Death of Hip-Hop part 2
Rap sales have been waning over the last several years. For instance, 107 million hip hop albums were sold in 2000, but by 2006, sales had declined to 59.5 million. Insiders know the industry is in trouble.Before 2007, big name rappers like Jay Z, Ludacris, and The Game were able to sell a respectable quantity of albums. But in 2007, not only have the lesser-known emcees (Ray Cash, Lupe Fiasco, etc.) been unable to push units; even the top-selling rap artists have had a hard time moving albums. There were no platinum rap albums through the first eight months of last year.
A new book, The Post Hip Hop Generation: 20 Things You Should Know, takes a closer look at the decline of hip hop and answers three critical questions ... (1) What will come after hip hop; (2) How will the decline of hip hop affect the next generation; and (3) When hip hop artists like Jay Z and TI leave the scene who will be the new icons?
Authored by gospel rap activist Kymo Dockett, "The Post Hip Hop Generation: 20 Things You Should Know" should hit stores across America in the summer of 2008.
Mr. Dockett also wrote the e-book "Lost Generation" about why today's urban youth don't go church as much.
Post Hip-Hop website
Don't think hip-hop will entirely die, it's the bling, hoodies and guns stereotypical culture that will. Time takes care of things, fads, trends and movements come and go on their own.
Related Post:
Hip-Hop is Dead, numbers are in.
posted by - Ed. @ 5:01:00 PM| PERMALINK |
4 Comments:
At 9.2.08,
Anonymous said…
I don't understand why people are not sick of hip hop yet. It's just like disco. Disco started out as an underground urban thing that eventually got so popular that it was exploited by every aspect of media and trendy culture. As usual, once this happened, Disco became totally un-cool and was seen as nothing but a joke by anyone in the know. It took the entertainment a while to realize the bandwagon had died.
This has happened with many other musical/ cultural styles. Big Band/ Swing, Jazz, Acid Rock, Glam, Punk, Rave....
Hip hop is no different. When I turn on the TV and see it being used as a marketing tool over and over, I can't help but think of the similarities. Not only that, but washed up has beens like Madonna and Michael Jackson hire trendy hip hop producers to make them cool again.
Addiditionally, the majority of modern hip hio "music" that is produced is musically and lycically void to an outrageous extent.
How can a style survive such exploitation and over saturation? What scares about my generation is that nobody seems to be reacting to this the way people historically do. It's as if there is no creativity anymore. Nothing new, nothing different.
Hip hop died years ago, and the strange thing is that the mainstream, AND underground cultures are not moving on.
It makes me worried for our generation simply because nobody can seem to create anything new, and change the dominating look and style of pop culture. Are we stuck?
At 30.9.08,
Anonymous said…
I think for now, Yes.
Will it stay that way, eventually No.
Unfortunately, very little of what is considered "true HipHop" hasn't been made in years.
Today, you hear names on the radio such as Kanye West, Soulja Boy, Yung Joc, Fabolous, Lil Wayne, and T.I.
Sadly, none of these examples represent anything that is true HipHop.
Those who keep the art true to its form such as Gangstarr, Dr Dre, MC Eight, A Tribe Called Quest, Cypress Hill, Rakim, Jeru The Damaja, and KRS-One haven't really made anything of substance...
...and you really can't blame them, due to how HipHop is used as the marketing tool.
"Ghetto" is now a brand that has saturated a market that was once dictated by true rhyming skills, along with other brands called "Bling".
It's not growth, it's exploitation; just like street dancing also suffered at one time.
But fear not, people; because it will get better.
Pioneers like Ice Cube and Nas have resurfaced back to the music scene. Rakim is still at reach, and dance pioneers such as Powerful Pexster, Lil Lep, Michael Chambers (Boogaloo Shrimp), and Crazy Legs, Prince Ken Swift with the rest of the Rock Steady Crew are still around keeping it right.
At 18.5.13,
Anonymous said…
I agree anonymous, but get this; Disco gave birth to rap, which later gave birth to hip hop (I was alive and remember and as a musician I know this to be true). I don't think Hip Hop will die completely, but it will go underground, behind the curtain just like Disco did. Disco never died as they say, it fractured up into dance, techno, house, industrial, etc., and laid low for a few years. Now, Disco is once again being viewed as music that was not bad at all, but really super music! I believe soon Disco will resurface, not like it was in the 70's, but it will become a top tier force of music only, not fad and fashion and culture to go along with it like in the 70's, or like Hip Hop has become. Hip Hop and Rap will remain, but will become a lesser force. The Mother (Disco) that gave birth to Rap, which gave birth to Hip Hop, will soon resurface and will be viewed as something new, when in essence it never left us!
At 23.1.15,
pascal arcade said…
i'm so sad ... poor rap music, eat themself with all these arguments, that's terrible ... maybe somebody give a donation ... me, no ? i just don't believe it ... all that rap music bouh ouh ouh ... rust in peace rap music ouarf arf arf hr hr hr hr
Post a Comment
<< Home