I just don't keep up with Hip Hop anymore...

[Qdrop]

I really don't.
that seems kinda bad for a former hip hop DJ...
it's not laziness, though.

i think it's just that the payoff isn't there.
Like, I'll see you guys talkin about the latest MF Doom, or Fishscale...and i'll be like "man, i'm so out of the loop, i didn't even know this was out...dang, i gotta catch up"....
and i'll go buy this shit, or listen to it....and it's really disapointing. boring as hell.

i hear you guys namedropping and talking about the latest tracks...or even tracks from a few years ago that i "should" know....and i'm like "dang, i gotta go download that...i'm so out of the loop."
and then i do.
and it sucks.

it just seems like most of the tracks coming out in the past 5 years really blow. there is no incentive to track all the latest shit with XXL and Source and go to UndergroungHipHop.com and shit every day....cause all i get is disapointed.

i went online to get Fishscale yesterday....and ended up getting a new copy of Roni Size: New Forms instead.
fuck it.

i basically just keep track of my trusty reliables (beasties, Shadow and others)...and if i happen to hear a hot track on the radio or whatever, maybe i'll get it.
the payoff for keeping up on the industry just isn't there anymore.

anyone else feel that?

[roosta]

well....i admit the scene is certainly full of alot more shit than its ever been....but i think theres lots of good new stuff constantly coming out



your getting old, man

[Guy Incognito]

Roosta's right - your getting old but thats no bad thing - you like what you like and if somethin new grabs you get it - I'd say thats the average thirty somethin's musical habits.

I used to be into all sorts of types of music and keep a track of all sorts and now i am happy stickin with what i know but if i hear about somethin that interests me i'll have a look but if it dont grab me then so be it , if it does ( i only heard about Edan, MF Doom recently on this board) then thats good.

But dont get down about not digging a scene as much as you used to - its like any other musical form - you get familiar with the different styles and there is only so much that can suprise/inspire/shock you.

[Qdrop]

you get familiar with the different styles and there is only so much that can suprise/inspire/shock you.

nail on head.

[Guy Incognito]

nail on head.


That shouldnt stop you lookin or piss you off coz you cant find anythin new to excite you. I used to be big hip hop fan way back and then went to other places. Only really kept up with the B Boys. My remixin led me here and i discovered loads of hip hop i never even heard of and that was coz i was still curious enough and still had enough time for hip hop. I guarantee somethin will come around that will make you wanna get back into it. Oh an btw - theres nowt wrong with gettin a copy of New Forms instead - that album is enormous.

[sab0tage]

For me its a money & time issue - not enough of either. I'm always adding to my beasties collection then find there's not enough cash to buy anything else. I've got a wish list of albums that just keeps getting longer but I know next to nothing about half the stuff coming out. I'm fighting a losing battle.

[Ally Al]

i basically just keep track of my trusty reliables (beasties, Shadow and others)...and if i happen to hear a hot track on the radio or whatever, maybe i'll get it.
the payoff for keeping up on the industry just isn't there anymore.


what do you think of shadow's new direction though ?

[Guy Incognito]

i basically just keep track of my trusty reliables (beasties, Shadow and others)...and if i happen to hear a hot track on the radio or whatever, maybe i'll get it.
the payoff for keeping up on the industry just isn't there anymore.


what do you think of shadow's new direction though ?


I thinks exaaclty it - keeping up with the industry means keeping with the corporate side of things and they're pushing certain types and maybe thats keepin some REAL hip hop out of the spotlight.

[Guy Incognito]

Only heard one new Shadow track- wasnt keen on it - think he's gone down the benjamins alley if you ask me

[mickill]

That beat Shadow did for David Banner is embarassing.

Don't forget that even classic albums like Paid In Full, which only had about 9 songs on it to begin with, had garbage like Chinese Arithmetic and Eric B Is On The Cut tainting them. You're sleeping, man.

[adam_f]

Thank God I'm not the only one who thinks that about Paid In Full too.

