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We live in a world of instant gratification...
A world where people want to be shown rather than told.. given instead of earned.. settle rather than invest the energy in something sustainable. It's part of the reason this country's younger generation is struggling with debt and lacks the innate ability to save for the future. Society has adopted the "Y.O.L.O." (You Only Live Once) attitude..
"Get yours now.. worry about later, well.. later"
This couldn't be more prevalent than in Hip-Hop today. Hip-Hop's a culture that's been showcased through visual art (graffiti), dance, fashion and most notably, music. The musical aspect was birthed by the DJ but sensationalized by the spoken word. Unfortunately, the culture has continued to see a steady decline in its most unique quality; lyricism. An emcee used to be a modern day poet. Rapper's like Rakim, KRS-ONE, EPMD and LL Cool J were rhyming with more creativity and meaning behind their rhymes than the artists of today. Why is that?! Art is supposed to evolve. The culture's supposed to build upon itself and continue to push the envelope. Why would the foundation of what made the art so unique become an afterthought within the culture? The answer's easy... instant gratification. It's the same reason poetry is damn near dead in today's society. Nobody wants to interpret what a poet/writer is conveying through their words. They want the idea handed to them without having to use an ounce of thought. That's why movies have completely taken over the entertainment world and we've seen a decline in the popularity of books. What's the point in imagining what will happen when I can see it played out on screen right in front of me?? That's another reason reality shows are so popular. People don't have time to think anymore...
"I start thinking, how many souls hip-hop has affected, how many dead folks this art resurrected.. how many nations this culture connected, who am I to judge one's perspective?.. Though some of that shit y'all pop true, I ain't relating.. If I don't like it, I don't like it, that don't mean that I'm hating.. I just wanna innovate and stimulate minds.. travel the world and penetrate the times..." - Common
It was 1997... The highly anticipated follow-up album to Wu-Tang Clan's "36 Chambers" was set to release in a few weeks. YO! on MTV had an exclusive premiere of Wu-Tang's first single "Triumph" off the new album (Wu-Tang Forever). The bees were swarming.. RZA's production was symphonic with beautiful strings seeping through my television speakers.. and then it happened. Inspectah Deck. hanging off the side of a skyscraper, dropped one of the sickest verses in Hip-Hop history...
"I bomb atomically, Socrates, philosophies and hypothesis can't define how I be droppin' these.. mockeries, lyrically performed armed robbery.. flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me.. battle-scarred shogun, explosion when my pen hits, tremendous.. ultra violet shine blind forensics..." - Inspectah Deck
That's a moment in Hip-Hop that I'll always remember.. and honestly, there haven't been too many moments like that since. Moments like the first time I heard "Stan" by Eminem. The subtle way he told a story from the perspective of a crazed fan, only to make it all come together at the end. How about when Nas made his Hip-Hop debut on "Live at the BBQ" and it was obvious he offered a type of lyricism we had never seen before?! I couldn't wait for my monthly issue of The Source to see who had the "Hip-Hop Quotable of the Month". I remember reading the lyrics to Chino XL's "Inferiority Complex" and being stunned by his ability to fit so many words in a bar! Canibus's coming out party on the Lost Boyz "Beast from the East" where he crucified everyone including Redman on the record...
"A hundred times nicer than the best is, twice as arrogant as KRS is, who wanna test this?.. Fuck y'all, you can't impress me and no one can test me.. an emcee so ill, I got AIDS scared to catch me.. All that shit you poppin' will stop, when I put you in a headlock and apply pressure to your muthafuckin' noggin.. I grab mics and push niggas to the left, so fast their hearts end up on the right sides of their chest.. my hypo-thesis, is that nobody can see this, lyrical genius.. I got it sewed like a seamstress.." - Canibus
The truth is I could write a book on the "Death of the Lyricist" in Hip-Hop. Don't get it confused, there are some incredible lyricists in the game today, but the industry has suppressed the talent. A main aspect to the demise of lyricism is the fact that rapper's drop too much product. There's no anticipation anymore! Every time I visit sites like www.hiphopdx.com or www.datpiff.com, there's a new track by today's finest emcees. It's too easy for an emcee to broadcast himself and it's easy publicity. Drop a new verse and get some free pub! It's become quantity over quality.. and for the listener, once again it's instant gratification.
To be continued....
