Maui at sunset.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Monday, May 01, 2006
They don't make'm like they used to
One of the great passions in my life is music. And one of the most influential genres of music (for me) was/is hip hop. Now, don't laugh. I'm serious. Of course, the stuff that they play on the radio now of days can barely be characterized as Hip Hop and it sure the hell isn't music. The genre has fallen off so much that it's really depressing. There are the exceptions, but they really are few and far between, and for every Common and Mos Def, there are 20 50-cents and Paul Wall's.
I guess I was spoiled in college. I think Hip Hop reached its height of popularity and quality in the mid 90's (specifically 1992-1996). I was attending college at the time and needless to say, Hip Hop culture influenced every nuance of my life. People criticize the culture as being violent and masoginistic, but not all Hip Hop is like this. And more importantly, thie genre of music isn't the only one to hold a mirror to the problems of society. And that's really what it is. Real Hip Hop (at its essence) gives inner city youth a voice. A way to express themselves and what they see and live through.
Thanks to my friends at HHE (Hip Hop Elements.COM) I found some old gems from the golden era of Hip Hop. The first is a clip from the Arsenio Hall Show finale that features Yoyo, MC Lyte, Naughty By Nature, A Tribe Called Quest, Fu Schnickens, CL Smooth, Guru, Das EFX, the Wu Tang Clan, KRS One, and Mad Lion.
The next clip is from the classic MTV Show, YO! MTV Raps. It was their 7th anniversary and the last YO! Mtv Raps show ever. They had a freestyle session that is broken into 2 parts below. The freestylers (in order) are Rakim, KRS-One, Eric Sermon, Chubb Rock and MC Search in part 1. Part 2 featured: Redman, Method Man, Extra P, Special Ed, and Craig Mack.
I miss REAL Hip Hop. Here's to hoping that it makes a comeback.
I guess I was spoiled in college. I think Hip Hop reached its height of popularity and quality in the mid 90's (specifically 1992-1996). I was attending college at the time and needless to say, Hip Hop culture influenced every nuance of my life. People criticize the culture as being violent and masoginistic, but not all Hip Hop is like this. And more importantly, thie genre of music isn't the only one to hold a mirror to the problems of society. And that's really what it is. Real Hip Hop (at its essence) gives inner city youth a voice. A way to express themselves and what they see and live through.
Thanks to my friends at HHE (Hip Hop Elements.COM) I found some old gems from the golden era of Hip Hop. The first is a clip from the Arsenio Hall Show finale that features Yoyo, MC Lyte, Naughty By Nature, A Tribe Called Quest, Fu Schnickens, CL Smooth, Guru, Das EFX, the Wu Tang Clan, KRS One, and Mad Lion.
The next clip is from the classic MTV Show, YO! MTV Raps. It was their 7th anniversary and the last YO! Mtv Raps show ever. They had a freestyle session that is broken into 2 parts below. The freestylers (in order) are Rakim, KRS-One, Eric Sermon, Chubb Rock and MC Search in part 1. Part 2 featured: Redman, Method Man, Extra P, Special Ed, and Craig Mack.
I miss REAL Hip Hop. Here's to hoping that it makes a comeback.
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