The production was by far the most interesting aspect of this album. The themes included were nothing we haven’t heard from Jay many times over, and the skills he demonstrated weren’t particularly impressive in relation to what we know he can do.

That being said, from the standpoint of someone just listening to music, it was enjoyable.

Something which has been completely neglected by most cultural studies…Hip Hop is easily the biggest strand of American pop culture world-wide, and it creates over $10 billion in revenue a year, yet the literature on Hip Hop is very thin.

A number of artists, old and new, have already come out in protest of this. At the Pusha-T listening party, Kanye put it perfect when he called out the “culture vultures”. Even Hip Hop fans are starting to complain about the irrelevance of current Rap releases coming from major labels. Look no further than Rap’s current sweetheart, Kendrick Lamar, to see how desperate fans are for someone who even halfway resembles a serious artist.

http://youtu.be/0bUpeKyy-CE

Of course it will, but on a level so minor in comparison that it won’t have much significance in the culture at-large. Can you name the best jazz musician out today? What was the last really good blues album to be released? Exactly.

The biggest threat to Hip Hop is the fact that those in control of it currently – predominantly white record executives – have no love for the culture.

I find it infuriating that right now it is impossible to find De La Soul’s first six albums on iTunes in the US. Major labels would never let a Jackson Browne album or an obscure new-wave band like Translator go out of print. That’s not to dis Jackson Browne or Translator, both of whom I’ve liked: it’s to make the argument that major labels place a low value on black music not currently on the pop charts.

It’s part of the tech revolution that everyone and their mamma are calling the liberation of creatives. Guess what? They’re wrong.

Technology is obviously a powerful tool that has a tendency to disrupt, but these tech apologists never consider the most important factor in this discussion: Whose hands is it in?

For a while, as record sales took a dive, so did record label profits, but they have recovered incredibly well over the last few years. This is due to the fact they are now taking control of things like streaming music, performance and merchandise sales, etc. The internet could very well kill creativity if artists don’t smarten up and make better use of the net.

What I mean by “bourgeois values” is the rejection of the true cultural importance of Hip Hop. It’s not about a bunch of white suburbanites being exposed to an inaccurate portrayal of marginalized populations. It’s not about decreasing the prevalence of racism (hint: being politically correct =/= anti-racist). It’s about dissidence, rejecting contemporary power structures, and fighting against cultural imperialism.

https://twitter.com/NipseyHussle/statuses/388002164008058880

https://twitter.com/NipseyHussle/statuses/388000046303944704

The first being his enterprising effort to sell 1000 (freely available) mixtapes for $100. He was completely chastised by the mainstream Hip Hop community, and while I’d agree that it was over the top, I think people completely missed the point: Artists don’t need to chain themselves to major labels in order to make a good living, they need to grow a loyal fan base. (it worked, btw)

Nipsey Hussle: On Selling “Crenshaw” For $100

Also, check out this original Rap Genius write up about the whole situation:

The Curious Case of The Irrelevant Rapper