No. I am not here to convert, any of the many, metal heads at TL. As some may know I've released a lot of SC2 related songs on these forums over the past few months and it has been a lot of fun bringing people something they enjoy (in most cases).
The thing is I've done music a long time from learning to play guitar (which I am really bad at still to this day) to learning the art of writing lyrics, to learning how to control my voice into making something that sounded like what I heard on the radio quality wise.
Growing up in the 90s (the Golden Age of hip-hop) I quickly learned what type of music I would be making for the rest ofmy life. I listened to (and still do) 80s rock, Pink Floyd, some alternative and RnB along with various other types of music and bands. But hip-hop continued to be the genre I found most intriguing. It was in hip-hop that I could hear real stories, from real people who wanted to educate the public of what they were going through...
Now to the present where it's all "swag" and money. Bitches and drugs. It's sad to see where a once pure art form has gone. However, it isn't truthfully dead until the message and memory of once was is lost. People like Immortal Technique, Chino XL, Slaughterhouse (consisting of Royce Da 5'9, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Crooked I), Tech N9ne, Lupe Fiasco and more are keeping the roots alive.
This is a small song that I did that isn't SC2 related. It's a very humble tribute to my history and feelings on hip-hop then and today.. It isn't very long nor perfect but I hit a few things I wanted to say. Plus the video brings nostalgia all by itself.
**YOU MAY HAVE TO VISIT YOUTUBE UNTIL IT IS PROCESSED COMPLETELY - DOUBLE CLICK THE VIDEO**
Dope video I love old hip hop too, mostly in the era of 93 to maybe 97/98. I am also very depressed seeing hip hop today as a abomination of what it was intented to be.
My favorites are and will ever be: Wu Tang (my id), Big L, Cypress Hill, Dead Prez, Gang Starr, Jeru, M.O.P., Nas, Poor Righteous Teachers, MF Doom, Mobb Deep, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, The Pharcyde.
The music these groups put out also touched me more than any other music out there, like you said, because they were real and raw.
Unfortunately I think those times are gone, from the newschool i can only listen to a selected few like Jedi Mind Tricks or Immortal Technique.
But its good to hear from someone who feels the same way. I cant even put in words how much this music means to me, how it taught me to think critically and be aware of what is really important in life. I feel like rap has protected me all the way.
Now to the present where it's all "swag" and money. Bitches and drugs. It's sad to see where a once pure art form has gone. However, it isn't truthfully dead until the message and memory of once was is lost. People like Immortal Technique, Chino XL, Slaughterhouse (consisting of Royce Da 5'9, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Crooked I), Tech N9ne, Lupe Fiasco and more are keeping the roots alive.
This whole sentiment is really, really, really played out though. Thats what Kanye was first famous for many years ago. I don't think anyone can make a strong argument that "the art is gone", if anything its considerably stronger than it was a decade ago. Remember when nothing got played but Jay Z, or when pitchfork was bown away at how modest college dropout was? Every huge hip hop blog and review site is geared towards people they bill as 'up and comers' who do nothing but tell the world they're not solider boy or 50 cent.
Hey suspense this is pretty sick, jw what movie you made the video from. Keep doing what u love, as long as their are people passionate about what they are rapping about, Hip Hop will NEVER die.
On January 25 2011 19:02 FlashIsHigh wrote: Hey suspense this is pretty sick, jw what movie you made the video from. Keep doing what u love, as long as their are people passionate about what they are rapping about, Hip Hop will NEVER die.
EDIT:Is it Days of Wrath?
The movie is called "Juice" starring none other than Tupac himself, do I need to say more? Cheak it out if you already havn't.
♥ Suspense. I really enjoyed this song, and your style in general. Your production is always great quality and your vocals are always so smooth. Never stop!
todays 'hip hop' is not hip hop. Its poppy gangsta rap and it is shit. It takes absolutely no talent to make an album these days. All you need is a good producer, some gold teeth and the ability to match words with rythms. I am however generalising. There are some exeptions such as kanye west who has a lot of talent and others like eminem, snoop dogg, and other who have so much skill but have turned pop (snoop dogg and katy perry wtf!?) and gone with making money and not expressing themselves as they once did.
Now im sorry but lil wayne, lil john, 50 cent (in fact the whole of g unit) and all these new 'artists' have got nothing on
immortal technique, last emperor, nate dogg, warren g, jedi mind tricks, typical cats, 2pac and even underground eminem was good back then.
As for your vid buddy, i cant comment cos i cant view it from my phone, will later
It seems like all "hip-hop is dead" or alternately "all hip-hop nowadays is about money and bitches" (which people have been saying since 1996) rhetoric goes hand in hand with Immortal Technique commendations, making that rhetoric a whole lot easier to ignore.
