The music is out there, we just have to stop being lazy and look a little harder for it in this technology age.

The world of Hip Hop is an interesting place to say the least.  The
artform is now entering its fifth decade (wow, that's a sobering
thought) and we've all seen so much happen along the way.  The music
has been the soundtrack to a lot of our life experiences in the
past-school, growing up, relationships, etc-and it continues so
presently.  Many of us remember the first time we heard Run DMC or NWA
or Outkast so vividly that it's truly hard to believe it was so long
ago.  I mean, Hip Hop helped shape my thought process personally, to a
certain extent, of course, listening to groups like Public Enemy, Eric
B. & Rakm, De La Soul, Goodie Mob, Common, Mos Def and many others.
This was at a time where there really weren't any other genres, so to
speak, but Hip Hop and it was something that was treasured by the
artists and fans alike.  The music oozed into your lifeblood and you
just couldn't get enough of it.

However, as has been the trend for the last decade, it seems that a
lot of the early followers of Hip Hop seem to be opting for other
genres of music to provide that audio backdrop for their daily
lives-both fans and artists alike.  Where the music seems to be losing
some of its initial "punch" and innovative spirit that captivated us
in the first place, audiences are going back to older R&B, Rock and
Jazz to get their musical voids filled.  Artists, as well, due to a
lack of inspiration amongst their peers in my opinion, are venturing
off and doing "other" musical endeavors.  Just check Andre 3000, Mos
Def, Lil Wayne, Kanye, Q-Tip, etc to see my point.  With labels
clamoring for the next "hit" and that methodology not working as
effectively nowadays, why aren't artists taking it back to just being
themselves and putting out the music they want-and us, too-to put out?

Let's face it:  I think we've all grown tired of artists from
different regions of the country trying to put out music that doesn't
necessarily sound like them in an effort to win (i.e. Fat Joe, Dipset,
Ice Cube, etc).  This is not a criticism, just a commentary because I
understand that this is called the music-BUSINESS for a reason.  Yet,
without the MUSIC, there is no business.  Feel me?  It's easy to get
lulled into believing that abandoning "you" to make a
"southern-sounding record," for instance, can be financially
rewarding.  However, when that is not really "you" and it's time for
the follow-up and the follow-up to that, it becomes apparent that that
really isn't genuine and the audiences tend to know it as well.  We've
seen artists win at this in the past, but that's not working as often
now as the transparency of the that tactic is ringing hollow.

As 2010 wore on, I really thought we'd get to witness a "changing of
the guard" and get some "quality" or more meaningful music back on the
radio and in stores.  We were hearing more songs from the likes of
B.o.B, for example, an artist that has depth and staying power in the
game.  Jay Electronica was burning up the airwaves as well
"exhibit"-ing that the fans are yearning for something substantial in
Hip Hop.  On top of that, we saw industry veteran, Fat Joe, shake off
any ideas of radio presence and put out an album, The Dark Side Vol:
1, that was in Joe's words "a real eye-opener [and] reminder to the
New York Hip Hop scene of, 'Yo, my man, this is what New York Hip Hop
is.' I ain't compromised the music, I ain't take no shortcuts."
Needless to say, I got excited; I'm not gonna front.  I'm a fan of
this music and I want to see it win.  Period.  However, as Jay
Electronica faded into the background for now with no follow-up single
or video for that matter and Joe's album not selling as originally
hoped, where do we go from here?

Keep hope, Hip Hop nation.  We did see 2010 end with some glimmers of
hope.  David Banner & 9th Wonder dropped a gem on us with Death Of A
Popstar showing Banner's intelligence and true gift as a rhymesayer
and Ghostface hit us with a straight heater in the form of The Apollo
Kids.  Also, Nicki Minaj and her Pink Friday showed audiences and
critics alike that she's a viable artist and continues to sell
extremely well proving that female MCs can still win in this game.
These are just a few of the more known cases of artists doing them and
putting out quality music for the fans.  The music is out there, we
just have to stop being lazy and look a little harder for it in this
technology age.

That takes me to my final and probably my most critical point.  I'm
tired of the public complaining about music; actually, I'm disgusted
by it.  We live in an era of search engines and the ability to buy
music for easily and readily than ever before.  A little-and I mean
little-bit of extra effort on iTunes or Amazon will unveil an entire
world of good music that suits your individual tastes and preferences.
 So, look!  Sometimes these digital retailers (I only mentioned two
and there are dozens and dozens)  are selling the music between $5 and
$7; so, there's no excuse to NOT buy music that is cheaper now than
during Hip Hop's heralded "golden age."  To put it in perspective, the
average price of a gallon of gas in 1993 was about $1.08 and the
average price of a CD was about $14.  Now, gas is over $3 a gallon and
you can buy music, albeit digital, for 7 bucks!  Do the math:  music
is one of the few commodities in this world that is actually getting
cheaper to buy, not more expensive.  There's really no excuse why
we're ALL not buying more music out there.

At the end of the day, Hip Hop needs more quality music to propel the
artform going forward or it risks being simply a platform for
advertisers to use to push their products.  We've already seen
McDonald's, Red Bull and Heineken use Hip Hop to reach their targeted
audiences which has proved lucrative for the artists involved.  But
what happens when that "platform," Hip Hop, continues its trend of
lackluster sales?  Will the sponsors that have NO stake in OUR artform
continue to look at it as a beneficial outlet?  The answer is simply:
No.  Unless the MUSIC is put first and foremost, the business will be
rendered moot and unnecessary.  These outside businesses and
industries came to Hip Hop because of what Hip Hop is and means to the
culture.  So, let's "right the ship" and get back to the beats and
rhymes of this great music because we all stand to benefit from it.