You remember when you were in High School, and there was always that certain "group"? That clique that always got it's ass kissed by EVERYone, even teachers? You know what I'm talking about. That handful of students that everybody just thought was SO cool, but if you had even the smallest amount of common sense, and a mind that was capable of thinking critically and analyzing your surroundings, you could quickly see that most of them were shallow assholes?
That's kind of what the entertainment industry has become. One big high school with a handful of losers getting their asses kissed while more talented people get ignored.
Now, you might say "Chris, aren't you trying to be a part of the entertainment industry yourself? How can you bash something that you yourself are involved in?"
My answer would be yes and no.
Yes, I want to entertain people. But no, I don't give a shit about being viewed as one of the "cool kids". I've got real shit to say, and I feel that since I've developed my talent as a rapper, than that's the outlet I should use. That doesn't mean that I condone everything my fellow rap artists do and say. To be honest, most of it gets on my fuckin' nerves. At least, most of the new shit, anyway.
There was a time when being creative and original was what it took to be noticed as an MC, and if you're style was a copy of someone else's, you were called a "biter" and picked apart by REAL MC's, and then thrown to the wolves.
Not anymore.
Everybody sounds like everybody else these days, and no one calls anyone out for it. Listeners don't pay attention to lyrics, they just bob to beats, and most rap artists don't even TRY to come up with fresh concepts, they just rehash the same shit that's been done over and over and OVER again.
Everybody wants to be everybody's friend, because the music that used to be the most rawest shit EVER in the eighties has become infected with politics and corporate sponsorships. A lot of songs that hit the radio now are soulless 3 and a half minute advertisements for name brand shoes, clothes, liquor, and cars that are far too expensive for anyone in the listening audience to afford. Rappers are brainwashed that if you don't like another rapper's music, it's not because THEIR music sucks, it's because YOU are a "hater". Bullshit.
What caused this decay of my favorite music?
MONEY.
More specifically, money worship. When rappers decided that making money and bragging about it non-stop was more important than developing lyrical skill, the music became doomed.
But there is hope. I don't hate all the new shit. Some new artists are actually pretty dope. Lupe Fiasco's "Lasers" was the shit, and Yelawolf's "Radioactive" is all killer, no filler. And that's just in the industry. Never forget that the underground is where the real talent has always come from, and always will be. So the next time you get sick of hearing the same bullshit on the radio, check out a "no-name" MC online. You might hear some of the rawest, most lyrical shit you've ever heard. Buy their album instead of the one 106th and Park tells you to. They're probably struggling working some shitty job they hate, or hustling their asses off trying to get enough money to go to discmakers. They'll be far more appreciative of your money then some asshole who already sold millions, and gets 50 gs a show regularly. Just sayin'.
Right below is a link to an online store for one of them..
Peace and hair grease. Don't let an alien shit in your cereal while your back is turned. They tend to do that.