On January 25 2011 23:57 jon arbuckle wrote: It seems like all "hip-hop is dead" or alternately "all hip-hop nowadays is about money and bitches" (which people have been saying since 1996) rhetoric goes hand in hand with Immortal Technique commendations, making that rhetoric a whole lot easier to ignore.
Awesome song. I'm not really the biggest fan of the 'hip hop' music type, but I certainly am aware of its deterioration. I'm into metal and such, but it's damn near impossible to -not- enjoy a quality hip-hop song. It really is a damn shame what it's become, because it's an excellent genre of music that has been completely obliterated, with a few exceptions, exceptions which don't get damn near the money or recognition as today's supposed hip-hop 'artists'.
It's great to see artists like you sticking to what you believe in instead of attempting to sell yourself out. Keep it up man, even if you don't make it big, keep that shit up.
If you just ignore the garbage in the mainstream and even the upper surface of underground (fakey underground) there is almost too much good hip-hop right now due to the fact that the internet and technology allows even more and more MCs, DJs, etc to get their shit circulating.
I literally have too much music to listen to these days. I'm totally overwhelmed with the artists I know of already to even give new artists a chance most of the time.
Right now I have a wishlist on soulseek with 2 dozen or so artists/albums to check out. And where those download to is a folder with a few hundred albums I still haven't given much more than a brief listen let alone renaming and placing in my main hip-hop folder and onto my ipod as well. My main folder consists of hundreds (maybe a thousand?) albums since about mid/late 90s of most underground and good hip-hop. And every time I check on hip hop discogs, facebook/myspace, soulseek, twitter, soundcloud, bandcamp, youtube, or la2thebay there is more really good shit that I found out I slept on.
Like yourself for example. Normally I would never have given you or rob hustle the time of day, but you just kept getting your shit in my face until I heard 'swarm stand up' (which was really good. No offense, but didn't much like the other songs). Now I've got some new artists to listen to every now and then as well.
PS- I Just spent the better part of this day just listening and renaming songs in my downloads folder and I didn't even dent that shit at all. Maybe you just need a buddy like me to share some good shit with you.
On January 26 2011 12:26 SpoR wrote: If you just ignore the garbage in the mainstream and even the upper surface of underground (fakey underground) there is almost too much good hip-hop right now due to the fact that the internet and technology allows even more and more MCs, DJs, etc to get their shit circulating.
I literally have too much music to listen to these days. I'm totally overwhelmed with the artists I know of already to even give new artists a chance most of the time.
Right now I have a wishlist on soulseek with 2 dozen or so artists/albums to check out. And where those download to is a folder with a few hundred albums I still haven't given much more than a brief listen let alone renaming and placing in my main hip-hop folder and onto my ipod as well. My main folder consists of hundreds (maybe a thousand?) albums since about mid/late 90s of most underground and good hip-hop. And every time I check on hip hop discogs, facebook/myspace, soulseek, twitter, soundcloud, bandcamp, youtube, or la2thebay there is more really good shit that I found out I slept on.
Like yourself for example. Normally I would never have given you or rob hustle the time of day, but you just kept getting your shit in my face until I heard 'swarm stand up' (which was really good. No offense, but didn't much like the other songs). Now I've got some new artists to listen to every now and then as well.
PS- I Just spent the better part of this day just listening and renaming songs in my downloads folder and I didn't even dent that shit at all. Maybe you just need a buddy like me to share some good shit with you.
I would be up for hearing some people I haven't heard of if you have any suggestions.
Hip-hop isn't dead. It faked it's death and hid underground.
Full time underground metalhead (I don't listen to posuer shit), part time underground rap fanatic. Although both genres are very different, they both have one thing in common, and it's that the mainstream is covering up the true spirit of the genres. The majority of America has some sort of delusion that if a song is played on the radio 40 times a day, it's a dope song.
I think the worst thing about modern mainstream music is how god damn fake it is. It's so trendy to be angsty and self-loathing. Sometimes when I listen to said music, I wonder "what the fuck are these babies so angry about?" There's no true passion behind it. That's why I dive underground for my music, to hear something powerful.
Well just going off your taste in music you listed in the OP, I'd guess you're from the east. I mostly listen to LA/west coast stuff, Some bay area, canada, midwest stuff. Dunno if it'd be you're style exactly but I sent you a PM if you wanna chat on AIM or something.
EPT
I love old hip hop too, mostly in the era of 93 to maybe 97/98. I am also very depressed seeing hip hop today as a abomination of what it was intented to be. 
