REAL ILL HIP HOP HAS BECOME EXTINCT

Everything changes from generation to generation: fashion, cars, hairstyle, catchphrases, and of course, music. Hip-hop is one of the newest forms of music in our modern time, but one that has gone through many highs and lows. Depending on whom you speak to (especially if their a fan of the "REAL ILL"), hip hop is going through a major low right now. Basically, real ill hip hop has become extinct as dinosaurs and the planet Pluto. Album leaks, downloads, commercialism, and wannabes are some of the elements that have combined to make hip-hop a mere shell of what it once was and why folks are huge fans of it.

So what is "REAL ILL HIP HOP"? It is the forms of freestyling, MCing, breakdancing, beat making, producing, etc, that have stayed true to hip-hop's roots. Hip-hop was relevant, thought-provoking, political, and always saying something. It wasn't about flossing, Cristal, gorgeous, half-dressed ladies, and wearing as much jewelry as possible. Hip-hop has been about expression from the beginning. However, the 'REAL ILL' has to include true knowledge, intelligence, uplifting the black race. It started in the streets so the 'REAL ILL' keeps that grittiness, humble beginnings-style alive. It is truly music for the soul, fusing a lil R&B with poetry appropriate for many English classses, and even some mellow jazz.

You are hard-pressed to find any 'REAL ILL' on mainstream radio nowadays. The best outlets for this now are satellite radio stations such as Sirrius and XM (of which I'm a subscriber). They tend to filter out the predictable, even 'pop-sounding' hip-hop and bring the stuff that truly shows the movement and rhyming which defines and describes hip-hop the best.

Artists that fall in this category of the 'REAL ILL' include Slick Rick, The Roots, WU-Tang Clan, Outkast, 2Pac (especially before Death Row), the Notorious B.IG., Geto Boyz, EPMD, Leaders of the New School, Nas, Mobb Deep, Tribe Called Quest, and Camp Lo. More mainstream commercial artists such as Eminem, Ludacris, Jadakiss, Jay-Z, and Redman also provide many of the realness and purity that keeps hip-hop alive admist a lot of the fakers.

You then have artists such as T.I. and Lil Wayne (and no I'm not dissing Southern hip-hop, I am from the South) that are hits and misses. They can rap, have ill-beats and rhymes, etc. However, they tend to be more sellouts than anything and you cannot dub them among the ELITE in hip-hop. They are on a 2nd-tier at best, more likely a 3rd tier.

This week Drake's much anticipated album FINALLY dropped. Now Drake is not really a pure rapper but more of a singer, flower, and artist. His music sounds good, and he has collaborated with some of the best in hip-hop. I listened to his album and it's really good. There are a couple of tracks that probably could be considered "REAL ILL" However, his record label, Young Money (owned by Lil Wayne himself), plus the overall commercialism involved in creating an album, limited the album's potential somewhat.

Now it's perfectly ok if you like other artists such as Soulja Boy, Gucci Mane, Plies, Dro, Pleasure P, etc. However, please DO NOT dub them in the same category with the elitists I mentioned earlier. There is a huge difference in their music and style of rapping. Their music CANNOT be defined as 'REAL ILL' in ANY fashion and I'm not sure it claims to. Hip hop is generational, and this generation of hip-hop stars is sadly not on the same par or level as the ones from yesteryear (or the ones from the past still doing it).

True art in any genre or avenue is supposed to be saying something. Therefore, you cannot tell me that Nas is saying the same thing that Plies is, or that they are equal. I encourage one to educate yourself on hip-hop history, its origins, roots, past artists, and take a listen to the greats of the past. One can see the common thread in style, beats, and rhyming schemes that is absent in hip hop of today.

I had to do a bit of research for this blog, as I'm not the foremost authority on 'REAL ILL hip hop' myself. I do know, however, what's garbage and what isn't. When someone tells me they don't like hip-hop for whatever reason, I challenge them to listen to elitists such as the Roots and Common before they judge the entire genre on Young Money and Soulja Boy. My circle of friends are huge hip-hop heads, and they contributed heavily to this blog and my search for music and artists that can be easily deemed 'REAL ILL'

I even compiled a 'REAL ILL' hip hop playlist including elitists I mentioned and some others. I did this on Playlist.com. Anyone wishing to hear what the 'REAL ILL' should sound like needs to give me their email address. I'll be more than happy to send you this list and possibly educate you some. I know I've certainly feel educated and enlightened these past couple of weeks.

Remember, each one, teach one, reach one. Does today's hip-hop, or even today's music, still do that? That may be up for debate, but for those that know about the 'REAL ILL', we know without a shadow of a doubt, that you learn something and your soul is fulfilled after hearing it.