You Faked it then Made It — Now What?

Written by: Jason Taylor

I was at home recently and I was listening to my Ipod. It was on shuffle but “Hip Hop is Dead” came up on the playlist. I started listening to the song and I came to the conclusion that — Nas is right. Hip Hop IS dead. The people who have taken over the airwaves have murdered what Hip Hop fought so hard to represent back in the days. Now I am a true believer in new music coming with the new times but let’s be real — look what we have to deal with and listen to. Of course, most people will say “I don’t care cause it has a banging beat that I can play in my car” or “That song bang when I’m at the club.” Is that what we have reduced ourselves to? Lyricless music, songs that have no meaning and us as fans eating all that crap up?

When someone chooses to make music, their initial goal is to reach mass amounts of people and expose them to what we have to say. As artists, they should take that as a way to reach out to those mass amounts of people and deliver a message. The message shouldn’t be I’m faded or I hopped up out the bed and turned my swag on — it should be something with some meaning to it. They have what few people have which is an outlet to reach mass amounts of people and the only thing they can come up with for a song is THAT? What the hell is the problem? Are they retarded? I know they’re making money but they won’t be making what some veterans are still making NOW which is money from  record sales for albums that came out years ago. The more they come out with that bullshit, the less chance they have of making Stankonia [Outkast] money. The less chance they have of making Blueprint [Jay-Z] money and the less chance they have of making that Back for the First Time [Ludacris]  money.

This is a reminder from me for every single artist or group

You have the ability to speak to every fan you collect on your music journey and as an artist who values the music you make — YOU NEED TO COME OUT WITH SOMETHING GOOD IN ORDER TO BE REMEMBERED FOR YEARS TO COME. Nobody is going to remember you if you give them something they won’t remember. Nobody is going to remember your song if all they do is dance to it. THEY DON’T LISTEN TO THE WORDS AS IS. They remember one or two bars at the most because it stood out to them at that moment in time. You spent all that time recording songs, mixing it and mastering it and all your fans remember is — one or two bars? DON’T BE A PATHETIC UNREMEMBERED ARTIST. Be someone who people can talk about to their friends and family in 5 years. Be someone who has songs that will be played on the radio 5 years from now. When you die, will your fans remember you? You need to ask yourself that question. I’m not saying go the political route like Public Enemy or go the straight gangsta route like NWA. YOU have a story to tell and YOU NEED TO TELL IT. The world won’t get to know you if you don’t tell them about yourself. Are you going to go on a date and not talk about yourself? Of course not.

What we need as a society is BETTER MUSIC. What we need as a society is MUSIC THAT MEANS SOMETHING. We need artists to come out with something we can actually listen to and still bang in the car or the club. We are not going to play the same songs we hear at the club when we are out jogging or relaxing in the house. We need something with substance. We need something with concepts. We need something WITH MEANING. If you don’t understand what I’m saying, read it again. If you STILL don’t understand it then — WHY ARE YOU AN ARTIST? WHAT IDIOT SIGNED YOU? WHY AREN’T YOU DROPPED FROM YOUR LABEL YET? GET LOST!

LET’S KEEP WHATEVER IS LEFT OF HIP HOP — ALIVE!