What Hip Hop Needs.....

With the reappearance of Charles Hamilton, The Reemergence of Jay-Z, and the revelation of 50 Cent, I've been thinking about Rap music. i think I know what it needs right now.

Artists.

Really. Right now the music is full of Hustlers, Trap Stars, Gangsters, Entrepreneurs, and Business men. Not many artists. Too many cats concerned with the money, the formula, and the industry side of things. I don't even think people look at rappers as artists. I think they see most of them as thugs with a record deal waiting to get shot or got to jail. I think from now on I'm gonna only refer to them as Rap Artists. Well... the ones that are artistic, anyways. What kills me is when I hear a rapper or producer, or industry person say, "He can rap his ass off, but he can't write a song." or "What's the use of being so lyrical, if you can right a hit?" Could you imagine someone telling Van Gogh or Picasso, "You can paint your ass off, but you gotta give people something to look at." or telling Salvidor Dali, "I like what you're doing here, but when are you gonna start churning out masterpieces?" It's ridiculous. It's so bad that, when I criticize rappers or what rappers talk about, I get accused of being a hater. I know a 23 year old cat who, whenever he hears me talking about lyricists and lack of creativity, says "Can't you just enjoy the music?" Does that seem crazy to anyone else? Maybe it's just me. This is the way I see Hip Hop now: Imagine if the Rap Game was Track & Field. What if runners were being judged by how many meets they run in, how many endorsements they have, how hard they trained, and what their running gear looked like; INSTEAD OF HOW FAST THEY RUN!!! Then, when I criticize the runner for being slow, they say "Can't you just enjoy the race?" Maybe I'm just an old guy complaining. Maybe I'm the one losing touch. If you ask me there aren't many artists left: Nas, Mos Def, Kid Cudi, Kanye, Charles Hamilton, Drake, Andre 3000, The Roots. There are plenty more, but these guys personify the artistry and the culture. But that's just my opinion though, and who the hell am I?