Comments on The Liberator Magazine :: Art. Culture. Education. Politics. Truth...: Do you not hear yourselves?

not enough people care or have time to do those th...

2006-12-20T12:58:00.000-05:00

not enough people care or have time to do those things. and most cats out here are out for themselves so won't do the work to organize.

and why is it that it's often the wackest who have the more independent spirit and the dope ones go corporate?

Everything that was written in this article I have...

2006-12-15T19:54:00.000-05:00

Everything that was written in this article I have wanted to shout myself. But I couldn't have said it better.

Whether people are right or not about Hip Hop's death, the arrogance and superiority thrown around is sickening. I like a beat and will get down to one with gurgling babies behind it. I don't need, nor care about the voice on the track at times. Cause sometimes I just want to dance and relax and stop analyzing all of the time.

I know what is demeaning and what has substance. But like I always say in these conversations: if groups "of substance" want to attract more attention, they need to do what Common did and get some production. Cause a beat will make you or break you. Our people are tired (in so many ways, but especially at the end of the day) and we want to relax and have a good time here and there. The main reason The Roots can't sell like Lil Jon, is cause they don't put out beats. They're all about their words, and people want music. If you give them music, they might actually get to your words later. You give people words, and they're moving on.

We are overworked and underpaid, and we want to have a good time when we turn that stereo on. And like the author said, most of the people I know and hang with and talk with are still enjoying the music, flaws and all.

So if we are truly interested in improving Hip Hop, we should go at it in a way that is not demeaning to each other.

1- Call/ email radio stations and request repeatedly what you want played.
2- Learn about the label system and see what can be done about changing deals and contracts.
3-Support artists you feel are worthwhile.
4-Introduce good artists to others; pass the cd.
5-Email/ contact video shows and ask for the artists and videos that you want to see to be played.
*Anything else you can think of, try it.

i'm think i'm just done with defending hip-hop. it...

2006-12-14T23:57:00.000-05:00

i'm think i'm just done with defending hip-hop.

it's rap music. it's graffiti. it's deejaying, it's breaking.

the rap music proved to be the most profitable and thus rose to the top. and so now it's the most visible. so all the focus goes there.

inevitably with the availability of the instruments of rap (i.e. things becoming cheaper, keyboard beats, fruity loops) it becomes simple economics... if you can steal fruity loops off of the internet offa some download site for free and make money selling the beats you use with this free investment, you're gonna do it if you have even the most minimal of skill at it.

if you can put some words together creatively, and make some money, you're gonna do it.

so i guess yeah hip-hop as grown up, but it has also become more intertwined with he capitalist ethic.

that's not bad in and of itself, but if it also continues to adopt the principles of exploitation that the capitalist ethic promotes, then it too will become more and more destructive.

at that point i gotta say goodbye. no matter how much i love it.