I think the commercialization of hip-hop and the selling of it soul to materialism came in the late 90's. Around the time that Raekwon/Ghostface, Biggie & Nas started talking about extremely opulent lifestyles and that fakeazz Mafioso bullsh*t. Right around '97-'97. Previous to that, there was alot more music about either uplifting the community, exposing the evils of 'the system', or "I'm the nicest MC!". But those heavyweights came in a transformed the game into "If you ain't got money, you ain't got sh*t". And Hip-hop has been stagnant ever since.Chaotic_Warlord wrote: Them, and everyone else out now, are in it the hip hop game to make money. Whereas back in the day the hip-hop artists and rappers that were out were out to put a light on the strife and hardships of the ghetto's they came from first, the money they got was a bonus. It wasn't until the early 90's that money became a driving factor for artists to come on the scene.
I blame P.Diddy and the Cash Money Millionaires for destroying the hip hop scene and completely changing the game.
That's why everybody in the game now is a wannabe paperchaser. Don't get it twisted... the socially conscious rappers are still around. They're just in the underground because they can't get anybody to buy their music. The mindset of the public ain't trying to hear that bullsh*t. They've been conditioned to believe that if it don't make dollars... then it don't make sense. And so the biggest selling acts now write the rules and define whatever Hip-hop is. But it's the public who gives that that power.
Even though hip-hop was been stagnant for such a looong time, there are a few flashes of life in the game. Thank god for artists like Andre 3000 and Kanye. And to be really real here... Wayne and Drake are quietly forcing the evolution of Hip-hop and the entire music industry as we speak...