Now I'll just wait for you to ridicule me.

[Guy Incognito]

That beat Shadow did for David Banner is embarassing.

Don't forget that even classic albums like Paid In Full, which only had about 9 songs on it to begin with, had garbage like Chinese Arithmetic and Eric B Is On The Cut tainting them. You're sleeping, man.

I dont think that matters - what Q Drop was sayin was that nothin is grabbin his attention - not even 9 good tracks.

[Qdrop]

You're sleeping, man.

yeah, i've already stated that.

the point of this thread to explain WHY i'm sleeping on shit.

[mickill]

Thank God I'm not the only one who thinks that about Paid In Full too.

Now I'll just wait for you to ridicule me.

Every Eric B & Rakim album had at least one or two of these corny dj tracks on them, which would acount for 20-30% of the albums content. I mean, mr lazy ass zigga zigga zig zigga was probably the worst dj ever. Funny how he partnered up with the most influential rapper ever, though.

Q, not to simply reiterate what everybody else is already saying, but it is because you're getting old. Not necessarily in terms of age, but as far as your tastes go, yeah. Your parents probably used to shake their heads at you when you had the Van Halen shaking the walls in your room, and they probably didn't appreciate the jungle music or the robotic devil music you were into either. You gotta move with the times.

[Guy Incognito]

There is stuff still out there thats new and different but there is definitely less thats original and you have to sift thru a lot of shit. There's a lot of samey stuff.

[yeahwho]

It's pretty fucking tough to be a cutting edge Hip Hop band in the year 2006. The dynamics of "New" or "Fresh" has been used right up.

My enthusiasm for following Hip Hop has slowed down considerably the past few years too.

In the day though Hip Hop was kicking some ass.

Did anybody see the last episode of the Soprano's? They're in the street cred business now. :D

[Ally Al]

There is stuff still out there thats new and different but there is definitely less thats original and you have to sift thru a lot of shit. There's a lot of samey stuff.


yeah there's alot of samey stuff but if you know what you're looking for it's easy enuff to avoid

i'm 25 years in and i still love hip hop above any other musical genre. I still look forward to hearing new beats and rhymes, hip hop is going no-where but forward if you ask me

[EN[i]GMA]

That beat Shadow did for David Banner is embarassing.


All of Shadow's 'new' beats are embarrasing.

3 Freaks is the most trash 'crunk' beat I've ever heard.

Lil Jon would be ashamed to stamp his ugly face on that piece of shit song.

What's weird is, he can do good electronic beats: Grand Old Party Crash of the Cage LP wasn't bad, and his remix of the Gloaming by Radiohead was good.

What the hell happend to him?

[Extra Cheese]

this opinion was all the rage and the hippest thing 9 years ago.

[Qdrop]

this opinion was all the rage and the hippest thing 9 years ago.

okay MC Snarky CoolGuy

be our fuckin guiding light on the road of Hip Hop, mr. streetcred...

[Extra Cheese]

okay MC Snarky CoolGuy

be our fuckin guiding light on the road of Hip Hop, mr. streetcred...


that reply was all the rage 6 years ago

[Qdrop]

Q, not to simply reiterate what everybody else is already saying, but it is because you're getting old. Not necessarily in terms of age, but as far as your tastes go, yeah. Your parents probably used to shake their heads at you when you had the Van Halen shaking the walls in your room, and they probably didn't appreciate the jungle music or the robotic devil music you were into either. You gotta move with the times.

i'm totally into phil collins right now.

so what about you, mike?
you're older than me...but you and LOL are like fuckin FrontLine:HipHOP Edition.

what keeps you interested to be that on top of shit?
you can't possibley think the music is as good as it was 5 years ago or more....

[Qdrop]

that reply was all the rage 6 years ago

WRONG!

3 YEARS AGO!

source: XXL vol.23, page 54...3rd paragraph.

you're slippin, chump.

