|
preserve/ harm Hip Hop? I believe that the most harm to hip hop culture has been done by the fans artists,and media who have twisted the east-west style wars into another personal affront against those who are part of the "other group". As if it wasn't bad enough with blue killing red, whites killing blacks baptists killing jews, rich killing poor and vice versa, now we've got kids actually fighting and killing because of a coastal affiliation. Style wars back in the day between the Bronx and Brooklyn were cool because they focused strictly on the STYLES. Nowadays it's getting personal with physical wars being incited between the coasts. Biggie and Tupac being the most prominant victims of this war. The media is quick to deepen this rift between our people by promoting these east/west wars. the clothing manufacturers are also cashing in on this travesty by producing "east side/west side" gear targeted towards the hip hop generation. We as members of the hip hop culture need to rise above this mental cesspool they are trying to drag us in to and return to the era of criticizing styles of music instead of criticizing PEOPLE for their origins. If whoever's lyrics are weak let's take them to a lyrical war and leave the guns at home! respect and shouts out to my cleveland hip-hop reggae massive,
i'm writing cuz i got ya newsletter FNV and i was just responding to the 2 questions--basically, who's most good or helped Hip-Hop and who's most bad or hurt it? as far as who's helped it the most, i've got some conflicting opinions but i like what Wyclef has done and also Eryka Badu has also i think. but i prefer Clef more and i think the man comes across sincere and has alot of positive things to say in this day and age where it's at the crossroads. some people might say groups from the past--and that's important--but really right now is crucial as well, cuz the future of Hip-Hop is in question. as for who's most detrimental to it, the answer is without a question, Tupac Shakur. that mothafucka has caused more harm and undoin it will take somethin. he's the fool that got that west vs east thang goin. really, i could write forever on the evil of 2pac.
PEACE Edi I usually don't respond to these lists but I gotsta get my 2 cents in.... Puffy Combs and Company must receive award for "most negative contribution to hip-hop." The more I get away from commercialized music and listen to tha lyrics of conscious/positive hip-hop, the more destructive I realize Puff is. For every time an artist tries to uplift women, Black people, or just people struggling to put food on they table... some Puff song comes out that contradicts it all. I work with kids and I see how they model themselves after "Bad Boy family," they families strugglin to survive here in Amerikkka and all they feel is shame after hearing Puffy's lyrics about clothes, cars, and Caribbean cruises. There is no comparison between Pac and Puffy because despite his contradictions, 2Pac truly had love for people -- his lyrics showed that. As a woman of color, I felt encouraged and strengthened listening to 2Pac's songs -- yes despite the contradictions -- Pac was real. Listening to Puffy I am reminded that I am secondary to the paperchase in every man's mind... so that is my vote... peace
By far the thing that has ruined hip hop is this thing with 2Pac,, whether he is dead or alive.. A lot of people think he is still alive and just using his death to make mo money.. What a fake ass punk.. He lost all my respect for him when he started this scandle.. You know he's alive,, laughing as we buy up his music making him richer and richer.. It's pathetic!
dhill466@uwsp.edu
I feel that one group of folks who are messing things up for Hip Hop are "New School" Studio Gangstas, who take old school love songs and upbeat dance tracks and remake them into violent, cuss-word filled tracks, which always seems to (unintentionally or not) cause people to often associate the SOUND of Old School Funk with Gangsta-ism, and causing Funk or funky-sounding music to be discriminated against...thus we get stations like "The Z", who play "Jock Jams" music all day (Technotronic, C&C Music Factory, etc.) which provides background noise, but doesn't give the intellectual purpose of what Hip hop could be...... Actually, I feel the early 90's Gangsta Image is what brought about Puffy, Missy, Timbaland, Magoo, and all those people's current success,...their current pop music type slant is an industry backlash, I feel, against the Spice 1 "Strap On The Side"/"Gin And Juice"/"Natural Born Killaz" type songs we had a whole lot of a few years ago...if these "gangstas" hadn't had to get so dark, violent, and negative in their lyrics (in attempts to "keep it real"), we wouldn't have all the contrived, pop style hip hop records all over the radio like we do now...meanwhile, real headz like the Mystic Journeyman, Cosmic Slop Shop, ya-know...up and comming lyrical type people-they get pushed to the back...How come people can't "keep it real" AND be positive? Common Sense can do it? What's up with us in the Bay Area??
