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Gone
are the days of Shell-Toe Adidaz and Puma sweats...hip-hop
is on some new shit; it has relocated and redefined itself,
moving from street corners to multi-million dollar corporations,
complete with a new look and attitude.
Let's
reminisce. Remember the Wild Style logo, that fresh, old
school graffiti art? Well, albums sporting graf for cover art ain't
gonna leave the shelf at your local record store these days. So
here's a recipe for success in pushing product, check this out,
you've got to plaster your album cover with corny computer graphics
of fat cars, dollar signs, diamonds and other material objects,
and, oh yeah, don't forget the two busty women (un)dressed in bathing
suits and high-heels. And here's some advice for all you ambitious
emcees: when y'all write, don't put any thought into your lyrics,
just write about what everyone else is writing about, be it sex,
money, designer clothes, whatever. Just make sure it sounds like
either Jay Z or one of The Hot Boys --guaranteed
instant success.
Hip-hop,
excuse me, hip-pop is all about sameness. You've got to follow whatever's
hot to experience any kind of success, well, economic success anyway.
This goes for hip-pop publications as well, most of which have been
religiously following trends. Just about every hip-hop magazine
follows the aforementioned formula for success to a “T”. The most
popular of the bunch, The Source: The Magazine of Hip-Hop Music,
Culture & Politics , has been exemplary.
Perhaps
The Source should change their title to accurately explain
what they are actually about. A better title might be--The Source:
The Magazine of Advertisements, Pop Music and Sex .
The
Source began as a monthly one-page newsletter; for hip-hop fans
it was a source of information on rap artists and hip-hop culture.
As hip-hop expanded, The Source expanded, quickly making
the transition from newsletter to magazine. Gracing the covers of
early issues were innovative, uplifting groups like De La Soul,
Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions . However,
as hip-hop became more commercial The Source became more
commercial. Now groups like De La Soul, who refuse to sacrifice
artistic integrity to sell records, are rarely written about and
will probably never again be seen on the cover. The cover and feature
articles are reserved for pop--although The Source refers
to them as hip-hop--artists like Jay Z and Nas, who
are more concerned with money than music.
The
Source, like Jay Z and Nas, has figured out how
to make millions. When Jay Z and Nas first began their
careers they were considered to be two of hip-hop's preeminent emcees,
showing abundant talent. But when each experienced poor record sales
for critically acclaimed debut albums they changed their images;
Nas evolved from the lyrical Nasty Nas to the lyric-less
Nastradamus, while the witty Jay Z became the simple
minded, one-dimensional Jigga. Both transformed from prophetic
to pathetic. Their insightful lyrics about inner-city life were
discarded for lyrics about “money, clothes and hoes.” And videos
that captured the emotions of their real lyrics were scrapped in
an effort to master the sameness that plagues hip-hop; each enlisted
Hype Williams, the epitome of sameness, to direct videos
full of fast, flashy images and near-naked female dancers.
The
Source followed this formula for economic success, scrapping
artists who embody the spirit of hip-hop for artists that will help
with sales and circulation. For example, when The Roots,
hip-hop's most talented live band, released their third album, Illadelph
Halflife, they were not featured in The Source. Instead,
pop-rapper Da Brat was given the cover story, even though
she had not released an album. Luckily, other magazines, less concerned
with money and more concerned with talent, did feature The Roots,
immortalizing the band on their covers.
The
Source is also infamous for their biased record reviews. They
give albums mic ratings from one to five; one mic equals a “totally
wack” album, while five mics deems an album a “hip-hop classic.”
Underground groups rarely receive high mic ratings; high mic ratings
are reserved for platinum artists. For example, underground favorites
Lootpack and Aceyalone both received two-and-a-half
mics for their musically and lyrically luminary releases Soundpieces:
Da Antidote and A Book of Human Language, while Nas
was given four-and-a-half mics for his ashen album I Am.
Also, Jeru the Damaja's conceptual sophomore release, Wrath
of the Math, was given three mics, while the so-called sexy,
liberated (read: trashy) female artists Foxy Brown and Lil'
Kim were given three-and-a-half mics in the same issue for albums
that poorly covered one obsession: sex. These injustices reflect
The Source's main objectives: circulation, money and more
money. Sadly, sex sells.
The
Source is not a magazine of hip-hop music, culture or politics.
Hip-hop isn't about money, material objects and sex--it's about
creative expression, innovation, originality and having fun. Because
The Source and other commercial media present distorted images
of hip-hop, many people will never witness hip-hop's brilliance.
Unfortunately, many talented underground artists and groups will
continue to go unnoticed due to a lack of exposure, groups like
Jurassic 5, Company Flow and Swollen Members. These
groups will continue to rely on word-of-mouth, community radio and
the Internet, as their chances of getting mainstream exposure are
slim.
Luckily,
more hip-hoppers are looking to the Internet for their hip-hop fix
instead of magazines like The Source. The focus of most Internet
sites is underground hip-hop as opposed to mainstream rap. A resurgence
of pure hip-hop has occurred over the past two or so years, partly
due to Internet sites and On-line mags like Hip-HopSite.com
and SOHH. So, if you're looking for the latest by your favorite
underground crew, look to one of the many Internet sites dedicated
to the real ish. The Internet is the new Source for
real hip-hop.
Copyright
© 2000 Simon Remark All Rights Reserved
Simon
is currently finishing a psychology degree at Trinity Western University.
He is also the assistant editor for Hip-Hop Newswire, a Los Angeles
hip-hop publication. He originally started out writing music reviews
but now concentrates on essays and editorials.
Contact
Simon at: simon_remark@hotmail.com
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