Hip Hop isn’t Dead but maybe, just maybe the minds listening to it is.

Submitted By That Nigga Jhamal

July 6, 2008

 

 

 I turned on the Tv and I happened to catch MTv’s Annual Who’s the Hottest Mc Now show. The show features people whose word Mtv seems to consider relevant in the industry (mostly MTv employees). So the show starts off with the board putting Andre 3000 in @ #10 and T.I. in @ #9 which after a few minutes of discussion they decide to switch (a valid discussion even though nether released a album to date this yr.). Then comes the most bizarre conversation where one member of the group discusses the fact that maybe Soldier Boy deserves to be included on the list @ #9 ahead of both T.I and Dre 3000. Now if you are like me you question what was just said because Soldier Boy maybe entertaining (that took more out of me that you’ll ever know) He is not an MC!!! (it’s not his words that get people dancing it’s the beat) the reasoning was because his song Superman was largely popular. So after the rest of the group shot down that thought (in my humble opinion it was the right call) they moved on putting Young Jeezy @#8 (am I missing something?) they then turned their attention to the rapper at the #7 position which was Lupe Fiasco. In the discussion they presented the reasoning to why they left him off the List from the yr before. They said that he wasn’t included in the 07’ list because his lyrics was too complex, they felt it was too hard for people to understand what he was putting together in his rhymes. (Dumb it down is dedicated to those who believed that). The list continued #6 50 cent, #5 Snoop Dog now yet again someone in the group tried to spearhead a change saying that Snoop shouldn’t be on the list because he didn’t write all the lyrics on Ego Trippin. To this I have to say why would you finally settle Lil Wayne in @ #3(we’ll get into that in a min.) if writing is a criteria? Isn’t it a point of contention that Wayne hasn’t wrote his own lyrics for some time? How are you going to penalize Snoop for not writing one song? When the Whole Album was hot? Moving along @#4 Rick Ross the not quite Boss pops in. Now here’s where the discussion picks up again. The Original order they had for # 1-3 was @1 Lil Wayne (they had to have been sharing a cup with Wayne) #2 way Kanye and in @ #3 was Jay-z. Someone in the group had the smarts to challenge this order mostly it was for Kanye to be #1 and Wayne to be #2. The Reasoning was that Ye had a Good Album (Graduation) and Wayne hadn’t at the time put out an album yet (Tha Carter III released after wards thanks to what I believe is a little Label help he was able to sell 1 mil records) and that @ the time Ye also had a hot tour going on. So the same dude challenges the list again stating that the Same would go for Jay-Z as well (American Gangster highly touted as his best work since the Black Album) seeing how he did a 7 day 24hrour tour and his album was a classic.

 

Now to look at the list and you make your own judgments on whether Hip hop is dead or is it the listener’s minds that are not picking up what’s Hip Hop. I will place my opinion next to the Artists

 

 

1)      Kanye ( Hot Cd + crazy tour = deserved spot)

2)      Jay-Z (Can’t knock the Hustle still American Dreaming)

3)      Lil Wayne (pass me some Syzzurp maybe I can get a clue)

4)      Rick Ross (why?)

5)      Snoop Dog (Ego Trippin highly desired should be higher)

6)      50 Cent (can’t front the man is a great business man)

7)      Lupe Fiasco (The Cool stays in the constant rotation with me should be up a few)

8)      Young Jeezy (I’ll ask again am I missing something?)

9)      Andre 3000 (even without an Album he’s got buzz)

10)   T.I. (will he be smart enough to keep out of bad situations?)