Is backpacker hip hop destroying the music?

[Low Key]

OK, I'm gonna catch a lot of shit but whatever. When i see acts like Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, etc... I cant help but think that hip hop is doomed before long. I know you're gonna wanna say, "no it's the shitty top 40 rappers that are destroying it", No. The thing about mainstream rap is that it is still a black mans game and it still contains the energy and rawness that made the genre so big in the first place. So many underground cats are sick of it so what do they do? make the polar opposite. Now this may attract a lot of white kids and shit who are tired of their SDE tape and want to be part of some intelligent movement, but what these "educated" albums are doing is just making it safe for white people to intervene and do whatever to the music in the name of "art". So many suburban kids have now found an outlet thru these self concious artisitic rappers because they can relate to it, so then they start their own projects, and soon there's a whole white rap scene. The problem with this is, since we live in a white world, its only a matter of time before this gets taken over as mainstream rap, and all the hardcore dudes we dont hear from again. The same thing happened with jazz, and its only a matter of time before it happens to hip hop.

Matter of time? Rap has been popular since the mid 80s and there have only been 2 successful white rappers (Paul Wall might be the 3rd) and 1 successful white rap/rock group. One album wonders like Vanilla Ice and House of Pain don't count. Hip Hop might change so there is more balance in the racial spectrum, but the popular music will always be the stuff that gets people hype, not the shit that gives people a college lecture. The top 40 proves that. Nothing but simple, in-your-face music. When it comes down to it, club goers just want something general to dance to. Clubs are a place where morals just fly out the window, so naturally, backpacker rap would never work there.

Backpackers themselves won't let their music become popular because once an artist hit the airwaves or clubs, they all of a sudden are deemed a sellout. There will never be a major market for backpacker rap. No A&R could ever sell it as the next big thing. EVER. Some of it is actually good music, but most of it is boring.

[Throwback]

I like backpack shit and enjoy bumpin Atmosphere. How are they killing hip-hop when they hardly get any exposure? lol Top 40 rappers are doing way more damage.

Backpack rap just brings another outlet in the game. I know personally, I don't wanna hear about gats, gangbangin and other agressive shit 24/7, because that ain't me. Sometimes, I like to bump some hip hop that's more emotional and different. Why people hate on backpack rap so much is beyond me since it gets no attention by the mainstream.

I welcome the alternative.....

co-sign.

[smp4life]

Persoanally, I think backpacker rap is an extremely important side to hip-hop. Jay Z/ pop-rap about selling bricks of coke are doing far more damage to rap I think.

[JigsawCorleone]

1 thing everybody needs 2 realize, Rap has gotta to tha point where it can never be destroyed, but only changed.  Sure if all u do is watch TV and lissen 2 da radio of course all you'll hear iz pop shit.  But if u look elsewhere (underground), you'll hear all dat gangsta shit or whatever u bump all day.  why u think they came out wit' XM radio?  U actually think tha rappers give a fuck about tha fanz if they don't buy their shit, thas why it kills me when i see people type "Go Buy this they NEED tha money"  sure ain't nothin' wrong wit' supportin' them but when all tha dickrydin' occurs thas when tha line needs to be drawn.  I still don't see why people hate so much on Bow Wow, bcuz if u were stuck in his position (young rapper/sexy girlfriend <--Fuck tha bullshit) would u give a fuck about a couple of thousand net nerd niggaz hatin' when u can walk to ur front door and wave any bitch down and get some ass and then just kick her out like that without her actin' all crazy afterwards?  now i don't even fuck wit' Bow Wow and other artist like dat (even Snoop), but i respect em, cuz if i could be 16/17 or whatever and get my dick sucked all day countin' millions smokin' bud.  U dam rite i'd do it.

[SGV]

One thing about Backpack rappers, they are never consistent. They down Mainstream rap a lot, but the moment they get a chance to blow they go for it.

Xzibit did it. Ras Kass did it. Kweli did it. Common, Mos Def, etc. They all went the Mainstream route when it was possible. Which is why I say most Backpack rappers are just upset because they're stuck in the Underground where the majority of fans are guys. I remember Immortal Technique saying at a show in L.A. "Damn, there's a lot of girls here, can't say the same for New York." Even out here, Underground shows are cock fest's... These Backpack dudes want the groupies like the next man. That's why they'll go for the Mainstream appeal when they get the chance.

I still like the Jedi Mind Trick's, Immortal Technique's, Aceyalone's, etc. But not like I used to.

