Is backpacker hip hop destroying the music?

[Juronimo]

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.

Interesting that this debate is being resurrected once again.

If you posted this somewhere or if this came up as a topic of conversation in the late 90's, let's say '98, I would have passionately argued your point to the death. Now I don't reallly feel that way.

Why?

Well look at hip hop as a whole. Did groups like Company Flow and Cannibal Ox have any influence on the game as a whole? What about Anticon? How have they affected hip hop? They have their little fringe fans that look like homeless orphans, but they have no affect on hip hop as a whole. Atmosphere has been around for more than a minute and they've dropped several albums, but they've hardly changed the game. Hip hop is the streets and will always be the streets. Hip hop has always been about partying and having fun. The backpackers that have hate for commercial club music and street music show a basic lack of understanding for the roots of hip hop as a culture. Also, most of these kids can't relate to the street message. As a result, there's really little that they can do to change the game.

I have had plenty of interaction with backpackers and there's no way these clowns represent the real of hip hop in any way shape of form. They are of no threat. The real threat are those in power who are not hip hop heads that dictate what you hear on radio or see on MTV/BET. That's the threat. The treat is the sheisty record label heads who won't put out real shit but put out safe music. I don't see where backpackers come into the equation.

I remember some of the arguments suggesting that Eminem was going to ruin rap and that he would be like Elvis, taking rap from black folks. That hasn't happened obviously and the arguments that were made at the time were obviously way off the mark.

Also, one thing to point out to all the folks that are paranoid about white people taking over hip hop. What happened with Blues, Jazz and Rock and Roll is that we gave that shit away. Whites did not take rock and roll from us, we stopped checking for it, plain and simple. Same thing with jazz and blues. I don't see us just giving this shit away, it's too entrenched at this point. I don't see it happening.

[$do11a biLL$]

I'd say rappers that make up fake beefs like 50 Cent and Game, and crack fiends like DMX are destroying hip hop.

[Realbiggsteele]

Hip hop has always been about partying and having fun. The backpackers that have hate for commercial club music and street music show a basic lack of understanding for the roots of hip hop as a culture. Also, most of these kids can't relate to the street message. As a result, there's really little that they can do to change the game.

Spokin like a true student of the game because most fools have no idea what hip hop is. It annoys me to No end when I see some peon trying to tell me whats valid and they were born in 90 lol. and never took the time to study the history. Biz markie was hip hop, KRS1, Force MD's, Joeski Love, Kane, Public enemy were hip hop..Paris, Salt & Pepper, basically that whole generation. most of these kids dont even know who pig martin is "here comes the judge" was the first rap record, even before the last poets. and i think dude was from the south. the founding father for the southern sound Mr. Mixx is from riverside, all those people are the body of hip hop. stringing a bunch of words together, "I take the tedious, mischievious, devious, blah, blah, blah", dont mean you dope

[Sikotic™]

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.

LMAO. So true.

[kingwell]

no, backpack is tight, there are a lot of skilled white rappers out there

I seriously don't get how you can hate aesop rock or atmosphere.

If you understood his post, you would see it was not about if you like that genre of hip hop.  It's about what you think the genre will become.

[7even]

no, backpack is tight, there are a lot of skilled white rappers out there

I seriously don't get how you can hate aesop rock or atmosphere.

If you understood his post, you would see it was not about if you like that genre of hip hop.  It's about what you think the genre will become.

If you understood the meaning of destroying, you would see it means that something bad is happening. Like, music becomes awful or so. I consider the influence of backpack rap as something good, so therefore it won't destroy shit in my mind and therefore my response has been on-topic and I also fully understood his post, moron.

[Shallow]

I remember some of the arguments suggesting that Eminem was going to ruin rap and that he would be like Elvis, taking rap from black folks. That hasn't happened obviously and the arguments that were made at the time were obviously way off the mark.

Also, one thing to point out to all the folks that are paranoid about white people taking over hip hop. What happened with Blues, Jazz and Rock and Roll is that we gave that shit away. Whites did not take rock and roll from us, we stopped checking for it, plain and simple. Same thing with jazz and blues. I don't see us just giving this shit away, it's too entrenched at this point. I don't see it happening.

1) I'm not sure if you were implying that Elvis ruined rock or took it from blacks, but just in case you were I'll respond to that. Elvis didn't ruin or steal anything. He was just a singer from Memphis that sang with the best of them. If he wasn't a good looking white guy that the girls loved and the guys wanted to imitate, would he have been as popular? Of course not, but the fact remains that his talent was there, and he was from Memphis so sticking with one kind of sound was nearly impossible. Did he steal songs? No more than any black artist of the day did. He had a hit with Hound Dog, which was a song sung by a black bues woman, but it was written by two jewish white kids. So who "stole" what on that one? The truth is no one really "stole" anything. It was Memphis and people black and white took from each other. It's called influence. Ike Turner was influenced by Hank Williams as much as he was by Robert Johnson. You can tell by listening to the music, but he didn't "steal" from either. Memphis was where the blues, hillbilly, country, folk, bluegrass and even a little jazz came together and became what was later known as Rock and Roll.

Another thing Elvis did, indirectly, was make it okay for black musicians and black music to go national and world wide on a massive scale. Where they treated as fairly? Maybe not, but a lot if not all of Chuck Berry's and Little Richard's success is owed to the fact Elvis became popular. Any black that refuses to see this is just being ignorant and racist, and no better than the racists that ran American music at that time. So what if Elvis is remembered as the icon of rock and roll? Michael Jordan is the most significant figure in Basketball, should white Canadians be offended. I know I'm not. Tiger Woods is currently the icon of Golf, and may one day surpass Jack Nicklaus for all I know. People need to realize that it can work both ways. I still get a shiver whenever I hear Fight The Power and that line comes on. The same shiver I feel when I hear some white supremist blabbering about zionist rule or black inferiority.


