd, John Rivas, aka Mr. Magic, died of a heart attack in Brooklyn, New York at the age of 53.  Continue Reading

When was the last time you heard a Redman song on the radio?? Have you seen any Talib Kweli videos lately?? Ever heard Crooked I over the airwaves??

Yeah. Me neither.

And therein lays the problem with the current state of Hip-Hop music.  Somewhere, a few years back, the lines between supply and demand became crossed. The “powers that be,” and in turn the big money machine, now dictate what songs we hear over the airwaves and which music videos we see on television. In plain English, payola is not dead. Far from it. The big record labels have the money and the PR machine to push their artists. They pay for radio spins, to have videos aired, and for DJ’s to play their artists in clubs. Even worse, the major labels are only doing this for a handful of artists, while the majority stand by the wayside, hoping to get that big push at some point in their careers.

If you’re an artist on a smaller, indie, label good luck. At one time, just a few years ago, there were several rappers who had success going this route. However, the recent downturn in record sales overall, coupled with the larger labels tactics to stifle labels with less financial backing, has dried the well of success for most of these artists. Koch, the biggest indie label, which now goes under the moniker of E1, is facing financial hardship. The inability to expose their artists’ latest music to the public makes it virtually impossible for them to sell units. Thus, Cinderella is now being shut out from the ball.

So where does that leave the state of Hip-Hop??

Today’s Hip-Hop aficionado is not afforded the plethora of choices that were once available. Unfortunately, he or she is force-fed the same 9 songs on the radio (How repetitive does that get on a daily basis??), only to turn on the television and have the same 5 videos on the countdown for 2 months.  Barring access to the internet, the average fan would never have the opportunity to hear new music from a debuting artist or from a veteran they have enjoyed listening to for years. As a result of the lack of variety, Hip-Hop has reached a stalemate. Feeling pigeon-holed, many artists conform to the present trends in an attempt to keep their careers afloat, creating carbon copy music, causing further detriment to the genre.

I remember the “Golden Years” of Hip-Hop, where all types of rap music were available. I remember a time when A Tribe Called Quest, The Alkaholiks, and NWA may have all headlined the same tour. As a result, fans had a wide array of music in their coffers, whether it was the latest Compton’s Most Wanted album or one from X-Clan. If a song had a radio edit, there was a high probability of it being played on some radio station’s rap show. Ironically, the array of rap music receiving airplay was greater when stations were actually playing less of it. Go figure. It was during this era that Hip-Hop from all regions of the country was being played simultaneously. In the span of a one-hour rap program, you may have viewed videos from Too Short, Tupac, KRS-One, MC Lyte, NWA, The Geto Boys, MC Breed, EST, and The Too Live Crew. You may have also owned rap albums ranging from gangster to socially conscious. In fact, gangster rappers often made or collaborated on songs that were of a socially conscious nature. It is without coincidence that the Hip-Hop music of this time was also more authentic.

Presently, the south is on top of the food chain, partly because their music appeals to a wide range of fans. An artist from the Midwest, like Nelly for instance, has a heavy fan base in states such as Florida, the Carolinas, Alabama, Kansas, Texas, and Tennessee, his “country grammar” appeals to a much larger constituency than the earlier stars in Hip-Hop that commonly hailed from either New York or California, and whose music was seen as more secular or geared towards fans from metropolitan areas. Artists, like Nelly and David Banner, appeal to the masses that have never been on a subway. The Hip-Hop fan is not totally devoid of fault in this debacle.  Unlike the coastal listener, these southern rap fans are supporting their artists wholeheartedly. Seeing this outpouring of support, the major labels have resorted to saturating the market to meet the demand. As always, the bottom line is money talks.

Knowing such, the Hip-Hop fan must force the supplier to cater to the demand. We cannot sit idly by, like sheep, and allow the music we have loved over the years to be spoon-fed to us. If the radio is not playing what you want to hear, call in and make requests. If those requests are not honored, switch radio stations. The same goes for the music video shows. If their top ten is not your top ten, by all means, watch another program. If the “suits” will only pay attention to the bottom line, then that’s what must be affected. In addition, the artists on smaller labels must be supported by, us, the consumers in order to make the hierarchy take notice and promote a wider selection of talent. Do not be afraid to request artists that rarely receive air time. If we, the true Hip-Hop fan, create the demand they will have no other option but to supply the product. After all, fans should create stars for labels. Labels shouldn’t create stars for fans.