Well it has been a while since I posted anything but something inspired me to write this as I listened to the new Nas album during my workout this morning.

With all the talk about negativity in Hip Hop and how it poses so many issues within the Black Community, I have begun to see a shift in the tide. It seems as though Hip Hop is beginning show some maturity. It may be perhaps due to the aging and maturity of some of Hip Hop's most prominent icons such as Jay-Z, Nas, Common, and even Kanye West.

For so long artists have been obsessed with sex, drugs, and violence but now even artists who are guilty for contributing to that very crime have decided to change their message. The latest albums from the artists mentioned above and other younger artists such as Lupe Fiasco and even T.I. have shown some new life and material. While T.I., Nas, and Jay-Z still have a tinge of so-called "hood" to their albums the over all message seems more positive and original and even conscious. Their material covers subjects such as politics, black consciousness, positive male and female relationships, and a more positive forecast Black America.

While ridiculous artists still flood the airwaves due to commercialism and a socially subconscious idea of black entertainment having to be borderline retarded for it to be entertaining, the shift is beginning. Even Hip Hop fashion is changing, from bandanas and AirForce Ones to loafers and suits.

Lets hope that pioneering artists continue to lead the way for the younger ones. And lets hope that we continue to see more young artists like Lupe Fiasco, T.I. and Kanye rise up against the pressure for commercialism and negativity.

After all I have been listening to Common and The Roots for years but they are just now beginning to enter the mainstream. They say, "everything comes full circle", it seems Hip Hop may have finally got the message.

I was in a record store last week and they were playing a hip-hop song that wasn't half-bad....it had a very positve message and a great chorus that reminded me of 70s R&B.When I got to the cashier,I asked her the name of the song and artist and she said it's "We're Not Alone" by Nas,from his new CD.

Has anyone heard this song? I never thought I would like a new hip-hop song in 2008

SoulAlive said:

Yeah that is off his new album which was boldy titled "Ni**er". But due to controversy over the title he was pretty much forced to change it. Now it doen't have a title at all. It's the Hip Hop equivalent to the "Black Album" only it's much easier to find.

No.

It passed the mature mark years ago and has been stuck in the elderly mode since the early 1990s with it's slow ass tempo.

Yeah, but how was the tempo and what kind of drums and bass did it have on it? In other words, can it pass the "ass shakable" test? If not, throw it to the dogs with the negative shit hop because progress still hasn't been made.

vainandy said:

LOL

vainandy said:

And there lies the problem. "ass shakable test"? The problem is everyone wants to lay down beats for the club and the radio and not have any substance to it. As far as Hip Hop being mature since the 90s, Hip Hop was in its adolesence stage and that is where it has been stuck. Its been stuck in puberty talking about nothing but ass and guns. Only the select few have grown up they just aren't as amusing to the masses.
[Edited 7/30/08 14:03pm]
[Edited 7/30/08 14:04pm]

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ChristopherTracy319 said:

Where? Where are those songs that were made for the clubs to pass the "ass shakable" test? Oh, how I wish they existed. None of that is being made today and hasn't been for years. It's all too slow and those "beats" you are talking about are too weak (when I say weak, I'm referring to how hard they pound and how realistic the drum machines sound).





When I say mature and elderly, I'm not referring to the lyrics. The hell with the lyrics. I'm talking about the tempo. What has the majority of the music been since the early 1990s been? Most of it has been slow as hell with drum machines that just barely tap. What kind of music has elderly people liked for hundreds of years? Slow music that never really gets too loud or hard. Those shit hoppers went from being age 12 straight to being age 86 without ever getting to experience all the years in the middle.

No.

When they take the N word out of the music, then I will consider them mature. Hell, even Common raps against gays.

That's because "Common" is only his first name. His last name is "Trash".

vainandy said:[quote]
Finally and educated conversation about Hip Hop.

With guys like Pitbull, Ying Yang Twins, Ludacris, Three Six Mafia and the like, there are plenty of "Ass Shakin" beats to go around. And lets not forget the Hyphy, and Crunk side of the house. ASS SHAKING GALORE!!!

Now as far as beats to go along with the lyrics their are plenty of those if you pay attention. Guys like the Roots, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, The Game, Dead Prez, Lupe Fiasco, Nas and others, the beats are there. They have beats and the lyrics no question. The beats are better now than they ever were in the 90s, they just haven't had much to go along with them.

They may be shakin' asses to those songs but the shakin' don't match the tempo of the songs. They are shakin' asses at 130 BPM to songs that are 35 BPM. And the drum machines don't sound anything like real drums with any strength or power to them. There are drum machines that sound good and hard like the ones Prince used to use early in his career (although he mixed his with real drums to give them power) and the ones that folks like Egyptian Lover and Soul Sonic Force used. Or even the type drum machines used by the groups that made house music in the early 1990s. But the drum machines that the majority of these so-called rap artists since the early 1990s have used sound totally fake like a cheap toy and have no power or thump to them whatsoever. And there is no good bass lines in those songs either. Good sounding drums and bass lines at a decent tempo are the things that make a song "ass shakable". Nobody can pass that test these days except Prince.
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[Edited 7/30/08 15:12pm]

vainandy said:

Man your killing me. Well if you want to keep listening to Marky Mark and the Funky bunch, C&C Music Factory, and Tag Team then be my guest. I will keep on listening to the Hip Hop with more flavor. But at least we are agreed on one thing. Prince can still get your ass up and dance, even if it isn't good as it used to be.

You've OBVIOUSLY never heard "I Ain't Got No Panties On" or "What That Thang Smell Like" or "Time Fa Freakin."

I mean that's TRUE ART right there.
[Edited 7/31/08 0:17am]

Maybe just starting.

There's still Soulja Boy, Nelly and Lil Wayne to lower the standards.

vainandy said:

It's a slow song,which means you probably won't like it But the message is great and I really like the chorus.
[Edited 7/31/08 1:27am]

Yo.

Those groups you listed made some jams. And don't forget Duice with "Dazey Dukes". That's when rap was still good. When rap got away from stuff like that, is when it turned into shit hop.

As for rap afterwards having more flavor, hell, it has none at all. It don't even have the basic flavors like salt or pepper. It's totally bland. It's just a slow weak sounding beat with some talking over it. I like my flavors with some spice to it. Give me some curry powder, ginger, and throw in some hot ass cayenne pepper to really spice things up and give it some heat. I like my music for the ass, not the mind, and if the spices I like don't affect your ass on the dance floor, they sure as hell will affect your ass on the toilet. One way or another, it's gotta be about the ass because that's what music has been since the beginning of the rock and roll era and is what it should have remained. When it stopped being for the ass, then you might as well go back to the days before it was for the ass, which would have been the classical music era. And since shit hop likes to be so homophobic, well, show tunes, Judy Garland, opera, and classical music have more tempo, rhythm, and hipness than shit hop.
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[Edited 7/31/08 6:34am]

you mean is it getting mature? yeah it is getting old and played out. yeah.

I think that it has finally gotten through the fads of the cash, ass, and girls, but at the same time it has just calmed down, but will never go away.

ChristopherTracy319 said:

What about 2 Live Crew?!? Their songs were at 132 BPM for most of their career as a group. And they made the Roland TR-808 drum machine hit hard at that!

Hell yeah! Those motherfuckers used to get off! I finally got tired of them though after hearing "Planet Rock" and "Egypt, Egypt" sampled in every single way imaginable.