Hip Hop Is Dead

HIP HOP is now a billion dollar industry; last year alone it out-sold rock music, filled more concert halls than opera and was nominated for more gongs than pop. Sadly though, on the way to the award show hip hop was involved in a bad accident and died…

With his latest album Nas has claimed that hip hop is dead and I have to say I agree with him. Apart from the Team Team there is not a lot out there that gives me the chills.


The problem is the game has lost its creativity. I think Saigon summed it up perfectly when he described hip hop’s current state as ‘monkey see, monkey do’. Somebody will come across a successful formula and the rest will follow.


You’ll notice the game now has seasons: one quarter everybody’s a pimp; the next all gangsters; and I think this season everybody’s got a new dance. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with each of these elements but if you’re gonna do it be creative otherwise it’s just tired. Remember there’s nothing new under the son so it’s not what you do but how it’s done.

Was there ever a golden period? I don’t know but I remember when you could pick up an album and it was not a replica of the hottest thing out at the time. How many current tracks do you think you’ll be able to listen to five or ten year’s down-the-line? I know I can still listen to tracks like ‘Can I Live’ Jay Z, ‘Picture Me Rollin’ Tupac, ‘Slippin’ DMX (the list goes on) and still get goose bumps. That’s that timeless music!!!

To blame this decline on the fact that hip hop is now big business is a cop-out. Artists like Kanye West have proven that the market is crying out for creativity. To be honest I think the game has just gotten lazy. In a time of declining CD sales artists love to bang on about how much work they need to do these days to earn a buck. It’s true… But in all their effort they’re forgetting one of the most important aspects: it’s an art so you gotta be creative. In addition they’re getting too comfortable doing what has been proven as successful. Guys that claim their hustlers and done this and that are too afraid to take a risk, shake it up a bit.


Like a driver falling asleep at the wheel it’s this attitude that’s gonna kill hip hop.

Peace in the middle east.