[Ally Al]

you can't possibley think the music is as good as it was 5 years ago or more....[/QUOTE]


what was hot 5 years ago in your opinion ?

[Qdrop]

you can't possibley think the music is as good as it was 5 years ago or more....


what was hot 5 years ago in your opinion ?[/QUOTE]

Chronic 2000 and the Eminem Show, singles like "El Presidente"....things really went down hill at a faster rate after that....

like, those are some of the last albums/tracks i heard that were just slammin..

a few gems since then....Black Album was tight.

Nas had a couple of hot singles.

that new Busta/swizz track is OK...

but basically...southern rap has taken over. and this new shit from the Bay Area...(wtf is it called again?)...fuckin garbage.

[Kid Presentable]

I noticed my collection kept getting older. I just buy trusted shit, like Talib, Ghost etc. I'll pick up on something six months after the fact, especially given how patchy a lot of hip-hop ALBUMS can be.

[Ally Al]

Chronic 2000 and the Eminem Show, singles like "El Presidente"....things really went down hill at a faster rate after that....

like, those are some of the last albums/tracks i heard that were just slammin..

a few gems since then....Black Album was tight.

Nas had a couple of hot singles.

that new Busta/swizz track is OK...

but basically...southern rap has taken over. and this new shit from the Bay Area...(wtf is it called again?)...fuckin garbage.[/QUOTE]


i believe it's called hyphy

southern rap has taken over the mainstream but for me the only decent thing to come out of the south is the whole 9th wonder/little brother/justus league crew

crunk just doesn't move me at all, and when i read that shadow thought it was the most important movement in hip hop since the bomb squad i seriously started to question his judgement, but you know what it's all down to personal pref

i like a lot uk hip hop right now, edan, doom, common, ghostface, madlib, ayatollah, kanye, just blaze, mr lif, rjd2 etc etc. Although these artists aren't doing anything particularly new or groundbreaking with the artform, they're still making music that i love, and as long as they keep doing that i'll be happy

[mickill]

The music associated with hyphy just sounds like Lil Jon shit. It's the "subculture" associated with it that's "new". Basically, it's just stuff like walking your car, riding on the hood and generally acting like a fool, which in itself is nothing all that new either.

And I really don't mind a lot of southern hip hop at all. Some of the best singles last year were by southern artists. I just stay open minded.

[cj hood]

i'm steppin into the studio next week.......time to celebrate 20 years on the mic!!!

[Nygel]

i'm steppin into the studio next week.......time to celebrate 20 years on the mic!!!
if u need a guest producer.... i'd be up for it, i'm layin down beats for a new cd of my own.... i have this insane instrumental right now, i wrote for it though, so im rappin over it. but yea, if u want, it'd be cool...

[Tzar]

I just buy trusted shit
this is how i work; i only buy stuff i'm familiar with. i ain't the type of guy to go into a record store and pick up a random album and try it out. that's why i download alot of albums before i buy them.. so i know i ain't wasting money.

[checkyourprez]

i feel your overall opinion on the topic Q.

i used to be on like 4 different hip hop sites a day looking for new artists/tracks/albums.

now ill give it a look once in a while. seems something good only comes out once in a while now anyways.

im still always checking wu tang shit. i think they still have some potential. the new raekwon should be nice. the doom/ghost face album should be nice. new nas(whenever that comes out), new clipse (if it EVER comes out), new rza, new gza. i mean theres stuff coming out, you just gotta look a little harder than you used to.

gza's grandmasters was a good cd. check that if you havent.

[thegoodmrbrodie!]

do you like any other type of music? perhaps you are finding hiphop dull and uninspiring because it is dull and uninspiring? as far as i can see it hasnt progressed very much, and it's the same with most other genres too. that's why you gotta spread yourself around a bit.

[Kid Presentable]

gza's grandmasters was a good cd. check that if you havent.

That one has divided these forums. It's definitely better than anything that came after Temples of Boom.

I got Plant Life a while ago. I like that.

