The effect hip-hop has had on Atlanta... (houses, middle school)

[ocsanders]

Originally Posted by ATL_Aficionado

Ahhhhhh yes, I remember those days.

Staying up late to see Night Tracks/Friday Night Videos, and sincerely excited about it because they were the only options at the time.

It was a totally different era I tell you. The lineup looked something like Duran Duran, Bananarama, the Go Go's, Run DMC, Cindy Lauper then Madonna etc. and everyone was introduced to everything whether you liked it or not. This is sure to be interesting, but who else remembers "I want my MTV?"

I want my…
I want my…
I want my M-T-V!!!

Does MTV play music videos anymore?

I think our generation is much more well rounded when it comes to music for the reasons you stated above. Gosh, I really am getting old. I'm talking about "our generation"

[equinox63]

Originally Posted by JPD

It was also a heavy metal song, and not a hip-hop song.

True indeed... I forgot to mention that important fact...

[equinox63]

Originally Posted by JC84

But at what point does it "become" real hip hop when the vast majority of mainstream culture label it that way? BET, MTV, VH1, radio, all call this new crap "hip hop".

I think the basic point is "Real Hip-Hop" is driven by true cultural expression and "Mainstream/Commercial Rap Music" is driven by money.

I think the lines can be blurred at times, but at the end of the day, I think this is pretty much the case.

[NorthDeKalb]

Originally Posted by ocsanders

I want my…
I want my…
I want my M-T-V!!!

Does MTV play music videos anymore?

I think our generation is much more well rounded when it comes to music for the reasons you stated above. Gosh, I really am getting old. I'm talking about "our generation"

lol, not really.

Music videos seem to have taken a back seat to reality television shows like Jersey Shore, Cribs, My Super Sweet 16 and other crap-like broadcasts a while back.

Only late at night (eerily reminiscent of Night Tracks ) will I occasionally see them as I make my way toward A&E or Investigation Discovery.

[equinox63]

Originally Posted by oakhurstlauren

And who listens to commercial radio anymore anyway? With all the options out there now, why would one subject themselves to repetitive radio play? There is plenty of local enlightening hip hop in Atlanta, always has been, always will be. The groups tend to be more underground, but with so much accessibility to music through the internet, location nor mainstream radio can force anyone to listen to anything they don't want to. Every single genre of music has good and bad. I listened Body Count growing up in middle Georgia lol, and I grew up just fine without killing any cops.

Raise your kids right and music is just entertainment and not a substitute for a moral compass.

I agree with you... But I think many kids who are into the Gucci's and Waka's (or the Nikki Manaj's for that matter) wouldn't even know where to look or who to look for without a hard co-sign from their friends/peers... I let some kids hear some Immortal Technique (who is about as hard as you can get on the underground political hip-hop tip...) and some Jean Grae (currently the best female rapper hands down) and the first thing they said was, "It's cool. But, why is it not on the radio? Why haven't they blown up?"

I think peer pressure plays a role too... unless you are an "above the influence" type person, I think most teens gravitate to what their friends like (who would happen to be affiliated with Young Money or Travis Porter, etc)... I'm not dissing those guys. But, to a lot of kids, looking for good new music means going to livemixtape.com or datpiff.com (which are just songs that are already on the radio or are going to be on mainstream radio any day now.) I think it takes a certain type of person to really hunt for good music... and they exist, but i think they are rare. I think the rest just listen to whatever is on the radio or BET, etc... (until they are brainwashed into liking it...)

[hellomrwest]

Ah I could speak VOLUMES on this topic.

As far as the music industry is concerned, I think its had all the best effect on Atl as it can have. The urban music market brings in millions to Ga in the form of studio business, venues, major entertainment functions like the BET awards, and the like. It helps the image of Atl as a fresh, trendy, happening city which would have otherwise ended up dead and dry like detroit.

Countless of your favorite artists record here like Fergie, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, many rock stars, COUNTLESS country stars, as well as your run of the mill rap artists that Atl radio cant get enuff of. And with that comes the revenue their patronage brings in. Ive seen close and afar as Atl turns into hybrid of Neo-motown/hollywood, and personally I love it. I should also mention that urban music has had the residual effect of attracting a plethora of film-makers to Ga, creating a multi-billion dollar enterprise as well as local job creation.

Had hip hop had a negative effect on the city? No. If the music shows some rather seedy elements of Atl, keep in mind that most rappers, even the ones who spent considerable time here and claim Atl as home, arent even natives! Atlanta was pretty crummy back in the 70s and 80s and even the 50s and 60s. I think that some of our Euro-centric posters on here have just spent far too much time in the far flung suburban islands which constitute their fairy tale existence.