[Shallow]

So many suburban kids have now found an outlet thru these self concious artisitic rappers because they can relate to it, so then they start their own projects, and soon there's a whole white rap scene. The problem with this is, since we live in a white world, its only a matter of time before this gets taken over as mainstream rap, and all the hardcore dudes we dont hear from again. The same thing happened with jazz, and its only a matter of time before it happens to hip hop.

Like most already said; how can a genre of rap with such a small fanbase do anything? Most of the white back pack rappers are just pretentious whiners.

I predict that in the next couple years a new rock band will emerge that speaks to the suburban white kids like Nirvana and Pearl Jam did and you'll see that take off (I don't mean it'll sound like Grunge). Rap will go back to the streets for the most part and the mainstream will change. Being in a band will always be the cool thing for white teens to do. They just forgot about that the last 5 years or so. Hip hop won't die, much like Heavy Netal never died, but it will not be nearly as prominant.

I'm not sure where you get whites ruined jazz. I can barely think of 3 white jazz players, and when I think of Jazz I think Miles Davis. Unless you are reffering to the big band music, which isn't Jazz, it's pop/big band, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and they didn't ruin anything. They just sang songs very well.


You want to talk about whites taking over a music. Let's talk about Rock and Roll. It started as Rhythm and Blues in Memphis and with the Country influences of Memphis the two joined and developed the sound. A sound that didn't hit nation wide until Elvis, but what many still considered, rightfully so, a black music. Then the 60s hit, and Bob Dylan officially made rock and roll an art form. Something adopted and progressed by greats like The Beatles. Hard Rock came about in the late 60s with Zep and Sabbath, and Folk Rock continued to shine with CSNY and The Band. Greats like Bruce Springsteen helped the music mature with a sophistication that lacked many of the older records. Bob Seger, and a returning Bob Dylan also did this, as well as others. White people took Rock and Roll to extremely new heights lyrically and musically.

The point is white's don't ruin everything like you seemed to claim. (that doen't mean I think they'll take hip hop to a new level. LKike I said above, I think a new style of band will take over the suburban white scene in the next couple years.)

[SGV]

Like most already said; how can a genre of rap with such a small fanbase do anything? Most of the white back pack rappers are just pretentious whiners.

 

Small? There's a HUGE market for Backpack rap. They're big on the tour tip, that's how they eat. You think 2Mex eats from his album sales? Hell no. He makes his money from shows. Small Fanbase is a HUGE understatement. LOL @ That.

[Don Jacob]

So many suburban kids have now found an outlet thru these self concious artisitic rappers because they can relate to it, so then they start their own projects, and soon there's a whole white rap scene. The problem with this is, since we live in a white world, its only a matter of time before this gets taken over as mainstream rap, and all the hardcore dudes we dont hear from again. The same thing happened with jazz, and its only a matter of time before it happens to hip hop.

Like most already said; how can a genre of rap with such a small fanbase do anything? Most of the white back pack rappers are just pretentious whiners.

I predict that in the next couple years a new rock band will emerge that speaks to the suburban white kids like Nirvana and Pearl Jam did and you'll see that take off (I don't mean it'll sound like Grunge). Rap will go back to the streets for the most part and the mainstream will change. Being in a band will always be the cool thing for white teens to do. They just forgot about that the last 5 years or so. Hip hop won't die, much like Heavy Netal never died, but it will not be nearly as prominant.

I'm not sure where you get whites ruined jazz. I can barely think of 3 white jazz players, and when I think of Jazz I think Miles Davis. Unless you are reffering to the big band music, which isn't Jazz, it's pop/big band, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and they didn't ruin anything. They just sang songs very well.


You want to talk about whites taking over a music. Let's talk about Rock and Roll. It started as Rhythm and Blues in Memphis and with the Country influences of Memphis the two joined and developed the sound. A sound that didn't hit nation wide until Elvis, but what many still considered, rightfully so, a black music. Then the 60s hit, and Bob Dylan officially made rock and roll an art form. Something adopted and progressed by greats like The Beatles. Hard Rock came about in the late 60s with Zep and Sabbath, and Folk Rock continued to shine with CSNY and The Band. Greats like Bruce Springsteen helped the music mature with a sophistication that lacked many of the older records. Bob Seger, and a returning Bob Dylan also did this, as well as others. White people took Rock and Roll to extremely new heights lyrically and musically.

The point is white's don't ruin everything like you seemed to claim. (that doen't mean I think they'll take hip hop to a new level. LKike I said above, I think a new style of band will take over the suburban white scene in the next couple years.)

good post exactly what i was giong to post actually

[Don Jacob]

and on the backpack rap thing


shit sux, but it's not ruining the genre, the genre is already at an all time low.....anything alternative to what's outthere now would actually increase rap/hip hops credibility IMO

[Shallow]

Like most already said; how can a genre of rap with such a small fanbase do anything? Most of the white back pack rappers are just pretentious whiners.

