Why does everyone say Hip Hop is dead?
 

When it seems to be diversifying and getting more interesting from a whole general level comparable to the rock boom from the 60's to throughout the 90's.

Is that true?

Maybe things continue to develop in the underground scene. For a surety virtually nothing's happened in 10 years in the mainstream.

Well, 'cept for the few odd releases that people rave about like KW's Dark Twisted Fantasy thingee.

Most likely because it's the same generic crap that tends to get the most airtime. Hip-hop is obviously more diverse than ever, it just takes some effort to find something worth listening to.

Mainstream artists hold heat and include poor production to get accepted by the masses.

Yeah, that's pretty much how I see it. Actually, if you asked me, it's just waiting for some Kurt Cobain type figure to break some underground movement out and start the next big thing.. and be artistically credible for a few years until they whore that style out too.

I think that Lupe Fiasco is the closest thing out there that would fit the bill.

Hell. No.
Kurt Cobain always had control of his music, Lupe hasn't been that fortunate.

Lupe Fiasco's lyrical content has meaning and warrant's praise. Who would you consider to be the savior of hip-hop? I agree that he doesn't have as much control over his music as is needed, but what mainstream artist does?

It doesn't need saving, just like Kurt Cobain didn't save rock. 80's glam metal was going to kill itself.

Kurt did have a movement so to speak, but Lupe sure hasn't.

If they're was one artist who would appear to be the most influential right I'd say it would have to be Odd Future or Lil B and self-promoted artists who say the word swag a lot.

I think they're too many artists and too much choice for ther to be rock "heroes" these days.

I'm on the fence about this issue since it does kind of seem to me that a lot of hip-hop in the past few years has been kind of samey. If anyone has any recommendations of something new and different I'd certainly love to hear it though.

That's a good point. The rise of the internet is a double edged sword. On one hand it means technically more exposure, on the other it means every moron with a computer mic will try to make it big. I don't know if it's true because I'm not really involved with any, but it seems to me that there are far fewer movements and music scenes taking place in the real world, and not just on myspace.

if hip-hop is truly dead then you can call me a necrophiliac cause i still fuck with that shit!!

You could definitely use that line in a song if something rhymed with necrophiliac

lolll.

during the 90's, boy bands ruled the world.
2000-2010 hip-hop ruled the world.
the next ten years, stupid teens the likes of Justin Beiber, Rebecca Black going to rule the world.

Dead? Nowhere near. In the mainstream we've got guys like Kanye West, Mos Def and Outkast, and some lesser known artists like Tyler, The Creator, Del Tha Funky Homosapien and Idris Elba are also great quality, to name but a few. You could argue that old-school is dead with the ongoing onslaught of gangsta rap and guys like Flava Flav being ruined by modern media, but hey, some older artists still do the odd bit of recording (see De La Soul) and even Rakim, the king of lyrics, has made a comeback.

speaking of, I kind a miss Eminem.
His rap is always controversial and entertaining.

I don't think Hip Hop is dead.

the only reason people say hip hop is dead is because music always evolves. ( and why wouldn't it when record lables are always looking for the next NEW thing) and people aren't use to the next new thing cause its not the music they grew up with and fell in love with. YA DIGG

Idris Elba is an actor, not a rapper....

He is a DJ though.

Edit: According to wikipedia he HAS released a few EPs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idris_Elba#Music_career

i wouldn't say dead, as much as in the doldrums

nothing really that interesting has been released in the hip-hop world these past few years

and i'm too lazy going through the underground stuff to separate the wheat from the chaff

dead because it's kind of boring already. i mean most black rappers have the same music (rap about drugs, sex, having guns, etc.), you seldom find nowadays unique rappers

95% of white rappers try to do the conscious rap thing and just come off as boring ass wanna-be poets. There are only 3 good white rappers: Aesop Rock, El-P and Edan. They're good cause they're not whiny bitches and they don't try to be all touchy feely. Also, drugs, sex and guns are a damn good thing to rap about, and if you don't rap about these topics at least a little, you're probably a bitch.

There are waaaaaaaaaay more good white rappers than that.

Eyedea (R.I.P.)
Eminem
Sage Francis
Cage
Slug
Anthony Laurence
Vinnie Paz
R.A. The Rugged Man

If hip hop is truly dead you can call me a necrophiliac
This modern **** makes me puke like syrup of ipecac


This. I would also add Necro and Ill Bill.

I was thinking specifically of this guy when I wrote that last post.

I'm not into Necro so I left him out. And I honestly wasn't sure if Ill Bill was white or had some other ethnicities mixed in.

Agreed

Aphrodisiac.

Would also work with the theme of sexing your music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6b3m-vSoLM

The reason hip hop is not dead (sarcasm).

None of these guys are "good" excluding Eyedea and Eminem, who i don't even like.

Fans of Sage Francis are as impressionable as people who believe anything Micheal Moore makes. Oh my god he's rapping about emotions, it has to be good!

I just really don't like that dude.:banghead:

Sage Francis is an acquired taste. How can you not like R.A. The Rugged Man?

Not true for me. The more i listened the more i noticed how full of crap he was.

I actually do like him, my fault i should have excluded him as well.

I'd like to add Apathy to that list.
And start a list of great Hispanic rappers off with Celph Titled.

Have a mix of both:

I agree that he kind of falls into the wannabe conscious poet rappers (somewhat), but he gets points in my book for being original and unique. I don't like his delivery as much as his content.

Ill Bill and Necro are brothers.

i don't know but offshore, i mean here in the Philippines, there's not a single white rapper that is known except for Eminem. The rest of them are blacks.