Nobody wants to go to the bar and pay $10 for a glass full of damn ice with lime...So why would we want to head to our local F.Y.E and pay upwards of $12.99 of our hard earned money for an album full of watered down music?  We don't ; we're going to get on Limewire and burn the uncensored versions of our favorite radio cuts onto our "My Hot Mixx vol. 2007" CD, play it, and pass it on. 
 

      With a special thanks to modern technology many artists are weaseling their way around the odds and selling millions....of ringtones...The trend is so frequent that I have a sneaky suspicion that artists are intentionally making songs specifically for the ringtones and commercials. They are not paying attention to content or even caring about putting together a classic LP. Most of the music on the radio today is like a wish sandwich...All bread, no meat. 
 

      I like my Hip Hop straight with no chaser as much as the next person, so I know I'm not the only one wondering when "Old New York" is coming back...The South's been ball hoggin' so long that I'm starting to get with the program...The genre formally known as "Hip Hop" may never return to it's original form.....And I'm actually starting to become O.K with that. (*whew!*, never thought I'd say that!) 

 

      I've come to understand (and thoroughly accept) that Hip Hop is ever-changing; always growing and continuously expanding...Hip Hop is a living, breathing, culture that was once defined by a specific accent and style, and has blossomed and evolved into a beautiful force that touches everyone's lives. Whether it's on TV, on your Ipod, or in your closet (although it seems we are getting more and more "punk" by the minute), what was once considered "Urban", Hip Hop is now the norm across the board. 
 

      Our music these days is filled with simplistic pop hooks, rock guitars, Latin undertones, and the slow, repetitive drums that make me think of the slave days in Mississippi somewhere (if I was in the slave days in Mississippi somewhere)...Long gone are the days where we listened to rappers talk about their struggles in the most intoxicating, intricate flows. These are the times of 3 word hooks and regurgitated lyrics. Maybe it has something to do with Katrina, the War, or gas prices...Or maybe today's artists are  just taking a different approach to life (and music) than their predecessors...I don't know...But it seems like life is all about having a good time these days....And ya know, when I sit down and think about it, that's not so bad. 
 

      It's human nature to be stubborn when it comes to change, so it's very natural for people to say that Hip Hop is dying when we hear our guitars playing louder than our drums, or when we're rapping along with an otherwise Lilly white girl... Though I frown on the lack of originality, I applaud today's artists that aren't afraid to go "there". Growing up as a little mixed girl I listened to all types of music and I'm glad to see that musicians are growing and blending....Hip Hop shouldn't have to be limited to a specific color and sound...this world is so big there's room for everyone.  
 

      For as long as I'm able to write columns and search for "The Next B.I.G Thing," real live sho nuff lyricists will always have a platform to talk their sh*t, believe that! Hip Hop will never die...it's not dying, it ain't dead. It's just going through something right now, folks attention spans are much shorter than they used to be and Hip Hop is responding accordingly.  
 

-xo 

Elle Capone

bosslady.capone@yahoo.com