Does anyone else think that today's generation just don't love the music?

[nieman]

I'm listening to Fat Joe's The Darkside Vol. 1 and on "I'm Gone", you just feel the love he has for hip-hop. Fat Joe is one that has always been a hip-hop head and bleeds the culture. He can pull out obscure tracks from other MCs catalogs and just start spittin. If you've seen Black Thought in concert, bul pulls out ANY MC's lyrics. You've always heard stories of Rapper X meeting Rapper Y for the first time and recite lyrics from Song Z. The older crowd are geniune fans of the music, of lyrics of other MCs, not just themselves. Just knowing other dudes bars in general; and not just popular lines but full verses.

With this generation, I just don't get the feeling that they are fans of the actual music, it's just something to do. I know there are exceptions to the rules and there some younger rappers that listen to other rappers, but with the generation gap and attitude of "eff them, they're old and irrelevant", has appreciation been truly thrown out of the window? You don't even hear rappers say how they were "fans of MC X growing up" anymore. They never mention favorite albums, favorite verses. I'm not saying they should know every Kurtis Blow song but damn!! Where is the history appreciation is and is this the main reason for the generation gap?

 

[The Dust King]

fukk em. fukk all of em. it aint really the kids fault though, the adults (whites) in charge slowly turned the culture into something instantly disposable.

they dont love the music. how can you when 100 new songs drop everyday?

no time for love in this society. the morale has been downgraded to "its just music" as if music has no power whatsoever.

it aint just the kids though, you got grown men who troll online. the whole game is out of order.

what i can tell you is that a new sub-genre is about to emerge out of NYC

some artists out now will be apart of it but a lot of the newer artists will feel ostracized

its something like criminal minded meets 6 feet deep

i know because im a part of it.

 

[Durrbrowski]

I'm pretty sure I said this before. The beginning of The Roots Things Fall Apart had prophetic words about Hip Hop records being disposable and not being maximized as product let alone as art

 

[Ninjaz In Paris]

Most do some don't... some artists genuinely love the music they make that ends up charting on billboard. It's like people think these artists are being forced to make certain music when in reality most do like the music they make but save face by acting like the label forced them to make certain songs. I mean it does happen but it's nowhere near what people think... not even close...

 

[California]

Ya'll know theres more to music than hip-hop and rap, right?

If it's the artist's love for the craft that you enjoy, there's plenty of genres of music where you can feel that. Instead of being concerned over the lack of passion within modern hip-hop, we should be concerned with the fact that most black people feel ashamed and embarrassed listening to anything outside of rap/hip-hop/r&b.

 

[nieman]

I just miss that feeling

Ya'll know theres more to music than hip-hop and rap, right?

If it's the artist's love for the craft that you enjoy, there's plenty of genres of music where you can feel that. Instead of being concerned over the lack of passion within modern hip-hop, we should be concerned with the fact that most black people feel ashamed and embarrassed listening to anything outside of rap/hip-hop/r&b.

This is a hip-hop forum, so I am speaking on hip-hop. It's especially evident when artists of other genres can name their favorite artists growing up, or recite some of their favorite songs. As one who literally grew up with hip-hop, being an infant in its infancy stages, a toddler in the early years, a teenager when it was fun and really hitting its stride, to now as a mature adult and the music is not maturing on a grand scale...you just have to wonder. I see younger artists and they do not mention anyone as being an influence, at all. they have no artist that they listen to, no favorite songs, no verses they love. It's impossible unless you are purposely not listening on some "eff that, no one wants to hear that old ish". How did it come to this? How are you an artist and not be a fan first?

Now as for being black and being ashamed of what you listen to, that's up to the individual. I'm a 30+ hip-hop head, so that's the music that calls to me. However, I also listen to 60's-70's soul, love The Beatles, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon is an album I always revisit, and I know black people that listen to different genres of music....other than hip-hop and R&B. To each his own; I do not pass judgement on them. If anything, I get judged more for the variety of movies I watch.Hell, The Blues Brothers was a homage-paying movie to the music of the 60s and 70s; Grease was a throwback to the 50s sound.

Matter of fact, that's what we need for this current crop of artist/listeners to fall in love with it, a true hip-hop movie. A new Krush Groove, a Fear of a Black Hat/This is Spinal Tap (even)..something on the scale of The Blues Brothers, Grease, Hairspray...where's Roc's movie?

