“Everybody sounds the same, commercialize the game. Reminisce on when it wasn’t all business” These lyrics are taken from Nas’s 2006 single ‘Hip Hop is dead’ and for many sums up a feeling about a lot of today’s hip hop industry. One of the worlds most perceptive, skilful and influential music genres is without a doubt hip hop.  Hackheem Haimeed looks at the evolution of hip hop and the big question… is Hip Hop really dead?

Hip hop started in the early 70's, with a Jamaican DJ known as Kool Herc.  Having moved from Jamaica to New York’s West Bronx he started to incorporate his Jamaican style of Dj’ing into street parties and events for local people.  This involved reciting improvised rhymes over the dub versions of his reggae records. Unfortunately many New Yorkers weren’t really into reggae then, so Herc changed the beats he used and adapted his style by chanting over the most popular instrumentals of that time. He became known as the father of Hip-Hop. Raps popularity quickly spread with inner city youths as a way of directing them away from all the struggles and problems they faced in their life and community.  It was also an easy form of enjoyment as it didn’t cost money for many dealing with poverty issues.  Emcees used Hip Hop as a way of explaining the situation they were in and for venting life’s stresses. People listened and related to hip hop as it was an art form they understood, were proud of, and felt they owned. Due to these good feelings, Hip hop empowered young black children in a positive way.

The statement Hip Hop is dead was emphasised by Nasir Jones A.K.A Nas, a well respected and established rapper who has been around since hip hop was, in many eyes at it’s finest. This statement is supported by many old school hip hop artists such as KRS One and Ghostface Killer.  In a recent interview Nas was quoted to have said “Music is dead. Our way of thinking is dead, our commerce is dead. Everything in this society has been done”... As a comment on the recent decline in what I personally call true hip hop. Nas, like me believes this art form of the people in now being used largely to make profit. Nas feels so deeply about the state hip hop is in, he’s also named his recently 8th album Hip Hop is dead.

Hip hop in recent years has become more about commercialising and populaising than about good content as a way of expanding it’s market.  Lyrics are reflecting western culture’s obsession with money and power. 50 Cent is probably the best icon for commercialized hip hop.  No doubt, “In Da Club” was a huge hit that got him the recognition he deserved at the time, but since then ‘fiddy’ has proved that a good business sense is more important to him than real hip hop. He’s used his edge from having been shot to market a very potent image for wannbe young gangsters.  50 started by selling music but now markets himself any way he can. Films, clothes, shoes, books and even bottled water. It seems more and more artists, who make it big, are willing to sacrifice representing true hip hop for making quick cash. For example there has been an increase in brand names dropping as a way of making extra money. Brand name dropping can equal a fat cheque or freebies they don’t have to pay for.

This commercialisation of hip hop is causing a big divide and a lot of people, particularly black people have issue with it’s recent decline.  As Pat Regan, founder of Mothers Against Violence Leeds also pointed out, “these artists are telling our kids to go rob, pimp, steel, sell drugs and they aren’t even doing it”. She also said a lot of hip hop is stereotyping black people in a negative way.  And for those who dismiss hip hop it’s often because of the superficial commercial side.  I interviewed Jack Anderson, 14 , who dislikes hip hop, who told me “It seems a bit hypocritical, on the one hand these artists are rapping about the struggles they face and on the other it’s about all the nice things they have”. 

Increased commercialisation of culture over the last 10 years has meant that anything culturally authentic is always being diluted, repacked and sold for a larger audience.  As hip hop has caught on to the mainstream the hop hip industry has mutated into a money making machine.  
As many artist are being driven more by money that passion, along with commercialisation comes lyrics with no soul. Big Critz, of Sheffield Hip hop Crew ‘Hoodz underground’ said in an interview with Cube last year
 “The hip hop I listened to growing, up had lyrics that made sense, instead of going on about popping champagne and all this gold jewellery. I don’t mind seeing girls on videos it just gets a bit boring after a bit, I look for something different.  That’s not hip hop to me’.  Hoodz Undergrounds newly released album ‘bring it back’ also reflects that sentiment.

Giving hip hop a bad name
The idea of hip hop as an authentic and truthful form of expression has been used to sell unrealistic lifestyles, especially to us young people. It’s become about giving the people what the industry thinks they want.  A lot of us young people are getting the wrong impression about where hip hop has come from and what it’s about.  This frustrates me because they haven’t experienced real hip hop poetry like Rakim and Nas, or political hip hop like Public Enemy or KRS One.  Mainstream hip hop often makes a mockery of a vast and positive genre of music.

The point I'm making is that hip hop music used to reflect where you're from and what’s going on around you in its purest form. Hip Hop should not be fuelled on such nonsense such as, fake lifestyles, girls, jewellery, guns or how much money you have sitting in the bank. It should be along the lines of, where you’re from, your roots, struggles, self empowerment political activism - things that uplift people in a positive way. When artists don’t take this into account, a lot of people feel heated because they feel the concepts of the music are being misused.  Some rappers are selling lifestyle, and yes there’s a market for that but there was and should be a bigger market in hip hop for truth and honesty. Artists such as Nas, Rakim, Wu-tang clan, KRS-ONE and Jay-Z haven’t forgotten that.  So some may argue hip hop is dead and some may think not.  If you were to ask me my true feelings, I would have to say, ask Nas, he’ll tell it so much better.

“And forgot where it started, so we all gather here for the dearly departed”.

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