And Johnny: you should look for Joseph Schloss' new book, coming out later this year on Oxford Press, about NYC b-boys. I've read some of it and he's presented on it a few times and it is really, really, really great stuff, both in content and the thoroughness of Joe's research.
Joseph Schloss documents the path of the B-boy with the precision of a swordsman and the love of a shaman. It took a great deal of courage and patience to make a book on Hip-Hop as inspirational as it is accurate. After reading it I made Foundation required reading for our organization.
hey, glad yall keepin this thread goin....just to clear up a few things...Im in the history program, not sociology, although that is my minor...so sure some words like stratification and such might appear in context but my focus is on history. My aim is to determine why 88-93 witnessed such a surge in what we may call "consciousness" or awareness, where rap artists sought to "drop knowledge" and empowerment seemed the motto of the day---think def jef-black to the future, or HEAL (human education against lies)...then a huge dropoff occurs...the Marxist historian might contend that a bourgeois mentality came to the fore and major label rappers were discouraged from sounding too preachy (ie: class conscious)---anyhow, its just a paper for a class...btw, hearing my adviser use words like 'hood' and 'gangsta' was simply
IMO it was just the popular style. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a whole lot more to it than that. Like Batmon said, the artists that were really down for it then are still doing it now. But at a certain point, the labels, the fans, the radio, and the artists all decided that the style was no longer what was cool to be. There was a lot of discussion in 1992 about "The Chronic" destroying the conscious hip-hop movement. But I would caution against laying the blame solely on the labels, as you seemed to imply above.
I'd say people are just reacting to the environment around them. As much as rappers might say different, in NYC at least it simply isn't as dangerous in the 00s as it was in the 80s and 90s. The height of gang violence, big city murder rates, and the crack epidemic coincide with the period of time when hip-hop artists were the most "socially aware" (to use your framework). Nowadays, artists are less so because the conditions are arguably much improved.
That, and styles just change. You'll have to ask the 14-18 year olds why Lil Wayne isn't spouting pure righteousness. When Katie Couric asked him what he'd like to ask President Bush, he said "I'm a gangster, and gangsters don't ask questions."
Well, you'll never hear me say that. I love that record. And I agree with you. But I recall hearing that argument a lot esp when I moved to NY in 1995... Righteous Poetry Slam west coast hatters!
Man, for real. I almost had altercations with dudes over coast shit. I was out here with Herm's boy MURS in 1996 and dudes were tight! He was making some of the locals look bad. So wild... can't imagine that happening nowadays.
Comments
Would have been better if this guy was in it, I mean, am I wrong???
Joseph Schloss documents the path of the B-boy with the precision of a swordsman and the love of a shaman. It took a great deal of courage and patience to make a book on Hip-Hop as inspirational as it is accurate. After reading it I made Foundation required reading for our organization.
--Adisa Banjoko, CEO, Hip-Hop Chess Federation[/b]
Anytime--I study military strategy. A lot.
1. Damn, that pic comes pre-photoshopped with Moist's face!
2. I can't believe all the blahblahblagghh coming out of you dudes telling Gigante NOT to blahblahblagggghhh about Hip Hop. Hip Hoppocrites!
3. That Ghostface video is indeed the best fan made video ever made.
[color:white] 4. You're damn right I bit Moist's posting style circa '07.
[/color]
RIF
Nobody's telling him not to write - just to come up with a theory that actually holds water.
thanks again for the suggestions...
The real cats never abandoned the ideals.
I'd say people are just reacting to the environment around them. As much as rappers might say different, in NYC at least it simply isn't as dangerous in the 00s as it was in the 80s and 90s. The height of gang violence, big city murder rates, and the crack epidemic coincide with the period of time when hip-hop artists were the most "socially aware" (to use your framework). Nowadays, artists are less so because the conditions are arguably much improved.
That, and styles just change. You'll have to ask the 14-18 year olds why Lil Wayne isn't spouting pure righteousness. When Katie Couric asked him what he'd like to ask President Bush, he said "I'm a gangster, and gangsters don't ask questions."
zomg he iz so kewl
sRsLy dAt dUdE gOt zO mUcH sWaGgEr eZ cRajEe
The Day The Niggaz Took Over & Lil' Ghetto Boy are Conscious Rap songs IMO.
Kanye's Diamonds joint?
My President is Black.
That Jadakiss joint from a minute ago.
Lord Jamar & Sadat X albums.
Man, for real. I almost had altercations with dudes over coast shit. I was out here with Herm's boy MURS in 1996 and dudes were tight! He was making some of the locals look bad. So wild... can't imagine that happening nowadays.
Another cat that adresses shit.
Things look different in retrospective.
A lot of Africa Medallion cats from 1990 were living foul.
A lot of crack rap cats from 2008 have never seen a g-pack.
It is what it is...
Hahahaa..no doubt.
Can u have him sign my vinyl?