 

[Rominati]

I see younger artists and they do not mention anyone as being an influence, at all. they have no artist that they listen to, no favorite songs, no verses they love. It's impossible unless you are purposely not listening on some "eff that, no one wants to hear that old ish". How did it come to this? How are you an artist and not be a fan first?

In respect to ya argument. All the top current gen rappers have shown major love to the previous generations.Cole got a song paying homage to Nas in which he says "Nas wrote the bible" . Kendrick made a whole mixtape based off the Carter 3. Drake constantly says that Kanye is his idol. Have ya forgotten that Lil Wayne has tatted Hov lyrics on his body for crying out loud

Edit: I think your just getting old. Which is cool, when im in my 30s I damn sure aint gonna be trying to "connect" to a generation of MCs a decade younger than me. But for the cats who are of the times right now, hip hop is still pretty damn fun, cutting edge and cool.

 

[mr x]

 

[lowkey0z]

what is the age group of "today's generation"?

 

[MegaTronBomb!]

in regards to most of all these cats you've named... they've been immersed in the culture and active participants/contributors for 20-30 years....... can you really compare their love to some rappers who haven't even been alive that long?

Black Thought is 42 years old, Fat Joe is 43...can you image the amount of music one can consume,become a fan of, and recite... just off being in the music industry as long as they have?

6-7 years ago... some of these dudes weren't even rapping.

 

[Blackout]

Its all about money in the mainstream these days.

The love of hip hop and the people is stuck underground.

 

[bangedher_wholesquad]

i don't really care.

i see them rapping. on the booth. youtube whatever.

and they suck. so i really don't care if they love it or not.

i mean damn kendrick gotta use an alien back up to make him sound interesting.

there are ppl out there that don't need smoke, mirrors or gimmicks.


these zionists i tell ya.

but they do run the youth. them dumbasses.

LOL!

 

[nieman]

in regards to most of all these cats you've named... they've been immersed in the culture and active participants/contributors for 20-30 years....... can you really compare their love to some rappers who haven't even been alive that long?

Black Thought is 42 years old, Fat Joe is 43...can you image the amount of music one can consume,become a fan of, and recite... just off being in the music industry as long as they have?

6-7 years ago... some of these dudes weren't even rapping.

That's no excuse. You're too young to be a fan of hip-hop? Rewind 20 years ago when they were young to the game. They all came in the game wanting to "meet G Rap" or whoever. They were genuine fans first and still are. You telling me you're gonna be a rapper with no favorite songs, no favorite rappers? They all have stories on how they first met such and such and really got to vibe with them. That freestyle session with Thought and Skillz was early hip-hop bars. Peedi did a recent interview and said how he recent met Buckshot for the first time at a show in Philly and he's always been one of his favorite MCs. They kicked it for a couple of hours. You don't get a pass because you're mid-20s, if anything that gets held against you. Hip-hop was around before you been alive and you're a rapper but listened to NO ONE? It's insulting to the culture. They asked B Mac when he got on, who did he want to work with first and he said Scarface. He said The Diary is one of his favorite albums.

"Who's the best MC" discussion has become "who's the hottest right now". "Who's your favorite" has become "what song is poppin". Kendrick called out a whole generation and all you heard from them were crickets. The people that responded instantly were vets and were greeted with some "ef them, they're old" by the youth. Canibus referred to LL tat and was challenged in the same song.

 

[stealthbomber]

my generation doesn't love anything. we have no dignity. no pride in anything. its sad.

people accept and embrace mediocrity. the fact that trap wasn't just a fad and has become the mainstream sound of hip hop is proof.

it extends to other aspects of this generation, but music is the most obvious example.

 

[MysteryT]

Most do some don't... some artists genuinely love the music they make that ends up charting on billboard. It's like people think these artists are being forced to make certain music when in reality most do like the music they make but save face by acting like the label forced them to make certain songs. I mean it does happen but it's nowhere near what people think... not even close...

I'm not saying all artist are forced to do what their doing now. But you've got to be kidding if you think the love for the craft is there in this new era. It really isn't. If that were the case, half these rappers on top of the charts right now, wouldn't be so quick to make fast food jingles for a quick hit and money. Artistic integrity isn't there anymore. And nobody can convince me that it is. Look around homie, Hip Hop is one big gossip and Lifestyle tabloid. And a lot of talented rappers have been reduced to soap opera set up "reality" shows and creating contrived controversy to get 15 minutes of attention. The music half is non-existent at this point. It's not even secondary or on the back burner anymore. It's all about the celebrity now.