After hearing Lil Flip's new song "Do the Kim Kardashian", I threw my hands in the air and said, "What the fuck is going in Rap these days??? First Halle Berry, now Kim Kardashian???" Have we run out of things to rap about??? So we choose celebrities and make dances after them??? I'm sorry guys, but I'm confused. So I did some research on the demise of Rock and Roll. I came across this great piece and after reading it, it seems that Hip Hop is heading in the same direction. I want to hear your thoughts, leave comments.
THE DEMISE OF ROCK AND ROLL
WRITTEN BY: DEREK DRAVEN
The reason for the demise of rock and roll is a pretty simple one. When a certain musical style reaches its peak of popularity, it begins to settle in, become the norm, and (with regret) suddenly become too commonplace for most folk. Record companies realize that to continue reaping billions of dollars, they must come up with "the next new thing." In the early 90s, this meant introducing music that went into a completely opposite direction as traditional party-hard rock n' roll
The result? A musical Pandora's box was opened, and has spawned artistic evils on a multitude of levels.
Almost overnight, we went from grunge music (which barely lasted 3 years), to alternative music. While everyone tried their mightiest to sit and figure out exactly what this moronic term meant, record companies were already planning to unleash the NEXT big thing: the new pop movement. How do you define today's pop music, besides being "popular?" It's quite simple, really. Take a real large pot, then gather a whole bunch of musical genres together. Water down each musical genre to the point where all merit, talent, and skill is gone, then toss them all into the same pot. The result was dance music, boy bands, rock, punk, ska, and hip hop all rolled into one. All image, no substance, with zero talent.
Where did it leave us? These days, the popular music world has become a sound wave wasteland, with each sickly, struggling band re-starting the vicious cycle of copying their predecessor's material. All popular music sounds precisely the same these days, period. I can no longer tell one rock band from the other, nor one rap group from the other, nor one female singer from another. To further layer on the hilarity of the situation, the record companies have the nerve to blame illegal music downloading as the cause for dropping musical sales! It must be VERY convenient to pollute an entire industry to the point where it has become stagnant, then turn around and blame your target audience!
So who is to blame for all of this? I hate to say it, but it's the people buying the albums. Yes, you heard me right! Rather than speak up and have their say regarding their own individuality, they fell prey to the timeless trap of wanting to fit in by liking the same things as their peers. The music industry is fully aware that teenagers are self-conscious and desperate to fit in, and it didn't take them long to realize that cheap marketing campaigns and a quick buzz can stimulate a teenager's need to have the "next big thing," in hopes of looking cool.
Stop for a moment and ask yourself how a band such as Nickelback could attain such wealth and fortune, with almost no musical skill or talent to back them up? Nickelback has been called out countless times for blatantly ripping off their OWN songs, purely because the original song did so well on the musical charts.
To make matters worse, the other low-grade bands at the bottom of the talent pool have resorted to copying each other's songs almost bar for bar. What we have, essentially, is one really large band, where different musicians guest on each album. Gone are the days of a popular music band actually sounding DIFFERENT than their peers. These days all it takes is a ridiculous hairstyle, a garage-band musical skill level, and songs aimed towards the preteen audience to assert their fame and fortune.
There is one shining light at the end of this deep, dark tunnel. Ironically, it lies underground. The underground music scene is where the REAL rock and roll has fled, and it's quite willing to sit back and laugh while waiting for the surface-dwellers to rip themselves apart. All you need do is look for yourself. The Internet is a POWERFUL search tool, and real hard rock fans craving that feel-good sound won't have to look far. In fact, rock n' roll has branched out into so many different forms of fun music, that it's impossible not to at least take a look
THE END
Poor Hip Hop!!! Such a bad it has been given over the past few years. The problem aint Hip Hop dying, the problem is the radio is only playing waht it's paid to play!
ReplyDeleteThe amount of Hip Hop on the net is outstanding. The range of talent is beautiful. What the Hip Hop artists MUST do is continue to create Hip Hop. Flood the streets and net with it until the demand for it can no longer be ignored.
We have to take back Hip Hop with the passion that it was brought top life in the first place.
Turn off the radio and turn on ya amps, plug in ya guitars, tune up the bass . Get ya voice in order and start spillin from the heart!!! Start writing about reality, keep the pro tools locked loaded so when that perfect vibe rolls thru ya soul u can get it down and out to the world!
Yeah its aight to have a lil fun with Hip hop but I think they should rename the mess they keep makin. Just like you got your Hip Hop/R&B, Hip Hop/Soul etc. Call it Hip Hop/goofy greats or somethin like that!!
Im just sayin...
WE are in a sad place musically. I don't think we can make a change without going back to the roots of REAL music. Great Post...lol.
ReplyDeleteI read A LOT of these posts.... Its hard what to make of them. Yea of course there is crap music and yea that Lil' Flip is just insulting to music I agree.
ReplyDeleteMy thing is sure, I'd like to hear a record and then not be disgusted when I see a live show (Keri Hilson) but I don't know if I think popular music in general has become a tragedy.
Honestly, if we can make it as cool to be a music exec as an artist and some of these bloggers who jump on this "hip hop is dead" kick weren't so pessimistic then I think it would be a different story.
Underground music is what it is... but a lot that I have heard is underground because it NEEDS to be. There is just as much trash underground.
I dont know Serge! You have a totally different perspective then most dudes that will comment on here.
Don't worry..hip hop will turn around that is my gut feelin...bring back the passion..There are so many artists with that passion..I think its ok to have a track here or there that has some fun vibes..but stop talkin about stupid stuff like celebrities...and I mean Whole song References...they got enough publicity..there is so much goin on in the world right now that Hip Hop can be the mouthpiece once again..There is a new revolution comin round..this time though it may not come directly from the states...watch worldwide..Hip Hop musicially is evolving and lyricly going back to some basics...anyway..thats my scoop....there are more and more Hip Hop albums selling outside the states..? why...because the industry in the states gets hung up on their own community hip hop, thinking that the world wants it..look around..creativity is there..just tap into it..lets revive hip hop again! It aint over! Hip Hop has more to achieve and it will achieve more...
ReplyDeletegreat post ANRSerge...
Hip Hop is not in as near a critical state as we may be led to believe. Good music is out there and we have multiple ways to access it. Hip Hop wont die. But the commercially based extensions of this culture will eventually be forced to fall back. That's just the nature of the "music business" But pure hip hop is very much active and doing well.
ReplyDeleteno sir hip hop is not going anywhere, what do they have to do talk about somebody gettin killed 4 it to be hip hop, they just need more new faces, new up n coming artist r popn up erday so no hip hop is not casket bound.
ReplyDelete