Sign O' The Times

So this one could be long. But if you love music like I do it should be an easy read for you. This has been milling about in my head for a minute, and Im gonna try to get it all out. There's alot of debate about the state of music. More specifically black music, and to get even more specific.....the state of HipHop music. D4L has caught alot of heat for 'Laffy Taffy'. I hate the song just as much as the next person but we cant blame the perception of HipHop music being in a weird place on them or any other particular artist for that matter.

Before I start let me remind you that these are my thoughts and opinions. You can reference the name of the blog (see it up there in white letters?) if you have any questions. Im not saying you should feel the exact same way. It's just the way I see it. And with that said....................

You know who I blame? I blame 3 entities. The labels, the media, and US! Not the U.S., but our dumb, lazy, cheap, downloading asses. Allow me to break it down for you..........

THE LABELS : You can blame them, and then again you can kinda see their position in the matter. They are in it to make money. That's it. Simple as that. Basically they couldnt give a shit less about the artist, the history, the culture or anything else that aint the bottom line. They dont give a fuck about what you say, what you represent, what you promote, how many imaginary people you dump on, how many fake birds/bricks/cakes/grams/kilos/pies/pounds you move....as long as them first week numbers and that soundscan looks right, then carry on my nigga!!! You can record all the death and destruction you want. Them shits betta move units though! Hell.....spit about peace, tranquilty and butterflies if you want. As long as them shits move yo! Fuck ya talent, this is a business. You aint heard? Them niggas at the label prolly cant stand "Laffy Taffy" niether, but that shit racked up bookoo spins and 'nuff sales for them to stomach it. The lables are in it for the money. Cant be said any more plain that that.

THE MEDIA : I'm not sure if they are the biggest culprits here or if it is the people in general. I place a good amount of blame on the commercialization of hiphop. We didnt have these kinds of problems when MTV only gave us 'Yo! MTV Raps'. Now we got MTV2 (which is damn near all HipHop all the time) and MTV Jams and etc. The thing is that the balance of music is not presented like it should be. Radio and TV are still the most popular, simpliest forms of mass communications. The internet is right up there, but every nigga in the 'hood aint got a computer yet. And if you turn on the radio in AnyHood, USA you'll more than likely here the same 9 songs on that town's No. 1 station. And that kinda goes back to us....but I'll save that for the 3rd verse. It doesnt help that BET just aint interested in balancing out what they show! Did they really say Little Brother's "Lovin' It" was too intelligent? Didnt Styles P make a video for "I'm Black" ? Why didnt it get any burn? Why did radio turn it's back on it? I mean aside from 50 shutting shit down at Interscope in retaliation for the beef. But I mean really.....I was soooo disappointed that radio gave it less love than the KKK got for the NAACP. If the people dont know about all these dope artist that arent on major labels, then how can we support them. If the radio doesnt play them, then how can we know about it. Im sorry but people dont go into a record store no more and just buy shit b/c it looks interesting. CD's are like $20 now! Nobody got the time nor the funds to be curious like they used to. Take a stand why dont you? Demand the video stations play some other shit. Call and request to hear so and so on your local radio station. Do something dammit.

US : How that shit from the Fugees album go? "If you let a mu'fucka kick you 5 times, he'll kick you 5 times. But if you cut off the mu'fuckin foot.....wont be no more kicking!" Like I said man. Take a stand for crying out loud. If you really are interested in finding out what else is out there besides the shit you are force fed on TV and radio, then go out and research. Hit the local Mom and Pop store as opposed to Tower or FYE or the big chain retailer. Thank God for the internet in that respect. Now if you hear the name of an artist once, if you are really a music lover you might go and check some their shit out online. But it's a double-edged sword b/c nigs nowadays will just download your whole album and keep it moving. But that shit is wack man! If you like the new Ghostface album, go buy your own copy man. Dont get a burned copied from your boy. Stop being cheap man and go support that shit. We are killing the quality artist by not buying the fucking CD. And stop making Jigga have to "dumb down (his) lyrics to double (his) dollars". Niggas always wanna party and not have to think. In addition to music making us feel good or wanna have fun, it also can make us think. Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin On" is a classic example of that. When was the last time we got something anywhere near that zone? "Come on baby light my fire...music is supposed to inspire/So how come we aint getting no higher" - Lauryn Hill. We aint getting no higher b/c Joe Budden's album didnt sell. Im still mad at that shit. That album was one of the best, most introspective albums of the last few years. His joint didnt do numbers, but 50 sold like 11 mil that same year? What part of the game is that? And I aint mad at 50. I love that album too. But see that's the thing. I have both! Do you? It's about having a balance man. Some days I like the energy of a 'What Up Gangsta' and a 'Heat'. (That whole damn track is SICK!), but shit some days I aint that aggressive. Some days I can kick back and put a '10 Minutes' or a 'Calm Down' on and just zone out for a second. Anyone who listens to strictly one or the other is a severely fucked up, non-well rounded individual and I suggest you keep your distance. Find some balance, bitches! Know that it is more out there than they tell you about. Go out on a limb and discover some shit. Please.....Im beggin you.

Inspiration for this blog : Mos Def's song "Beef", repeated references to "Laffy Taffy" fucking up the game, Phonte's verse from "Boondock Saints", fiending for VH1 Soul b/c they do play new shit that I never heard and end up finding that I like, Dr. Wax, remembering the era when I would hear Artifact's "Wrong Side Of Da Tracks" on the radio and knowing that that era is soooooo long gone, and the feeling of feeling like you are the only one up on some dope shit that you came up on and wanting/needing/having to tell all your peeps about it.