Google+ Q Dot: I hate hip hop.

Friday, July 10, 2015

I hate hip hop.

I love Hip Hop. I love the culture, I love the music, the art, the expression, the energy, the attitude, the history, the innovation and what Hip Hop stands for but I hate where it's at. Both as a culture and as an industry.

I hate the division. I hate that instead of just hip hop we have: west coast, east coast, trap, dirty south, backpack, lyrical, political, alternative, midwest, texas chopped & screwed, gangsta, fratboy rap, hip pop and urban. Why can't we just have Hip Hop? Why can't I see a show featuring all of that? Why is that the DJ and MC have separate nights? Wasn't 2 turntables and a microphone how this started? Why do you go to the club and hate to see a performer rock a set? Why do you go to a show and hate the host DJ playing songs on the radio? Why can't they be one in the same?

I hate that our heroes and our warriors who fought for the rise of hip hop didn't leave an institutional foundation for those who came after them to be a part of, thus, making every single last one of us to have to start from the bottom. We've seen multimillionaires, and now a billionaire come from our culture from literally every facet from the music, the fashion and the art and yet no one has started their own distribution. No one has funded a touring promotion agency. No one has started a radio conglomerate. They took their money and ran away to whatever else would make them more.

I hate that "hustling" and "being a boss" is the method and the goal instead of practicing diligence and sound business practices, acquiring knowledge and being a leader.

I hate that we sacrifice the opportunity to further the perception and value of our art form and culture for the sake of a few likes and plays, giving away our intelligence for free.

I hate that we have no ownership of our industry. We don't work to support our music and culture in the ways that would be of a tangible, sound benefit. Who's booking Hip hop acts? Who's playing New Hip Hop on the radio dial? Who's advocating for the livelihood of Hip hop? No one.

Jay-Z didn't leave a blueprint. That was a lie. 3 times over. And I hate that too.

But I also love that because we lack all of this, we now have an opportunity to right the ship. Starting a label won't change a damn thing. But i'm down to be involved because I love Hip Hop and instead of watching it die this horrible slow death (the industry, not the culture) I want to see some things change.

You wit it or what?





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