Most of us started listening to hip-hop at some point, whether it was by mistake or at a young age. All I have to say is if it wasn’t for the underground, which weren’t mainstream back in the days, artist that are now would’nt even exist. You see the trouble is with the omission of a few, the commercial hip hop artists is rare. Gangsta rap has really become the main stream. But in the underground world, as far as the lyrical artists like Cunning Lynguists Tonedeff and some of those who he’s affiliated with. Nevertheless Imaginations tree trunk they are trying to refurbish hip hop and shift it towards mainstream as it once was.
Which if you were to ask my opinion, exactly what the industry needs. The talented mainstream artists is varied apperently, but its the lyrical content that is missing. That’s why a majority would say the underground is a better field. When we grow a bore of the same things we hear on the radio they look for more resources. I reflect back to listening to the radio shows I’d wake up to, and got hooked to it. Now kids find the new they want and place it on their iPod, and they find out that at times the underground has better music.
Some people would say they don’t like rap music period. Others who argue that they don’t like either the commercial artist or underground artist. The first thing I ask when I hear either argument is why? The most common answer I hear is “it’s horrible! ” However anyone who says rap is horrible has only heard the horrible music they over play on the radio and MTV. If you ever heard anyone rap that actually has lyrical skills, you quickly begin to see the poetry behind us not that I’m not a fan of any of the famous rappers like Lil Wayne, T. I, Gucci Mane, Notourious B. I. G, Tupac, etc. It’s simply because I relate, and tend to show respect to those that rap about other issues other than what sells. I’d rather listen to things that are more realistic. The theory of selling out is farfetched from where I think the underground music affiliation is at this phase. Before the internet, artists were selling music at an all time high. The problem of music indefinite is something that has no value to most and is non consumable. The ideal of selling out hasn’t ran across my mind after all these years, because I just don’t know if that’s a possibility.
Changing your music for whatever purpose being money or fame is up to you. Now and days, an artist can hardly live off of their music unless they tour endlessly, along many other situations. How can some participate when they have a job they have a dedication to? I have no idea. I think it is a dated notion with the way things are conducted today and becoming more impossible in the industrial scene seeing as we have never been that commercially feasible since the ’90s anyway.
I have made observed, and made my decision of the underground industry throughout a time frame of about 7 years (not a long yet enough) and I’m aware that there are plenty of individuals that have become more appreciative when it come to the types of Hip Hop and music in general after being part of the underground industry and constantly listening to underground music. I have to agree that some people “become ignorant to one or the other. ” However, it is not just in underground or commercial, but in all aspects of music period. My perception on commercial vs. nderground is that each genre has its own purpose in the music industry. What set apart besides from style (instrumentals, delivery, etc. ) is the lyrics. Most often, lyrics meaning goes past a shallow phase in underground and is more attractive to me when artists connect personally with their content and is not spruced up to fit any artist. But when it’s all said and done, I enjoy a mix of music whether it is mainstream or underground. I have been an underground (independent artist, signed to small independent labels or no label at all) artist since the 1990s, when my oldest brother introduced me to rap music.
I am a supporter of the underground hip-hop movement. Being an aspiring artist, to tell the truth, their vocabulary and topics are well thought about, felt, and delivered than commercial artist. Where in the world are you going to get linguistic dexterity in any other music? Gucci Mane is one of the most common underground artist out now. He has made a three sixty from an underground to commercial artist. Some of his first reviews people would say his rap music is bad, and hypocritical. Now that he’s a commercial artist you hear how he raps about how hard life is, yet he lives in a fifty million dollar home.
His music doesn’t have any flow or real structure. Real music takes talent and anyone can rhyme to a beat. Ask yourself, is only fulfilling advertisement in his contract? The point is, if you aren’t made for it, you probably will not have an opportunity to go commercial. Back when Tupac and Biggie where both commercial artist, they also had respect, Back then a guy from New Jersey ardently defended Naughty by Nature, because he didn’t like Trech, so I think some commercial artists still do have street credibility, depending on how commercial they are.
On the opposing hand, 50cent diluted his material for the mainstream. Commercial rap is not the problem, just a helping hand. The problem is the industry; it is because the industry that someone like Mims can drop a rhetorical rhyme about being “hot” and then telling us to move speaking of the raptue like Anita Baker, such garbage. The same industry that buries artist leaving them stuck putting out mix tapes because they won’t play nice and conform with the game. Some artist may have ticked off some executives and other artist they were behind.
What’s crazy about our music today is that it’s sort of hard to distinguish the quality. Besides, when compared to what the charts use to consist of just two or so years back, it’s hard to see the things that are accepted as top forty or the genre is horrible. Yet, when you conceder this generation as one with what was, there is a great difference. However let’s say the President passed a music care, and we had to make an option of one generation of music sound to start today with and take off from there.
What choice would you make, to discontinue all of today’s music sounds and try it all over with the 90’s or even 80’s sound, or would you choose to not bother with it at all and just let things continue as is? Which generation would you choose to represent us, based off prior knowledge we’ve had to deal with in old music? Would we want do what was once done, or would we rather see how the current unravels? I say its complex to decide what is horrible. I wouldn’t choose to turn my back on today’s sound and go back to those days of music, in spite of the fact that’s where some of the best sound of our time is.
If the president were to cancel out all the commercial trends and make the underground sound the new commercial trend, can it still be considered as good as it was when it was underground? A big issue overlooked, is a problem with the commercial rappers is once they’ve gone commercial, many of them lose the hunger and fight which allowed them to ascend to such a level in the fist place. Also’ the corporate influence allowed many of them to take their art to a different direction compromising their integrity for a few extra sales. Perception and personal stances on music definitely factor in a major ways.
