Hip Hop Either Innovates or Die

Times are changing. Back in the days of Grandmaster Flash and Sugarhill Gang, hip-hop was relatively innocent. In the late 80's/early 90-'s, rap was identified by political agendas from groups such as Public Enemy and N.W.A. The early mid-90's the hip-hop community saw a rise in consciousness in the rap messages. However after the mid-90's hip hop began to fall off. True hip-hop that is. The falling off of the once innocent genre has lead to commercial hip-hop. Commercial hip-hop is deteriorating what so many emcees in the 80's tried to build: a culture of music, dance, creativity, and artistry that would five people not only something to bob their head to but to express themselves and deliver a positive message to the people. 

Artists today seem to have forgotten what it was that the Bronx-born genre once stood for. Now, it's all about the Benjamin.  

However this cultivation is what is in essence killing off hip-hop. Because its elements are becoming engrained into most pops songs its becoming harder for hip hop artists to dominate album sales. In fact it is hard for anyone to dominate in album sales due to the fact that music today is pretty much free! Yet without the competitive edge that it use to have, it has become even harder for rappers.

So how does an artist make money if album sales (which once was the prime source of income) is steadily decking? Sync licensing deals, brand sponsorships, selling merchandise and being able to tour nationally. Artist like T.I owns a nightclub and even stars in his own reality TV show- 'The Family Hustle'. Moral of the story, you can no longer put your eggs in one basket.

 Def Jam's A&R Sickamore said it best: We need a lot of mavericks and people fighting to do new sounds. Everyone's caught up to us, and now it's time to evolve. If you don't innovate, you die- that's the fight hip hop is in.

There is a revolution taking place underground. People are dying for authentic hip hop to come back. The audience is there. If money isn't strictly in the album sales than artist can put the innocence back into the genre while putting there eggs in more then one basket to still make a living.

As I stated before hip-hop has not always been about the money. Even though it has grown and is being noticed by people all over the world, can we say the same for the African Community, which hip-hop was initially developed to uplift? Find out my opinion next week! Peace and Love. 

 

 

Tidal Is The Death of Record Labels

History has been made. A host of the most top notch artists in the music industry have collaborated to launch Tidal, the first artist-owned platform for music and video. Who is the mastermind behind all of this? The one and only legendary, Jay-Z. He gathered celebraties such as Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Daft Punk and Kanye West to help him pursue his mission. Alicia Keys helped to articulate this mission by saying the declaration that each artists signed on state at he Tidal relaunch event:

 Throughout history, every movement began with a few individuals banding together with a shared vision – a vision to change the status quo.
That vision came to life with a first step. Our first step begins today through the platform TIDAL.
TIDAL is an artist majority owned company with a mission to reestablish the value of music and protect the sustainability of the music industry rooted in creativity and expression.
As part of our vision to introduce change to the current system, we will continue expanding this platform into an all-encompassing destination in the coming months. We are working diligently everyday to enhance the overall service.
Today, the site incorporates high quality sound, video and exclusive editorial, but there are more features on the way. In time, TIDAL will not just be a streaming service but an immersive platform with enhanced experiences.
With TIDAL we are making a commitment to build a platform that reflects ideas contributed directly from artists, providing an enriched experience. Music presented and heard the way the artists intended.
We want our mission with TIDAL to spark conversation and lay a foundation for tomorrow’sburgeoning stars.
Our movement is being led by a few who are inviting all to band together for a common cause, a movement to change the status quo.
Today marks the next step.

This is where it gets interesting. With Tidal, unlike Spotify, there is not a free service. It is being offered to U.S users at two price points: $10.00 for standard sound quality and $20.00 for CD quality. This means the musicians stand a chance to make more money from it. This could potentially be the death of Record Labels. That would mean no more exploitation of pure music! 

Tidal would not exist without the fact that people are not buying full albums anymore.  It takes more then record sales to be a successful rapper nowadays. Find out what it takes to be a rapper by keeping an eye for the next blog post! Love and Peace.

3 Powerful Reasons 'To Pimp A Butterfly' Impacts Hip Hop

Kendrick Lamar has spoken. The release of his 3rd solo album has shaken the foundation
of Hip Hop. For those who are not hip and up to date, Kendrick Lamar is a 27 year old rapper (he prefers to be called a storyteller). In 2012 he made his mark in the game with his first major label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city. To Pimp A Butterfly engraves this mark even more. Here are three ways in which his album is impacting Hip Hop.

1. It is Insightful: To Pimp A Butterfly is embedded with inspiration and historical references. It is worthy enough for a college class to analyze and critique. It touches on critical theory, Nelson Mandela, Exodus 14, respectability politics and etc. In "Hood Politics" he mocks Washington politicians by incorporating the names of L.A gangs (DemoCrips and ReBloodicans) who he says call them thugs why also being the perpetrator. He also attempts to express the grievances, the frustrations, inspiration and creative power of the youth culture. 
2. It Is 'Cool' : To Pimp A Butterfly was the most anticipated album of the year. The success from his last album left fans and critics dying to see if he could live up to the hype he created. His aspirations to go beyond commercial success and his ability to be his own person (not letting the industry dictate his content) also contributed to the anticipation of this album. The albums social awareness theme would have had a MUCH harder time being accepted than it is now. Right now it is the topic of discussion. Kendrick Lamar is in the position to use Hip Hop as a political and social influence as what Hip Hop (not rap) should be doing. 
3. It is Unapologetic:  We live in a world were people often feel uncomfortable expressing their inner thoughts or beliefs for reasons such as fear of being misunderstood or bashed or even to avoid awkwardness. With Hip Hop being consumed by a decent amount of every race, artists tend to not go to deep into touchy topics. Kendrick Lamar is an exception. He details the mental and emotional impact of living in the 'hood' or poverty stricken cities as an African American child. His delivery is rough, brutal, and unapologetic. In Blacker the Berry he states unabashedly destroys black stereotypes; "My hair is nappy/ My d*** is big/ My nose is round and wide? You hate me, don't you?/ You hate my people/ Your plan is to terminate my culture/ I want you to recognize that I'm a proud monkey". Kendrick does not just play the blame game in this album. He also points the finger back at the black community to demonstrate how they play a part in their own destruction. In "Blacker the Berry" he questions why black people get extremely riled up when a white cop kills a black man but do not demonstrate the same frustrations towards black on black crime.

Hip Hop's purpose is to be a cultural movement. To Pimp A Butterfly's psychedelic and abrasive honesty is putting culture back into music.The album as a sense of urgency to it. It isn't your typical trip down memory lane. It is a reflection of the present and how it is shaped by internal and external forces. It forces you to choose to either stay ignorant or figure out your place in the grander scheme of reality.

It seem as if Kendrick Lamar is not the only one with a sense of urgency. Jay Z recently launched the first Artist owned streaming music service--TIDAL. Be sure to stop by again to find out exactly how game changing TIDAL is.