Where Is The Love?
My how time flies when you're having fun! It seems like just yesterday that I was rocking my adidas suit with matching suede adidas sneakers and Kangol standing in my B-boy stance dissin' other emcees in the lunch room.
Maybe I'm giving my age away right now, but so be it because I earned each and every year and it wasn't easy.
I remember staying up late Friday or Saturday nights to listen to Mr.
Magik's Rap Attack with my tape deck set to record.
Hip Hop taught me about the world I live in and politics, not to mention teaching me about myself and the history of my people.
This is back in the day when kids would be at home late nights where they belong, as opposed to being up in the club getting tipsy or on the block doing whatever to get it.
I remember block parties where everybody would come out and have a good time.
There was no gunplay or violence of any kind for that matter.
There was a sense of Love and community in the music, but that was when she was just a girl.
Now she is a woman and an ambitious one at that.
I'm talking about my love.
Her name is Hip Hop.
That brings me to the question of the day: Where is the Love? Its actually kind of a stupid question because the Love is all around me.
In fact, I've never seen this much Love in all of Hip Hop's illustrious history.
This is a strong, borderline obsessive love that is truly the driving force of Hip Hop music right now.
I'm referring to the love of money, fame, and material items of no lasting value.
It seems that some "artist" now will do or say anything for their almighty dollar and their fifteen minutes of fame.
This love motivates some to even break Hip Hop's oldest and most sacred rules.
Remember when there was a sign at the door "NO BITING ALLOWED?" To quote KRS-ONE "you've got to have style and learn to be original or else everyone will want to diss you.
" Now for you younger cats out there that don't know, I'll put you up on game.
Biting is copying someone else's rhymes, beats, dance moves, tags, or whatever you took from someone else and try to pass off as your own.
Biting was punishable by public ridicule and utter humiliation, among other things I won't get into right now.
Any real emcee, deejay, graffiti artist, or breaker would rather die a slow and painful death than to even be accused of biting.
However, nowadays it's done like it's the right thing to do.
There are too many culprits to even attempt to name names.
You and I both know who they are, and if you don't, all you have to do is check the Billboard charts and you'll find biters at or near the top on any given week.
Why, you ask? it's the love man! It's the love! Believe it or not, there was a time when being a "thug" wasn't cool.
Remember Slick Rick's "Hey Young World"? What about "Self Destruction"? Even "We're all in the Same Gang"? The list goes on and on.
I guess none of that stuff matters now because cash rules everything around me.
Its more about the art of the sell than the art that is sold.
It seems to be less about the music and more about promoting a thug, pimp, or hustler image.
My question is who profits from all this and at what price? I think you already know but I'll tell you anyway.
The record company profits at the expense of our youth's innocence and the utter deterioration of our neighborhoods.
Fear not my people for all is not lost.
There is a musical revolution going on right now as we speak.
There are artist that create original music and rhymes from their heart and soul.
We as Hip Hop need to take control of the music that comes from our culture.
I'll bet you're thinking, "how are we supposed to do that Tommy?" It's simple, don't support artist who promote their own image instead of the culture.
It ain't hard to tell.
You can hear it in their rhymes.
Don't spend your hard earned cash for some rapper to tell you how rich he is, or how many cars he has, or how much his jewels cost when you live in the projects and ride the subway.
Sadly enough, some would consider this position to be hating.
If that is the case then so be it.
I'd rather have that kind of hate than the kind of love I'm seeing in our music right now.
Maybe I'm giving my age away right now, but so be it because I earned each and every year and it wasn't easy.
I remember staying up late Friday or Saturday nights to listen to Mr.
Magik's Rap Attack with my tape deck set to record.
Hip Hop taught me about the world I live in and politics, not to mention teaching me about myself and the history of my people.
This is back in the day when kids would be at home late nights where they belong, as opposed to being up in the club getting tipsy or on the block doing whatever to get it.
I remember block parties where everybody would come out and have a good time.
There was no gunplay or violence of any kind for that matter.
There was a sense of Love and community in the music, but that was when she was just a girl.
Now she is a woman and an ambitious one at that.
I'm talking about my love.
Her name is Hip Hop.
That brings me to the question of the day: Where is the Love? Its actually kind of a stupid question because the Love is all around me.
In fact, I've never seen this much Love in all of Hip Hop's illustrious history.
This is a strong, borderline obsessive love that is truly the driving force of Hip Hop music right now.
I'm referring to the love of money, fame, and material items of no lasting value.
It seems that some "artist" now will do or say anything for their almighty dollar and their fifteen minutes of fame.
This love motivates some to even break Hip Hop's oldest and most sacred rules.
Remember when there was a sign at the door "NO BITING ALLOWED?" To quote KRS-ONE "you've got to have style and learn to be original or else everyone will want to diss you.
" Now for you younger cats out there that don't know, I'll put you up on game.
Biting is copying someone else's rhymes, beats, dance moves, tags, or whatever you took from someone else and try to pass off as your own.
Biting was punishable by public ridicule and utter humiliation, among other things I won't get into right now.
Any real emcee, deejay, graffiti artist, or breaker would rather die a slow and painful death than to even be accused of biting.
However, nowadays it's done like it's the right thing to do.
There are too many culprits to even attempt to name names.
You and I both know who they are, and if you don't, all you have to do is check the Billboard charts and you'll find biters at or near the top on any given week.
Why, you ask? it's the love man! It's the love! Believe it or not, there was a time when being a "thug" wasn't cool.
Remember Slick Rick's "Hey Young World"? What about "Self Destruction"? Even "We're all in the Same Gang"? The list goes on and on.
I guess none of that stuff matters now because cash rules everything around me.
Its more about the art of the sell than the art that is sold.
It seems to be less about the music and more about promoting a thug, pimp, or hustler image.
My question is who profits from all this and at what price? I think you already know but I'll tell you anyway.
The record company profits at the expense of our youth's innocence and the utter deterioration of our neighborhoods.
Fear not my people for all is not lost.
There is a musical revolution going on right now as we speak.
There are artist that create original music and rhymes from their heart and soul.
We as Hip Hop need to take control of the music that comes from our culture.
I'll bet you're thinking, "how are we supposed to do that Tommy?" It's simple, don't support artist who promote their own image instead of the culture.
It ain't hard to tell.
You can hear it in their rhymes.
Don't spend your hard earned cash for some rapper to tell you how rich he is, or how many cars he has, or how much his jewels cost when you live in the projects and ride the subway.
Sadly enough, some would consider this position to be hating.
If that is the case then so be it.
I'd rather have that kind of hate than the kind of love I'm seeing in our music right now.
Source...