How to fix hip hop??

Question

so, I think that we've had enough "is hip hop dead questions" to realize that mainstream hip hop is in pretty bad shape (like when Commons Be album went gold, and young joc went platinum).. Question is...how do we bring better hip hop to the people? How do we bring back talented hip hop to the mainstream, instead of "Party Like a Rockstar"

Answer 1

I posted this question a couple of weeks ago with my own theory . Here's cut and paste of my previous idea.

This is just a theory. But what if we get stations that used to play rap like kiss FM to play the new underground alternative hip hop records. Not many but just the best ones. When good music comes to light, that'll draw the currently ignorant into real hip hop and provide that diversity that has been missing. Hot 97 and all the other radio stations will see that it reaches listeners and start playing more conscious records.

Answer 2

Hip hop is a movement but alot of hip hop artist are just rappers they dont deserve to be called hip hop!All they do is rap about what they have or there status!It has become a fashion contest of materialism or whos the hardest on the streets.Real hip hop is about emceeing,breaking,djing,and graffiti!I think the only way to bring back real hip hop is to support the underground and bring it forth into the mainstream to educate the youth about what hip hop really is and bomb the minds of the mainstream & public.

Answer 3

You bring better hip hop to the people in the same way you bring better anything to the people: remove the large record labels from the equation, and let artists promote themselves either online or through smaller record labels who use the internet to extract money from smaller niche genres.

The problem currently is large record labels know that you'll make more money off a record that 100,000 people think is mediocre than you will off one that 10,000 people think is the most amazing thing they've ever heard. So, they try and compromise the sound of albums to reach as broad a demographic audience as possible, even if it means reducing the overall quality of the music.

A good example: On one of their more recent albums, Metallica rerecorded the drum tracks to make them more 'alternative rock' sounding. This pulled in more alternative rock people while at the same time not costing them the entire heavy metal demographic.

Answer 4

Maybe Im different, but I like the way hip hop is right now. I love Common and all of the artist doing real hip hop. But Im greedy, and really dont care how other people feel about them. "Party like a Rockstar" is embarrasing rap music, but it aint hip hop. It sucks that real hip hop artist dont make big money, but they are true to the art, and have staying power, I know we wont be hearing much about the damn "Shop Boyz" or whatever they are called, in ten years. So I really dont think hip hop needs to be fix, its the rap game in general, that is watered down with crap. As long as the hip hop heads keep supporting their favorite artists, we will know that hip hop is still alive and well. CHI-TOWN STAND UP!!!

Answer 5

complex question...i dont know if you mean hip hop as a culture or as in the music... the thing for me regarding the state of the music is that artists just need to make songs because they love the music and the culture and not just for the fame, money, and all that bs... just do it cuz u really love it. if rappers were to make music for the joy of making good music then rap itself would be much better, and there'd be better rappers as a result, like it was during the 90's... but rap is too widespread and mainstream to fix it..i think, u just gotta fix urself as a fan and find that good sh1t
its out there u just gotta find it

Answer 6

Great question. The vast majority of the hip hop audience are those ages 10-18. Therefor, songs like "party like a rockstar" are going platinum b/c kids love it. Right now, if you're waiting to hear hip hop artists that sound like those from the 80s and 90s "mainstream", you're not a true fan of hip hop. Hip hop is to evolution.

Answer 7

The only way to fix hip hop is to take the corporate giants out of it and that is not going to happen. People want money. HOWEVER, WHAT CAN HAPPEN is the underground continues to come up and create its own market and radio stations and stay the hell away from main stream.

There are a enough people out there to support the underground. Major labels consider success as selling a million records. However, if you're an independent hip hop artists, selling your own album on CDbaby, online, and at local stores, then all the money is coming back to you (you don't pay royalties because you own the copyright). So for the independent artist selling 5,000 albums a year means they're making at least $50,000 (if they sold each album at $10). Imagine if they sold 10,000 a year (thats $100,000). Record labels try to brainwash people (like the rest of corporate america) into thinking that you have to go platinum (sell 1 million) to be good. NO, the truth is the record labels have to get the artists to sell million to cover all there expenses (marketing, promotions, touring, employees, studio time, wardrobe, videos, hair, make-up, airfare, gas, hotels, food, the list is endlists).

True hip hop artist have to free their minds of commercial garbage and realize they don't need to sell a million to survive. If they sold fifty a week they'd be making about $500 in their own pocket. If your an independent artist and serious about making a career out of music check out this book called "The Future of Music" by David Kusek and Gerd Leonhard. Its not one of those "how to get a record deal" or "Everything about the music industry" type deals. These guys are studying wants going to happen to music in the future given all the technological changes and downloading. Its the decade of the independent artists and labels know their sunk they're just trying to make people think they have control. If you think they have control and there's no way in your not going to make it and that is why Hip Hop has died. People think the only way in is to sell-out.

Unless an artists is Brittney Spears and has no talent, there is no need or justification for prostituting your talent. That's why artist like Lauryn Hill went crazy---she was disgusted with the industry and refused to be their puppet. After the the success of the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill many people approached her with projects and her label tried to push her to do stuff. So she got smart. Went on MTV unplugged and went off---that way nobody would want to touch her. Lauryn has enough following and friends that if she makes her own album and puts it online people will buy it.

The final key is once hip hop artists start doing well independently (selling their own product), they will be approached by labels. Here's usually where it goes to hell. However, if independent artists will hold out for distribution deals (not record deals) and push for the stipulation that the record labels has no legal rights or say as to the content or make-up of the product----hip hop can come clean again. Ludacrious sold 10,000 copies of his own album independently (before we all came to know him) and the labels approached him. He signed for a distribution deal--but he did not let the labels have any say in the production or own publishing. His whole argument was, "I don't need you, you need me" (not quoting him word for word but you get the picture).

In closing Hip Hop artist need to put their foot down, hold their ground, and crank the d _ _ _ bass up!!!!!

Answer 8

Stop letting all the party songs get all the radio play. If you hear a song 10 times a day on the radio eventually it will get stuck in your head and be brainwashed. You can't support artists that make real music if you never hear their music.

Answer 9

Yeah, I asked why the hell everyone's asking the damn"is hip-hop dead". I mean it's unnecessary. They're not helping. If you want to save hip-hop I'll join you.

378 results
http://answers.yahoo.com/search/search_result;_ylt=AnA8qhySUKLBH5fhAMKdsivsy6IX?p=hip-hop+dead

Answer 10

we take all the old school rappers and the new school rappers and have a national battle then everyone will see how hip-hop has gone down the toliet