Hip Hop Fans

In a recent comment, someone asked about what good is there in Hip Hop now, considering a lot of the attention from people like myself goes towards talking badly about the music that exists within today's Hip Hop culture. There's a lot of good and I'm going to talk about that in this post.

As I was listening to Wale's Mixtape About Nothing, which is in fact about a whole lot of something's, I felt the urge to talk about his message in "The Perfect Plan," where he boldly says:

Respect has grown inferior to f* Soundscans.

Not that he's the first to broach this topic in his raps, but it's a relatively true statement. A well marketed artist, this day, is far more successful than one creating music with deep meaning and genuine skill. In its lyricism, Hip Hop music should be ripe in metaphors, and potent, relatable topics. Not always, but since it has become so commercialized the rapper's respect for his skill and style is largely undervalued. We reward the ones that make music glorifying a materialistic, superficial lifestyle, by buying their records.

So I better pitch'm this for a better outcome
You say the art's dying, nah brother, buy an album - it's the Plan.

It may seem off-topic but today's technology actually allows us to not have to buy the music we really want. (some people have been made examples for the issue of piracy with more to come) But we don't have to anymore, really. Occasionally it's just free, but there's so many resources. So what happens? It's not in the artist's interest to let their real creative juices flow.

But rather than singing our praise, they do
Raise the bar to a level unattainableAnd people download that cause they're scared to do
What the Soulja Boi fans be prepared to do
What the B5 fans get they mother to do
. . .
It ain't nothin' to you, but it's something to me
I mean, it's something to we artists
It's something to eat
. . . 

 I can't put it in better words. He keeps going:

Tuesdays used to matter, now the only thing that happens is
You, you, and you say "shit I been had that." "shit I been heard that."
"N* been workin'."
. . . 
Lyricism ain't workin
I mean it's been workin, but we don't get support like orphans.
So now this work's been worthless.

Note:  The albums used to come out on Tuesdays.
Side note: I am guilty of the "I been had that, I been heard that" conversations. Don't judge me. It made me feel cool and stand above my peers.

Hey, the real important message in the whole song -- and Wale gets to it, and I agree with him is that

they say Hip Hop's dead, I believe it's just the fans.

Hip Hop fans, support the good guys!
Check out my favorite Free Wale Mixtapes: The Mixtape About Nothing, More About Nothing.