Dude Where's Your Record?

Dude Where's Your Record?

Dude Where's Your Record?

Hip-Hop no longer rules the American and the rest of the world's charts. R&B and hip-hop greats keep postponing release dates of albums (J. Lopez, Diddy etc.), although there might be individualy different reasons for this, but it seems not too far fetched to assume that record companies don't really push for releases because they don't know to whom to sell anymore.

The traditional buyers are amongst the most financially challenged during the economic crisis, the illegal download issue remains a problem, former years best selling rappers (Nelly, Lil Wayne) release mellow, uninspired records ("5.0, "I am Not a Human Beeing"); just because they have to. Hip-hop and R&B are no longer interesting and innovative.

Auto tune and the spirit of David Guetta are getting more and more influence "The Beginning" by the Black Eyed Peas being the latest example of this unfortunate development. The diversity of the genre is not existent anymore, riches ("bling-bling materialism") and violence prevail as topics, the politically and socially conscious hip-hopers that had something to say in the 80s and early 90s have no worthy heirs.

A pioneer of politically conscious rap, Public Enemy co-creator Bill Stephney, feels that the music has gone so far from its roots that it is almost a parody of itself at this point.

The only ones swimming upriver seem to be Kanye West (the adequately named album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" is a landmark of the contemporary art of music) and, to a certain degree, Eminem ("Recovery" also adequately named) and Kid Cudi ("Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager").

Another way of coping with devolving hip-hop is shown by Cee-Lo Green (album "The Lady Killer) and Aloe Blacc (album "Good Things") they simply don't do hip-hop anymore, even though they both have their roots in it. Their answer is soul or neo soul.

British soul divas Amy Winehouse and Duffy have shown that soul was regaining its position as music for the masses, but while their soul has the patina, melancholy and themes of past times, the neo soul of Green and Blacc is stronger, more selfconfident and certainly not retro. Aloe Blacc explained in an interview that he turned to soul in order to reach more listeners, because soul through its melody (and the space it creates for bringing over messages) is more accessible than hip hop. In other words soul sells.

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