Recently, I have rediscovered my appreciation for hip-hop journalism. As someone who has been working as a journalist in hip-hop for over 10 years, I realized that, while some of us have been able to survive the slow death of publications and make our transition to the web, the art form of hip-hop journalism has somehow lost its sense of direction. But in studying the internet over the last couple of years, I have been able to distinguish good ole’ hip-hop coverage from the overdose of “content” out there.

Read the rest of this entry »

When Nas made the lyrical suggestion that hip-hop was dead a few years back, he pissed off more than a few heads. But, having written a book called The Death of Rhythm & Blues back in ‘88, I know pronouncing the death of any cultural movement, is usually intended more as a wake up call than a eulogy. Near the end of the first decade of the 21st century I don’t think hip-hop is dead, but that the definition is used so loosely now that it may have lost its meaning.

I remember a time before hip-hop, when Technic turntables were used one at a time, when rappin’ was what cool radio jocks and Isaac Hayes did, and baseball caps were for outfielders not gangstas. So I have a little perspective on this game. I remember how “fresh” (in every sense of the word) hip-hop culture felt in its ’80s incarnation, bringing essential rawness, grit and even soul back to a black popular culture that had gotten too slick, too corporate and too self-consciously commercial. And, truth is, you could make that same criticism today about much of what passes for commercial hip-hop.

Hip-hop, as I understood it, was rebel music, representing a outsider culture. It was music that spoke for people on the margins of society, people voice less in America who demanded to be listened to. It was about “making it” of course, but also it had a very underdog quality. Very “them” against “us” which gave it a lot of its passion.

So now the game is dominated by brand name icons, CEO’s of success (and excess) who speak the audience very top down, who are selling products which enrich their pockets but only have a fleeting relationship to enriching the lives of their customers. I’m not trying to romanticize the past, but to say that the perspective of hip-hop has changed so completely that it might not be the same thing it was.

I respect both Lil’ Wayne and Kanye West immensely, but most of what I hear on New York Hot 97 is really dance music. Great tracks and stick in your mind hooks abound, but both lyrically and flow-wise what I’m hearing isn’t up to the standards of ‘87 or ‘92 or ‘97. I’m not saying people aren’t making hits or that stuff isn’t sounding good in a club. I’m just not sure it’s hip-hop musically, culturally or lyrically.

So for me hip-hop isn’t dead. It’s just that every damn thing that people wanna call hip-hop isn’t and hasn’t been for quite some time. Hip-hop is a label that people stick on products — music, video games, vodka, perfume — to sell to people. But I don’t think there’s a rebellious way to smell good or wear a suit. I think we are actually in a post-hip-hop period–and that’s fine with me. History moves on and cultures evolve. But perhaps we should all be looking at every product comes our way and asking a few very simple questions: Is this hip-hop? Why and how is it hip-hop? And does it being hip-hop actually even matter?

catch ya down the road

NELSON GEORGE is the executive producer of BET’s American Gangster, and has just published City Kid: A Writer’s Memoir of Ghetto Life and Post-Soul Success” (Viking). The book will be in stores April 2.

Be sure to check out Nelson George’s, A Survivor’s Tale, featuring BET News’ Samson Styles. It is the second in a series of fictionale tales based on true events that George is producing and directing.

 Lately, there seems to be an infatuation with the girlfriends of hip-hop artists. These women have become overnight celebrities in their own right, whether it be through the art of a TMZ video or a Youtube upload that has virally spread around like an internet wildfire. Not that this is a new phenomenon. I remember the doubt that fans had when Ms. Melody, former wife of KRS-One, decided to put out a rap album. Despite any talent that she may have had (arguable or not), no one wanted to ever give Ms. Melody any props for being anything else but KRS’s wife.

But these days, the girlfriends of rap artists are getting media attention for being just that—girlfriends. No rapping, no singing, no nothing; just the high honor of being the chosen one in the sea of women in which artists dive. So the question becomes, can being someone’s girlfriend transcend you into stardom or will these girls get the short end of the stick when, and if, the relationship fizzles out?

Kanye West is one celebrity whose girlfriends always seem to get their 5 minutes of fame. His latest, Amber Rose, a shaved-head, light-skinned aspiring model with a fierce body and a permanent cigarette attached to her fingers, seems to be the most intriguing of all, especially as the lesbian rumors continue to pour in. Blogs also say that Amber is a former stripper, and if pictures soon surface, I predict her star will rise even more so. But it still remains to be seen whether Amber’s appeal transcends being Kanye’s girl. In the past, former Kanye girls have become partially successful—depending on how you look at it. Alexis Phifer, the most recent ex, is an aspiring clothing designer, and Brooke Crittendon is a current cast member of the BET reality series, Harlem Heights.

In the case of Joe Budden and his girl Tahiry, who was just recently photographed for the cover of King magazine, the scales seem to be tipping in her direction. Unbeknownst to Tahiry, she became the star of Joe Budden’s video blogs–the reality tv-type material that became popular on his Youtube channel. Since the couple started broadcasting their private lives on the internet, Tahiry has become the latest hip-hop darling. But while a possible reality TV and modeling career could be awaiting her, will she ever grow outside of the Joe Budden girl role?

In an era where the role of women in hip hop has been reduced significantly, it remains to be seen whether dating a rapper (yeah, I said it) is the fastest way to come up. Please, let the comments begin…because I smell a part 2 coming.

–KIM OSORIO

 I remember when I was at Uptown records, I was a Senior VP at Universal. I had great success. I had Monifa, Soul For Real, I had me. I had great success there. But there is nothing artistic about running a label. It made me realize how much of an artist I am. Read the rest of this entry »