What is missing from Hip Hop today?

[QuietTruth]

Lately, lately I've been putting some Old Skool in heavy rotation. Shit that prolly not a lot of people heard about. Just Ol' shit from the real beginnings of hip hop, just to fully understand it all. Not just peices of it but the full culture. On T.V. and shit they just throw out lil pieces of the puzzle of hip hop and I have just been putting it all together. Been reading crazy articles, bumpin some ol Busy Bee, Spoonie Gee, The Treacherous 3 etc etc. Learned a real lot! I was up on Old Skool forums too reading and shit and a lot of people was complaining on how hip hop is today. Like who isn't..but I see it now...a lil more in different ways. But..

What do ya'll think is missing from hip hop at the moment? I mean going back to shit like this, the real ol shit, its pretty obvious to tell but for those who ain't 100% understood wit it, what ya'll think is missing?

's?

[Sikotic™]

Substance.

[Tha_Blaq_Sinattra]

Talent!

["THE" MoSav]

Lyrics. Just Hip Hop Period......

[coola]

hip-hop is what it is... we cant control it... i'll tell you what theres too much of though, too much violence in hip-hop, half the shit thats rapped about, they say it brings awareness... thats their excuse to make themselves feel good for rappin about gang-violence and drugs.

thats why i'm off the west-coast vibe... i only check for dj quik, and some others from the west, purely because i cant support the west-coast "bang bang" movement. i just cant relate to it anymore, my life is going in a different direction. gang-bangin needs to stop, the black community is killing and raping itself, positive music would help heal the wounds.

[Don Breezio]

to tell you the truth...there is nothing missing from hip hop....the only problem with hip hop right now is the fans...i am including myself in this as I am realizing that i've basically been a bitch as far as hip hop goes and so have all of you....hip hop doesnt need shit...do you really think back in the old school days there wasn't shitty rap around? of course there was! you just don't hear about it now because it sucked! same crap will happen...the problem now is that all the hip hop fans bitch too much...we all just sit around and talk about whats wrong with hip hop...theres nothing wrong with hip hop...theres something wrong with the fans

[wcsoldier]

1. focus on MUSIC, less businessmen (movies....) but don't dream money rules this world
2. making albums, not COMPILATIONS, i.e making a consistent album with just one or two producers and beatmakers...
3. quality over quantity, put less effort in mixtapes and save their best for albums..

[Kassem]

Gangsta music is dead, Wat in a gangsta life hasn't been rapped about growing up in the hood,killing people,going to jails,selling drugs, there isn't new ideas in a gangster lifestule to be used,all was consumed.who are the people who are still dropping classics Outkast ,mos def ,maybe kayne non of them are gangsta rap

[XaNdEr]

to tell you the truth...there is nothing missing from hip hop....the only problem with hip hop right now is the fans...i am including myself in this as I am realizing that i've basically been a bitch as far as hip hop goes and so have all of you....hip hop doesnt need shit...do you really think back in the old school days there wasn't shitty rap around? of course there was! you just don't hear about it now because it sucked! same crap will happen...the problem now is that all the hip hop fans bitch too much...we all just sit around and talk about whats wrong with hip hop...theres nothing wrong with hip hop...theres something wrong with the fans

100% agree wit tha shit, dats why i never say way back was better and shit like that...its just...it was different not worse nor better...different, hiphop from 2day is just different from old skool hiphop but dat dont mean it gotta be bad...to tell the truth i dig a lotta south artist right now which not many others feeling...call me fake or whatever but i like paul wall, slim thug, bun b, lil wayne etc....westcoast fans need to shut up bout the ol' day and stand behind their artists...

stop complaining aint no bad hiphop, its different....

[coola]

Gangsta music is dead, Wat in a gangsta life hasn't been rapped about growing up in the hood,killing people,going to jails,selling drugs, there isn't new ideas in a gangster lifestule to be used,all was consumed.who are the people who are still dropping classics Outkast ,mos def ,maybe kayne non of them are gangsta rap

yep

[ecrazy]

Im missing from Hip Hop

[herpes]

That we let women dictate what will be popular..... a womans box = most powerful object in this world.

[suckaa free]

Gangsta music is dead, Wat in a gangsta life hasn't been rapped about growing up in the hood,killing people,going to jails,selling drugs, there isn't new ideas in a gangster lifestule to be used,all was consumed.who are the people who are still dropping classics Outkast ,mos def ,maybe kayne non of them are gangsta rap

   dont forget about eating babies while molesting the sister(brotha lynch hung) 

[Dj Eskimo]

creativity, everyone seems to jump on bandwagons 

[CRAFTY]

creativity, everyone seems to jump on bandwagons 

Exactly. If there's a hot new producer, everybody & their mama will want to work with that producer. Hot new artist? The same..
Artists are afraid of being creative because "the fans might not like it". Fuck that...I'd rather buy an album from an artist who chooses to be creative than from someone who sticks to that same old "mainstream music formula" (club single, street anthem, working with well-known producers & artists).

@ QuietTruth: can you send me those articles you've been reading? Also, that link to that Old Skool Hip-Hop forum would come in handy for me. I'm doing my thesis on the Evolution of Hip-Hop Culture, so those things might be interesting for me. Thanks.