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Where is the love?

Okay, its been sometime since I last made a post. A lot of things have happened since then, the unjust verdict of George Zimmerman, North Carolina passing the voter suppression act, and Jay Z dropping his new Magna Carter Holy Grail classic.

I was talking with my colleague about the new Kendrick Lamar verse (and yes, I am another blogger who is talking about the infamous verse!) and she told me how when she posted the story on dacrossover facebook page to spark discussion, debate or complaints a viewer aggressively responded with the comment "FU it was an average verse, yall don't know anything about hiphop".

The lack of spelling and bad grammar automatically told the story that this was just a young kid exercising his freedom of speech however, when he said "yall don't know anything about hiphop" I must admit this little chump struck a nerve. Why is it that a generation much younger than ours believe they can tell my generation about hiphop music, culture and lifestyle. I started thinking about how my generation (Generation X) was able to watch and be apart of a culture from its origin in the parks to the national/global stage its on now.

How dare this little Similac sipper tell me I don't know about hiphop!. Its a fact, if your version of "ol skool hiphop" is an album of Snoop Dogg's "Doggy Style" than you can't tell me sh*t about the culture. If you haven't experience what it was like being at the Fresh Fest concert, or watching Dougie Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew rock Harlem week, or what it was like rocking fat shoelaces and wearing dookie gold chains or if you never experience staying up Friday and Saturday night to listen to the Legendary Kool DJ Red Alert, Chuck ChillOut, Mista Magic, Marly Marl than you do NOT have the right, liberty, or credentials to open your mouth.

This goes on to a much bigger factor and that is RESPECT. This generation of music lovers have no respect for the musicians, supporters and trendsetters who paved the way for them to have a genre and swag to call their own. Its quite disgusting and appalling to say the least, to not acknowledge the legends of hiphop culture and business.

If your not a multimillionaire, you're not deemed as relevant and so what that you may have the best flow in the game like Kool G Rap, so what if you have longevity like LL Cool J and so what that you changed the game like Rakim, its all about who is more G (even if its fake), money and which artist has the most of it. Oh cant forget who sold the most ringtones or had the most youtube views that's how art is now measured.

Well if this is how we measure hiphop, then we have to give the crown to the greatest rapper of all time, and the award goes to Vanilla Ice. That's right it has been said that Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. To my knowledge there has not been another artist other than Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer that has reached this pentacle for single sales.

Keep in mind by no means am I bitter about the success of our young entertainers and performers I just think that there is a valuable lack of respect for our legends, that has been replaced for monetary measure,

Will this destroy the culture? (in my opinion) yes. What has made other genres last is the respect that the newer musicians and supporters have for their legends. What would Rock n Roll be if we didn't have love for The Rolling Stones, or what would The Blues be without the soul of B.B. King? could you imagine a young Matt Anderson telling B.B. King he was too old to sing the blues and no longer relevant?

Wow!