I also digress here, b/c even some of the suburbs in the latter 20th centur were nothing more than farmland and country backwater duckoff areas only suitable for logging and hunting.....yes, Im referring to Stone Mtn, Dunwoody, ALL of Gwinnett, the latter part of Clayton and Henry Cos., and much of East Cobb and North Atlanta. With the Olympic games and the growth of the entertainment industry has come massive development on the real estate front, in high end retail (hey celebs gotta shop SOMEWHERE) etc.

Atlanta if I recall was sorta a real trashy town pre-Olympics and most of the more uplifting inspiring songs that rap fans love came from artists which lived in Atl during that era. Sure, the grammar might be a tad crass and coarse, but like most of the previous posters have noted it shed light on a much disenfranchised community which had gone (and still goes) ignored for many years in Atl. And these same songs echo sentiments felt by those fans in similar positions nation and world wide.

A lil Atl music history......the music scene became big here due to people like LA Reid, Babyface, and Bobby Brown spreading the word about Atl being a rather tame recording environment compared to the paparazzi laded hills of LA and the grit and grime of NY/NE corridor. Atl was known for its usually agreeable weather, low cost of living, elegant housing market, and affordable amenities. Celebs here are also can live more of a normal life for their families sake. Say what you want about Atl and its so called crime, this city is tame compared to other major metros like New Orleans and the like. All these things attracted the outside music industry as well as the fact that Ga has that southern hospitality unfound in other places. Ga is a nice place to live. And as music producers and moguls move and do business here in the A town, the industry follow em and before long hometown artists have an ear for their product, a product that does well in terms of publishing and dollars.

As far as why Atl puts out so much garbage just blame the higher ups in the industry. You see, being involved with the music industry here I see alot of what goes on nowadays behind the scenes. Its alot of nasty politics. Folks from other places have carpetbagged the once pristine atmosphere that was the Atl music scene due to the enduring success of groups like Organized Noise, Outkast, etc. Since Atl had a vibrant party/club thing going many party hits have come out of Atl that spell big business AND have the power to draw FANS.....FOLLOWERS....IDOLIZERS. Thats where the madness begins.

As the music industry en masse began to undergo many corporate changes in the latter 20th century, Hip hop fell victim to politics and ulterior agendas as many once powerful independent labels were bought off (better yet invaded) by big money from overseas like Universal (now Vivendi Inc. Worldwide) who had more an interest in creating hip hop into a vehicle to direct the masses in a direction counter the messages of people like KRS One and Public Enemy.....creating more a "docile" urban youth and controlling the suburban youth's values. Hence, we have artists like Jeezy, who while have truly lived the gangsta life, ups and downs, speak on this in rhyme and the fans want to emulate their lives around that....or on the other extreme artists like Soulja Boi who appear to glorify ignorance even tho im sure his parents were anal on him about his grades.

Overseas money has ruined any true creativity with American rap and its now paying the price, all those who took the millions and sold their craft and lives away. There is a growing movement underground here in Atl that is merely waiting for the current system to crash and burn, just as the economy will later this year (message>>>>>>) And I assure you posters, this movement will make all Atlantans very proud of their music scene. It will be a merging of country, hip hop, alternative, pop, and techno as young musicians and upcoming artists become aware.

Stay tuned lol.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by equinox63

Cop killer was by Ice T...

Yeah, realized that several hours later... lol

[ocsanders]

Originally Posted by hellomrwest

Ah I could speak VOLUMES on this topic.

…
And I assure you posters, this movement will make all Atlantans very proud of their music scene. It will be a merging of country, hip hop, alternative, pop, and techno as young musicians and upcoming artists become aware.

Stay tuned lol.

I would love to see this happen.

[spikeboy25]

Personally, I think people pick on hip-hop because American society at large always wants to to hold something or someone accountable for a particular social ill of the moment even if the evidence clearly does not back that up.

Gangsta rap (which is what people who are unfamiliar with hip-hop paint all hip-hop as) become increasigly popular throughout the 90s and probably peaked in popularity in the mid 2000s, even though crime, particularly inner-city crime, dropped steadily throughout this period.

So if we associate hip-hop with crime, are we to say that Public Enemy's (who are regarded by many within and outside of the hip-hop community as true innovators of music who had a sociopolitical slant to their lyrics) Apocalypse 91, which was certified platinum in 1991 (the year in which inner-city violent crime was at its peak) was responsible for so many ills of their time?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by spikeboy25

Personally, I think people pick on hip-hop because American society at large always wants to to hold something or someone accountable for a particular social ill of the moment even if the evidence clearly does not back that up.

I love (good) hip hop and at its best it has been a powerful voice of counter-cultural expression. And I don't believe that popular music in any direct sense "causes" bad behavior.

However, there's no denying that a lot of what's called hip hop these days romanticizes and idealizes some pretty lame attitudes. It doesn't seem helpful to hold up to young people that things like misogyny, homophobia, dealing drugs or shooting people are cool.