Earlier today I put up a post on why I feel 50 Cent's career in Hip Hop could be finished. This post right here is about how I feel Hip Hop has split itself up, and this split is causing a mixed reaction to Hip Hop as a whole.I remember days on the radio when music from NYC would be blazed here in Texas daily. When top 10 countdowns would have songs from all over the United States. When the radio didn't have a biased on what they played and when they played it. These days I feel that Hip Hop is being split up and marginalized instead of unified.
Sure you have the songs by Rappers where they all get featured on a track. The best examples are anything from Florida which is usually for Florida, Swagger Like Us, One Blood (Remix), Mafia Music (Remix), Draped Up (Remix), etc. just to name a few. Now one thing about these songs, is they don't really have a meaningful topic. The only one that could is One Blood, because it had everyone on there and that was the only track I can remember that showed Hip Hop unity.
Personally I feel that even though this Regional split isn't being too spoken about in Hip Hop, it does affect the way we are listening to music, and what music is being played on the radio. These days we are also being able to see different areas prosper or have there time to shine within our rap communities. The best examples of this are Houston in 2005, and Florida in 2006-2007. The problem's come in when fans have to choose between rappers in a Hip Hop beef which can split up a fan base. During Hip Hop beefs fans have chosen between East Coast and West Coast, East vs South, etc. New Yorkers feel they are living in the Mecca of Hip Hop, while Southerners are the current state of the Genre. All the hate being passed around by radio stations is also affecting how people perceive other regions music. When you hear something from your local radio station and that music is 95% from the region, a certain monotony sets in for what you can listen to in your town. Some people buy into this is what the music should be or this is hot, and they never allow themselves to try new things. Those people who get stuck with the radio play are missing out on the diversity of the music as a whole.
Over 3 decades Hip Hop has grown into a global phenomenon with rappers being from anywhere and everywhere, while rapping in several different languages. Those people who have felt that Hip Hop is dead, or Hip Hop is dying need to ask themselves why. Is it just the snap music? Bubble gum rap music? Or overall commercialization of the music? Honestly, underground Hip Hop has touched many real life issues, and a lot of prominent rappers are getting more money by going independent. By being independent though, they might not have enough money to reach the other markets in the US or World which could hurt there exposure. If this is a main case, we need to find a way to have over the phone interview or something of that sort, because we have all the media outlets available to us especially in this internet era.
So in general I feel Hip Hop is still split into regions, and this is hurting album sales, and commercial appeal of artists. If you have any opinions about the topic or feel I have left something out let me know. Remember just because you read it somewhere it isn't always true or right. Everyone is entitled to there own opinions, so please share yours.
