Peace! I saw this ^^ post from Straight Bangin' blog last month about Pete Rock's contribution to the Hip Hop remix. But what interested me about the post was that he mentions in passing how via email him and his mate trade YouTube clips of various Hip Hop tunes of interest and the original records those tunes sampled. Presumably they then geek-out over when those records came out, who produced them, who else has flipped that sample, whatever whatever.. that's what I'd do anyway. I got some friends who im always sending or recieving links of that 'old, real sh*t' to. I guess finding and sharing a dope original sample or a rare 12" b-side is a must and the internet has made this so much easier, but prolly much less cool, than the mixtape days of old!
Apart from the gnostic-like tradition of DJs guarding their records so that others couldn't benefit from their secret knowledge gained from hours of trawling through unknown records searching for the nicest breaks, there is a real culture of sharing in Hip Hop. This has been mad catalysed by the internet. It has never been easier to access a rappers latest material, or discover fresh stuff you've missed from the past. Blogs and twitter are flooded with leaked tracks, dj mixes, and one-off collaborations, and the internet 'publishing platform' bandcamp now allows artist's to make their music fully accessible for free or for purchase within minutes of completing it. Unavoidably, this means that there is a massive amount of garbage emcees and producers trying to flaunt their style, because literally anyone could record a half-arsed tune in their bedroom and drop it in cyberspace that same day. Even well respected artists can get away with posting wack material because there is far less fiscal risk than the days when only hard-copy music could be released. The ease of access to the internet means the quantity or material available has sky-rocketed, thus impacting its quality. But theres still dope stuff to be found...
The point is, the internet has effected almost all religious movements, both positively and negatively. Positive because it makes religions more accessible and transparent, thus aiding and resourcing both the believer and the inquiring individual. It also aids discussion, and affords people new ways of experiencing and connecting to their religious community. However, all these positives can equally be viewed as negatives. It can be said that the sheer quantity of religious websites, blogs, forums, etc. dilutes doctrinal orthodoxy, and damages authentic community. Religious leadership or academia no longer has the monopoly on issues of doctrine and theology because anyone with access to a computer can post something on the internet, aligning it to a specific tradition without it actually being authenticated or validated by that tradition outside of the internet.
In many respects we can see that Hip Hop faces these same issues in its relationship to the internet. The ease of posting stuff on the internet without the validation of record labels means we are inundated with material which we may never have been exposed to before. But does this mean quality and authenticity is compromised? Or has it levelled the playing field and allowed for a rich and diverse milieu of creativity which can be easily shared? I think both are true. Ultimately, discerning Hiphoppas must decide for themselves what is orthodox and what is heretical by testing it against the defining traditions of Hip Hop's past, but the new breed of internet artists themselves mustn't allow ease of access to equate to wackness.
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