END OF THE DECADE REVIEW IN HIP HOP

I've been seeing plenty of "BEST OF THE DECADE" lists over the last several weeks. Everything from BEST SONGS to the BEST MIXTAPES and ALBUMS. There are some I agree with and others not so much. I will give my personal "lists" as well but I want to give my review on HIP HOP as a whole this decade. The hip hop scene has gone through a dramatic change since the 90s, which I consider the golden area of hip hop music. The music this decade has become watered down and a lot of the substance is gone. It seems as though the genre has become more about the next trend to follow instead of the true essence of the music. All has not been lost though. There are several artists from the golden era; (Jay-Z, Nas, Scarface..) who have managed to stay relevant in today's era. Also, there have been several artists; (Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco, T.I...) to arrive on the scene over the last ten years who have been able to carry the torch for hip hop into the next generation.

At the start of the decade record sales were dominated by the hip hop genre. However, as we near the end of the decade, record sales have steadily declined as we have transitioned into an ever growing digital age. Record companies have caused many of today's artists to go for the hot sound or song, instead of creating a thorough project. It's become less and less about the art of the game and that's highly unfortunate. I've stopped really listening to radio and concentrated more on listening to many more "under the radar" artists. These artists seem to stay true to the true essence of the hip hop. Lyrically, content, substance, thorough production and presentation all hold true to form for a lot of these artists. Everyone has their favorites, as do I, and I feel that if you're a true fan of the purest form of hip hop you have plenty of good music to look forward to.

Nas created a huge wave in the game when he declared hip hop was dead. Many people disagreed with him and myself being one of them. I do understand what he was getting at though. Hip hop in its purest form has been on life support the last several years, but as I stated before there is hope. The heart of hip hop is still beating and I think it has the potential to make a full recovery. Being an artist myself, I'm directly involved in assisting with the direction of the game. I love the hip hop culture. It's what I was born into and is what I live everyday. The music is powerful and speaks directly to me in so many ways. This is why I am so critical and expressive when it comes to my feelings about it. As the decade comes to a close, I am certain the genre will continue to grow and develop over the next ten years. The 2000s have seen many highs and lows. Overall, I am wavy with the direction and have nothing but excitement for the new talents and music to come in the near and distant future.