 

Small? There's a HUGE market for Backpack rap. They're big on the tour tip, that's how they eat. You think 2Mex eats from his album sales? Hell no. He makes his money from shows. Small Fanbase is a HUGE understatement. LOL @ That.

I mean small comparatively. Poison (rock band from the late 80s) tours all the time, and they make a living off it, but Hair Metal is still a small market in today's music scene.

You can laugh out loug all you want. It would explain why you aren't paying attention to the fact that back pack rapisn't changing the music scene anymore than Engelbert Humperdinck is, who makes a good living on the road, but compared to how much the Rolling Stones make, he has an extremely small audience.

[On The Edge of Insanity]

One thing about Backpack rappers, they are never consistent. They down Mainstream rap a lot, but the moment they get a chance to blow they go for it.

Xzibit did it. Ras Kass did it. Kweli did it. Common, Mos Def, etc. They all went the Mainstream route when it was possible.

When did Common or Mos Def go the "mainstream" route?

[Bramsterdam (see ya)]

^When Common let Kanye do his beats lol..

As for backpack rap.. I like alot of it but not those two shitty ones mentioned (Aesop, Atmostphere). I like Underground way more than gangsta shit/club/pop rap thats not in my taste anymore..

[SGV]

I mean small comparatively. Poison (rock band from the late 80s) tours all the time, and they make a living off it, but Hair Metal is still a small market in today's music scene.

You can laugh out loug all you want. It would explain why you aren't paying attention to the fact that back pack rapisn't changing the music scene anymore than Engelbert Humperdinck is, who makes a good living on the road, but compared to how much the Rolling Stones make, he has an extremely small audience.

Back Pack isn't changing the music scene? Are you serious? Dogg... Go to a BackPack show. You'll see a bunch of kids who look like they belong at a Misfits concert. Now, if that isn't changing the music scene, then what is? They bring in a complete different audience. Serious kid, don't try to tell me about BackPack rap. Just this past Saturday I had an In-Store at my store here with Rifleman and Pterradacto... The kids who came in for it were far from your typical Hip Hop fans. BackPack rap has a HUGE influence in the scene... LOL @ Not paying attention.

Rastaman: Common went that route on Electric Circus and continued onto BE. Mos Def hit the mainstream level with "Oh No."

[Shallow]

I mean small comparatively. Poison (rock band from the late 80s) tours all the time, and they make a living off it, but Hair Metal is still a small market in today's music scene.

You can laugh out loug all you want. It would explain why you aren't paying attention to the fact that back pack rapisn't changing the music scene anymore than Engelbert Humperdinck is, who makes a good living on the road, but compared to how much the Rolling Stones make, he has an extremely small audience.

Back Pack isn't changing the music scene? Are you serious? Dogg... Go to a BackPack show. You'll see a bunch of kids who look like they belong at a Misfits concert. Now, if that isn't changing the music scene, then what is? They bring in a complete different audience. Serious kid, don't try to tell me about BackPack rap. Just this past Saturday I had an In-Store at my store here with Rifleman and Pterradacto... The kids who came in for it were far from your typical Hip Hop fans. BackPack rap has a HUGE influence in the scene... LOL @ Not paying attention.

Rastaman: Common went that route on Electric Circus and continued onto BE. Mos Def hit the mainstream level with "Oh No."

Then where are the record sales? You telling me all these kids you claim are into back packing and none are buying the music. You can judge the national music scene based on what happens in your store, and I'll stick to the tried and true approach of readng national numbers. When 2 or 3 backpack rappers go at least 5 platinum, then I'll say it's changing the scene.  Selling out gymnasiums or small music halls doesn't mean shit. Let's see Rifleman sell out Shea Stadium, then we'll talk.

[Realbiggsteele]

To be real, all of you express valid points. But "Hip Hop" was incubated in the streets and birthed in the club. The biggest thing that pisses me off is the lack of respect some "Backpackers" have for different branches of the artform. The thing is Nelly is really no different than Nas,(True they are polar opposites lyrically)  but they are both part of the body of hip hop, and they are both dependent upon each other if the culture is to survive. hammer, (hate em or love em) took rap music to new heights, but is often the subject of ridicule. I dont really comprehend that mode of thinking. Truth is everybody has there preferences, and options are good to have in order for this thing of ours to grow. And the direction that rap is heading now with people acting like idiots, I would def. say we need a new hammer to shake things up. lol