Style > Substance

Great article from the T.R.O.Y. blog: droppin knowledge on the subject of conscious Hip Hop:

Pacewon and Contemporary Rap Consciousness 

"The social and political consciousness that is evident in rap songs during the late ’80s and early ’90s is invoked by nostalgic admirers as a defining characteristic of rap’s earlier years. Its gradual decline in visibility and relative absence in popular contemporary rap is lamented and occasionally cited as a symptom of the genre’s degeneration, and spuriously linked to a related growth of apathy and ignorance among listeners. The “conscious rap” of the past is incorrectly assumed to be  a sub-genre that is diametrically opposed to the values and aesthetics of “gangsta” or “commercial rap;” the running story is that it faded from popularity because neither the music industry nor a critical mass of fans respected its cerebral content or capacity for exposing the truth." Thun

Peace, Love, Unity and having FUN!

KRS-ONE: Hip Hop Beyond Entertainment: Part 1

KRS-ONE: Hip Hop Beyond Entertainment: Part 2

Not a lot I need to say about these videos... Its hard to watch something like this and deny the quasi-religious/spiritual character of Hip Hop. In this lecture KRS unpacks Hip Hop's existential positivity, creativity, and the way it transcends the mainstream to provide new and exciting avenues of hope, empowerment and self-validation for marginalised young people - starting primarily amongst African American youth, but now encompassing people from all races, creeds, and nationalities. AND on top of all of this, its FUN! Still a doubter?

This may conflict with your current understanding of Hip Hop, because:
"What you see on television and radios does not represent the totality of us." KRS-ONE

Now let's get off this negative tip and go positive...

Gonna hit you with some different perspectives:


Check it:
Hip-hop: Negative Effects on Today's Youth
This article may have a point, however, the writer appears to have a fairly limited grasp on Hip Hop. He fails to differentiate between the mainstream and the underground - the former being validated by the trends of music industry, the latter being validated by Hip Hop itself - and thus places no blame at the door of the record labels themselves who favour materialistic, chauvinistic, highly-sexualised, and violent music. The reason for this is that it sells. So why doesn't he blame the kids who persist in buying it?