Is Hip-Hop dead?(Chicago Tribune article)

Orizio

10 not so well known Hip-Hop artists say whether or not Hip-Hop is dead, most making quite good points except for Sage Francis who's 'lowest common denominator' remark sounds very harsh.Brother Ali obviously put a lot of thought into his.;)

IS HIP-HOP DEAD?

NO

Tim Fite

"I was really hoping the whole album was going to be, `Bam! Bam! Bam! We're not going to try and make money anymore! We're really going to [mess] up the system!' But I guess you gotta ease into death. One of the great things Nas is doing is creating a challenge to a lot of [rappers] to really step up and see who can slip a couple of socially conscious lyrics into their songs. If the end result is that the money takes a back seat to the message, then we won't have to wonder whether hip-hop is dead or not."

Cap D

"I don't even know where to start with that one. If hip-hop is dead, he needs to be brought up on charges. There are countless rappers who've been passed by, forgotten about or aren't as large as they used to be. Hip-hop has moved beyond them toward the whole Dirty South [sound] that they don't want to have anything to do with. So now that they aren't at the forefront of the movement they want to throw up their hands and say, `Hip-hop is dead!' Really? It was cool for you two years ago."

Rhymefest

"It's a very strong charge. People need to realize that culture doesn't die. People used to say rock 'n' roll was dead. I do think rap music is in danger of losing its authenticity. Nobody believes in it. No one believes that when a rapper makes a statement we mean it. We're looked at as clowns. It's almost embarrassing to tell people I rhyme. Did you see Karl Rove do his hip-hop thing [at the Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner]? ... Karl Rove doesn't listen to no hip-hop. He doesn't like rap. What he did was emulate what the world sees and thinks of rappers."

Jean Grae

"People have been saying, `Hip-hop is dead,' for years. Nas wasn't the first person to ever say it. We've all felt like that at times. But I rap for a living, so it's kind of not an issue for me. If I show up at the studio and the doors are locked or I'm doing a show and no one is in the audience, then I might have to reconsider."

Gregg Gillis, a.k.a. Girl Talk

"I'm not into statements like that, personally -- those claims of 'punk is dead,' 'rock is dead' or 'hip-hop is dead.' For me, music is always changing. I think too often people hold this nostalgic connection to what they believe to be the true era of music. I love Nas and I think the album's great, but hip-hop is alive and well. It's just a lot different than it used to be."

El-P

"I didn't take Nas' statement literally. I took it as him posing a hard question about something he loves. Nas knows hip-hop music isn't dead. It's just in need of rediscovering its bravery. It needs a few artistic victories. It needs to discover its underdog qualities again, which clearly it will considering how excited everyone is with the idea of it being dead."


YES

Sage Francis

"I think the reason people think hip-hop is dead is because artists as well-known as Nas and rappers as good as Nas continuously lowered their bar through the years to appeal to the lowest common denominator. When I heard his album was called `Hip-Hop Is Dead,' I thought it was probably the best publicity move he's made since [his feud with] Jay-Z. If he had a true interest in revitalizing the integrity of hip-hop he would just make the albums that kind of kick-start that rebirth of awesome.

He should have called the album `Lyricism Is Dead.' That's closer to the truth."

Double-O and Naledge of Kidz in the Hall

Naledge: "Hip-hop itself isn't dead. It's the industry that's dead. You can look on MySpace and there's a million different MCs doing a million types of styles. I think it's just the major record labels, which really have the money to promote an agenda, that aren't taking those chances. They're more interested in pimping the lifestyle of urban ghettos."

Double-O: "The one thing about hip-hop that is dead -- and Nas is probably even late in mentioning it -- is that idea that you're doing something just for fun, with no concern beyond being the dopest on your block and rocking the party on a Saturday night. It wasn't your life and livelihood. Now so much of it is business."

Will Brooks of Dalek

Well, on a lot of levels I can't disagree. It's actually a little refreshing hearing it come from someone as well-respected as Nas. As much as you want to be respected as an artist or as a musician of color in this country, it seems that minority music is always going to be looked at as entertainment. We can never be looked at as artists. Hip-hop used to be a voice of youth, a voice of anger and a voice for the people that didn't have a voice in this country. Now it's become a minstrel show. In that regard, yeah, it's dead. That's the beauty of what [Nas] is doing. It's a wake-up call."

Brother Ali

"When [Friedrich] Nietzsche said, `God is dead,' he was saying that religion as a means of upholding morals and decency was extinct. Religious people freaked out, but they couldn't deny the reality that the church had lost its grip on the people. Nas isn't saying hip-hop doesn't exist anymore. He's saying that it's lost its power to educate and empower people. I think he made that statement to the people in the industry to let them know that, as a whole, they've lost their way."

Link.