A Young Brothers Perspective Has Hip Hop Thrived Since 95? (Hip Hop, my Sankofa Bird)

A Young Brothers Perspective

Has Hip Hop Thrived since 95? (Hip Hop, my Sankofa Bird)

By Wesley “Wize Sun” Williams

 

In 1995 (the year I was born) Billboards top one hundred had everything from some of the most influential Hip Hop artists of all time to a few one hit wonders grace the charts still pushing the boundaries of Hip Hop evolution and place in music history. Some of the artist range from east coast giants like the legendary Notorious Big to the West Coast King of Gangsta Funk Dr Dre and the Legendary 2pac who I would like to call Bi Coastal since in the If My Homie Calls video where he was east coast stomping it to the California Love days where he did a bid on Death Row. Bone Thugz n Harmony also graced the chart that year with there sing song style that paved the way for others artist to aspire to adapt to the same styles like big names such as Nelly and Chamillionare. Others on the chart that year were Coolio, Da Brat, Skeelo, and Junior Mafia, a variety of different styles that marked where Hip Hop was changing. ‘95’ was just near the end of the “Golden Age” of  Hip Hop. This era was when Hip Hop was at its peak, at its purest form like chocolate from the Cacao tree before all the extra sugar and fat is added to it. Now has this “sugar and fat” added more  to Hip Hop or has it come to the detriment of Hip Hop culture and its listeners? Now I know many are probably thinking, how does this “young brother” know so much about this music and culture? I would respond it all started in the womb of my mother.

 

Ever since I was in the womb I was around music. My dad was and still is a Hip Hop purist always bangin’ those beats like his life depended on it. As an MC and a producer he introduced me to pure Hip Hop at its finest all my life. My mother, on the other hand, was into everything, pop, classical, jazz, R&B, and of course Hip Hop. My parents believe that one of the first Hip Hop songs I ever heard was while in the womb, and this song was the Buck Em’ Down remix by Black Moon. After being born I was around so much culture between my dad having cyphas in our living room, while I’m in the middle nodding my little head at only a few months old, and my mother giving me personal little concerts, killing me so softly with her songs. As I was growing up I listened to all types of music from Backstreet Boys to Mozart to Keri Chandler to the great Miles Davis. Out of all these categories Hip Hop always had a special place in my heart. Despite the fact my father was so heavily involved in Hip Hop, I would recall my mother really giving me exposure to it, and I don’t really think she even realized it. During this time all the music I listened to besides my fathers Reggae and Calypso, was my mother’s music on Wave Lab. I remember she used to make CD’s, burning all these classic Hip Hop songs from the Golden Age to the modern Hip Hop age. These songs included, Talib Kweli “Just to get by”, De La Soul “Break of Dawn”, Craig Mack “Flavor in Your Ear”, Camp Lo “Luccini”, The Fugees “Rumble in the Jungle”, and Black Moon’s “Buck em’ Down” remix, just to name a few. Now at one point this is all I would listen to and nothing else. But I still would not call this the day I fell in love with Hip Hop. We were still just friends.

 

Now I believe this is the day I fell in love with Hip Hop. When I hit the ground I felt no pain because Hip Hop was with me. One day I was bored with nothing to do and I noticed something in the living room in the case where the stereo is. Under the stereo I saw a whole bunch of rectangular things in cases, which I had assumed were tapes. I picked one up and it read GANG STARR, and it had two guys on the cover standing next to each other leaning back looking like they were over lapping, and on the side of them it read No More Mr. Nice Guy. I asked my father if I could listen to it and he did not think it was a big deal so he just said yes. Forgetting that I did not know how to use the tape I went back and he showed me how. He rewound it to the beginning of the first side and pressed play, and from then I was gone. The first song that came on was “Premier and the Guru”. It was the weirdest thing I ever heard because I never heard anything so funky before. It had a funky baseline and during the chorus it had an interesting incorporation of strings that made it well rounded because all of this was put over a beat. This album was all I listened to for a good three months. During this time 50 cent was hot and The Game  had just come out and everybody in the class were listening to them, and of course I  tried, in my mind they were nothing compared to Gang Starr.