[The Notorious LOL]

it is dry. I listen to more "rap with no words" as I call it. Most of the Ninja Tune roster.

1998 was really the last year where a decent portion of everything coming out was at least half good.

[chromium05]

I am totally with Q on this. Having listened to hip hop from about 81, I find that my love for it died around 96. At that point I just stopped buying. I was sick to the back teeth of fucking Tupac (wack) this, Biggie (vastly over-rated but well marketed) that, cash / bling everywhere and I saw then that a bad change was coming.

Hip hop as older heads knew it died.

Hip hop as newer heads know it is as good as it ever was.

Yeah - people like me and Q may be "getting old" (I'm only 32) but I think we'd both say (again) that the best period for the art was 86-94.

Those of you who think hip hop begins and ends with tupac, biggie and everything SINCE - go back - go listen - check out the vastly different styles between MC's / groups.

Yep - there's some artists now that stand out as different to the main.
Yep - there's still some artists that try so fucking hard to retain the sense of what hip hop was all about.

But nah - I don't keep up with "hip hop" anymore either and you know what?

I couldn't care fucking less.

Go and check out some crazy Japanese acts with synths and a drum machine and see what innovative shit they can manage that a billion dollar hip hop rosta can't.

[Kid Presentable]

I'm only 25, but I can foresee it getting hard to dig artists younger than me once I'm in my 30's. They'd have to be doing great things.

[Gareth]

I got Plant Life a while ago. I like that.

yeh?
i couldnt get into plant life.

[DroppinScience]

Not to sound like a street-teamer, but perhaps you'd enjoy my friend Cadence Weapon, Qdrop.

http://www.cadenceweaponmusic.com/

[Kid Presentable]

yeh?
i couldnt get into plant life.
Hits me right sometimes, usually when I'd be least inclined to enjoy it, like when I'm in a foul mood and I want Phil Anselmo to say "You're fuckin Right!". I just put on Return of Jack Splash instead.

[Qdrop]

gza's grandmasters was a good cd. check that if you havent.

yeah, i bought it...mostly on the strength of what a few people on here said....

pretty substandard.
i listened to the whole thing once....a really have no interest in putting it back on my cd player.
one "kinda" hot track, that's it.


i'd rather just pop in liquid swords.

[Ally Al]

The music associated with hyphy just sounds like Lil Jon shit. It's the "subculture" associated with it that's "new". Basically, it's just stuff like walking your car, riding on the hood and generally acting like a fool, which in itself is nothing all that new either.

And I really don't mind a lot of southern hip hop at all. Some of the best singles last year were by southern artists. I just stay open minded.


i am very open minded about music but crunk just doesn't do a thing for me. I have no problem with electronic beats in hip hop i just haven't heard anything thats made me want to listen to more. The hip hop mag in the UK , hip hop connection, used to really dis crunk records hard and then all of a sudden there was this huge turnaround and it was just crunk crunk crunk month in month out. Lil Johns album got 5 out of 5 for fucks sake, and i think that has something to do with my anti crunk attitude because i don't like things being rammed down my throat. It also bugged me that the east coast started mimicing the movement, they were just pussy whipped. Instead of trying to come up with something new to pull the mainstream back they just fell in line. Innovate don't duplicate

Saying that i think there's a possibility of a dirty south/ east coast lyrical war brewing, so that'll be nice.

[Qdrop]

Crunk's success is do largely to MASS marketing and crowd psychology as far as i'm concerned.
emperor's new clothes...

i can't see any other reason...

[Ally Al]

Crunk's success is do largely to MASS marketing and crowd psychology as far as i'm concerned.
emperor's new clothes...

i can't see any other reason...


with HHC is just stank of ageing journo's feeling like they were getting left behind so they jumped on the new mainstrean wagon. It's back on a more even keel (sp?) now though after stacks of letters of complaint

they really pushed david banner so i thought what the fuck, give a try. when i heard it i couldn't believe they were on about the same thing, garbage to me