i'D LIKE TO SAY THAT HIP HOP HAS BEEN HELPED BUY ALL THE ARTIST WHO HAVE BEEN KIPPEN IT REAL AND PUTTIN OUT STUFF THAT IS ORIGINAL. I ALSO THINK UNDERGROUND HIP HOP ARTISTS AND ARTIST THAT KEEP THEIR VIDIOS AND LYRICS BUGGET LIKE WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED OUT. FOR EX. BOOT CAMP SUNZ OF MAN AND GRAVE DIGGAZ ARE A COUPLE OF ARTIST THAT ARE TOTALY DIFFERENT (ORIGINAL) AND THEIR STUFF IS PHAT. ON THE OTHER HAND THE HIP HOPERS THAT ARE RUINING AND DESTROYING HIP HOP IS ALL THOSE WACKS THAT THINK THEIR ALL GANGSTER. I KNOW IT'S THEIR STYLE BUT I GET TIERED OF HEARING THAT THEIR GONA CAP ANY NIGGA THAT STEPS UP TA THEM. MOST OF IT IS WEST COAST. ALTHOUGH THE WORST AFFENDERS ARE THE PUNKS THAT ARE ACTING ALL RICH. THOSE ARTIST ARE DESROYING HIP HOP BY SELLING OUT. i HATE IT WHEN A PUFF DADDY OR THE FIRM VIDIO COMES UP IT MAKES ME MAD. IT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE THEIR JUST IN IT FOR THE MONEY AND HIP HOP AIN'T ABOUT THA MONEY. SO IF I HAD TO PICK A FEW DESTROYERS I'D PICK BAD BOY,FIRM, SNOOP AND LIL KIM I ALSO DON'T LIKE GIRLS WHO ARE IN IT FOR SEX. I'M GONA BREAK OUT PEACE.
First question: I would say KRS One has done the most to preserve hip hop culture. I heard he's opening some sort of hip hop school and he never got caught up in the whole east west thing and tried to squash it. He's also been around the scene for a while and he seems educated about the culture. The second question is 'WHO OR WHAT HAS DONE THE MOST TO COMPROMISE, HARM OR DISTORT HIP HOP CULTURE? I don't think any artists have done anything to compromise hip hop. I don't like Puffy but I don't see any harm in what he's doing. Besides, MC Hammer didn't hurt anyone or hip hop when he was dancing around in parachute pants. People thought he was ruining hip hop but he was just being himself and hip hop continued. However, I think the radio stations are compromising the culture. All they do is play the same stuff over and over again. I live in the L. A. area and the two stations, Power 106 and 92.3 the beat play nothing but Puffy. You would think he owns the stations. It seems like radio programmers decide who's gonna blow up on the radio more so than the listeners. With all the talent in the hip hop scene, you would think the radio stations would expose this to the listeners. Instead, you have to listen to the radio late on Friday and Saturday night to hear any hip hop, when most people are either partying or sleeping. I think if radio stations gave artists more exposure, that would improve things. Instead of playing Puffy all day and that horrible song with J.D. and Snoop over and over, they could play some songs by Common, KRS, hiero, Alcoholics, or Rakim. They need to play more variety. Instead, some people think that Puffy is the epitome of what hip hop represents.
Go Back To Who Preserved Hip Hop Top Ten Go Back To Who Ruined Hip Hop Top Ten Go To Letters To The Editor Directory
|
this site is produced by Davey D in association with eLine Productions