 

After my No More Mr. Nice Guy era my heavy interest in my own history, African History increased and then Public Enemy came along, and then It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back became my soundtrack. All during this time I explored everything between ‘86’ and ‘89’.  Everything from Big Daddy Kane to Boogie Down Productions was being blasted on my stereo. Then as time went on I slowly transitioned to the early ‘90’s where the golden age started. I got into the Native Tongues, mostly A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. While listening to them I continued my journey with Gang Starr listening to their Step Into the Arena album, and their classic Daily Operation album. As I got older my hunger for Hip Hop grew, and I explored everything from the Artifacts to NWA.  I ended up discovering artist and their music, from the east coast, west coast, and the south. In the last few years I have really broadened my scope getting into Outkast, Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Wu Tang Clan, and many others who have survived from the Golden Age to now.

 

Now 13 and an inhabitant of the Hip Hop world I have noticed a vast change in Hip Hop. Bringing me back to my question has Hip Hop thrived since ’95? My answer is that it has been extremely sick and has been near death a few times in the past ten years. Between the stress of Hip Hop being labeled something its not (Rap), and its so called followers not remaining true to the culture. Some may be thinking what I mean by “Hip Hop being labeled something its not (Rap)”. Well Hip Hop is the culture of MC’ing, DJ’ing, B- Boying, and Graffiti. Hip Hop music is true, and respectful to the culture. Where as Rap is a mutant, corporate controlled, money making, bastard offspring of Hip Hop, and this traitor of an offspring absolutely destroyed  Hip Hop and its integrity. So essentially Rap has raped Hip Hop for everything it had, including its appeal and sound, hence making it popular and a quick way to get millions, albeit for corporations.

 

Nowadays, if a song has that classic “Golden Age” sound instead of it flowing down the mainstream, they dig a pothole and throw it underground. Today everyone is striving to sound like the flavor of the month. Whoever is the hottest rapper of the moment is who other rappers try to sound like in order to be successful. Hip Hop was founded on the concept of originality, and sounding different from everything else out there. In fact the Blastmaster Krs ONE has told stories of performing in legendary venues like the Latin Quarter, where MC’s who couldn’t move the crowd were shot at for their wackness. As extreme as that may seem, it proves the importance of quality and originality of the culture and artform. My, how far we have come.

 

A great example of the sound alike culture of Rap music is the “Crank Dat” phenomenon. After Soulja Boys so called hit Crank Dat (Soulja Boy) he basically blew up. A good month after this song hit the charts a million “Crank Dat” songs came out. Some were for fun, but most were for money making thus distinguishing Rap from Hip Hop. Even after this disease went into remission there were still some “got on out of nowhere” artists who try to emulate the idea of “if I make up a dance I will blow up.”

 

Besides Rap, Hip Hop’s supporters and contributors have not nursed the culture back to health. This is apart of the reason Hip Hop is being misunderstood. In the golden age the West had a sound, and the East had a sound. Both of these sounds could be distinguished, therefore adding more to the culture. There were also others from other parts of the America that kind of blended between them. During the golden age artist from the south including Geto Boys, Scarface, and Eightball & MJG paved the way for other artist from the south, such as Outkast, Goodie Mob, No Limit, and Cash Money, therefore creating the Southern category of Hip Hop. I guess when Andre 3000 said “The South got something to say,” at the 1995 Source Awards, he meant it. Today the south has taken over the game. Their style of MC’ing and producing has been widely accepted. However even though the south has many legendary MCs it also has many traitors of Hip Hop, and rappers using the game as a tool to get money, and not for the love of the culture.

 

Another great problem that is affecting Hip Hop’s health greatly is the quality of the music. In my opinion the “Golden Age” of Hip Hop gave birth to some of the most talented artists in the history of the music. This era in Hip Hop made it popular. This era in Hip Hop caused controversy, the kind of controversy that changed people’s perception of the world. What made the music back then filled with so much quality was the effort put into the lyrics and the quality of the tracks. The lyrics grabbed you with brilliant metaphors, cohesive concepts, and dope rhymes. Some of the tracks were filled with samples drawn from all different types of music over a dope beat. Some were simple and some complex but in the end it was a nice medley of everything.

 

Now don’t get me wrong, although I love the musical sound of the “Golden Age” I’m not saying we should go back to it. Hip Hop is always evolving and it always will be. Personally the sound of that era brings me joy, but I know not every Hip Hop follower will feel the same. However we still should preserve the culture by enhancing our rhymes, and creating music, not simple, repetitive, nursery rhyme sounding melodies that are put over some beat. So to those true Hip Hop supporters and contributors, stand up. Do your part to preserve, protect, and respect our music, that was simply created to bring us all together.