2) To say Blacks let the Blues go is ridiculous, and you'd get clapped in the head by BB King for saying that. The Blues had been part of black culture for well over 100 years before whites started getting into it. Hip hop has been around for what, 30 years? 20 years on a national level? If blacks can "let go" of the blues like you implied they did then they could easily let go of hip hop. The truth is the blues are still alive and well, and you'll see that as you get older, or when you just simply open your eyes. Rap may not be a fad, but it's nowhere near as strong as the blues historically, or universally. Hip hop has an age limit, meaning when you get to a certain age it looks and sounds stupid to be rapping. You hear rappers say all the time that they don't want to be doing this when they're 40. You never heard a bluesman say that. BB King is 80 and he's going strong. John Lee Hooker played the blues until his death, and he was way over 40. Just because the black youth of today in general currently have no respect or appreciation for the history of black music doesn't mean they never will. I'm willing to bet as a lot of blacks get older they'll appreciate the blues and while they may be too old to pick it up, they will have their kids in music lessons and the next generation will be more musically inclined and you'll see the Blues on a larger scale. Will it take over the music scene as the prominant genre? I doubt it, but it was never the prominant genre. The prominant genre changes every 5 to 10 years.

Many people consider hip hop a descendant of the Blues, and I'm sure you'll see both elements in future music. I of course consider hip hop as rock and roll, and rock and roll is with out question a descendant of the blues.

[SGV]

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.

They dont't sell because these kids bootlegg. Trust me, I know PLENTY of BackPackers out here. My question to you is, ever been to Project Blowed? No? Then don't ask me what I know. That is BackPack HEAVEN and you RARELY see a real CD in there. One person buys, the rest get and burn it. Or hell, the artist themselves slang burn copies. That's why you don't see big numbers. So yea...

[J Bananas]

lets all smoke cigarettes and talk about Slugs new mohawk

[Shallow]

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.

They dont't sell because these kids bootlegg. Trust me, I know PLENTY of BackPackers out here. My question to you is, ever been to Project Blowed? No? Then don't ask me what I know. That is BackPack HEAVEN and you RARELY see a real CD in there. One person buys, the rest get and burn it. Or hell, the artist themselves slang burn copies. That's why you don't see big numbers. So yea...

So you're telling me there are between 5 to 10 million back pack fans. Even if every fan bootlegs, where are the big concerts. (for the record, a big concert is 20,000 tickets sold. A very big concert is 40 of 50 thousand tickets sold). Let's see. Project Blowed's next show is at the Terrace Restaurant in Pasadena. I'm sure that's just sas big as MSG. Then they are back in LA with Aceyalone at the Normandie Casino. I guess the Staples Centre isn't available.

[smp4life]

IMO:
Nas would be seen as a "backpacker" if he didn't have sales.
Eminem was a "backpacker" on SSLP.

ps. Nelly is garbage and KRS sonned him.

[Turf Hitta]

I remember some of the arguments suggesting that Eminem was going to ruin rap and that he would be like Elvis, taking rap from black folks. That hasn't happened obviously and the arguments that were made at the time were obviously way off the mark.

Also, one thing to point out to all the folks that are paranoid about white people taking over hip hop. What happened with Blues, Jazz and Rock and Roll is that we gave that shit away. Whites did not take rock and roll from us, we stopped checking for it, plain and simple. Same thing with jazz and blues. I don't see us just giving this shit away, it's too entrenched at this point. I don't see it happening.

Elvis didn't ruin or steal anything.

quote of the year.

Maybe not, but a lot if not all of Chuck Berry's and Little Richard's success is owed to the fact Elvis became popular.

Runner up for quote of the year.

[eS El Duque]

Hip hop has always been about partying and having fun. The backpackers that have hate for commercial club music and street music show a basic lack of understanding for the roots of hip hop as a culture. Also, most of these kids can't relate to the street message. As a result, there's really little that they can do to change the game.

Spokin like a true student of the game because most fools have no idea what hip hop is. It annoys me to No end when I see some peon trying to tell me whats valid and they were born in 90 lol. and never took the time to study the history. Biz markie was hip hop, KRS1, Force MD's, Joeski Love, Kane, Public enemy were hip hop..Paris, Salt & Pepper, basically that whole generation. most of these kids dont even know who pig martin is "here comes the judge" was the first rap record, even before the last poets. and i think dude was from the south. the founding father for the southern sound Mr. Mixx is from riverside, all those people are the body of hip hop. stringing a bunch of words together, "I take the tedious, mischievious, devious, blah, blah, blah", dont mean you dope

Real Talk ^

[Turf Hitta]

What i want to know is when did backpacker rap come to mean white rap or some type of neo hippie movement. i remember back in 96 cats like Bootcamp was considered backpacker rap and it was hood shit and the term backpacker didnt have the stigma that it has today. Anyone care to explain that to me?

[SGV]

So you're telling me there are between 5 to 10 million back pack fans. Even if every fan bootlegs, where are the big concerts. (for the record, a big concert is 20,000 tickets sold. A very big concert is 40 of 50 thousand tickets sold). Let's see. Project Blowed's next show is at the Terrace Restaurant in Pasadena. I'm sure that's just sas big as MSG. Then they are back in LA with Aceyalone at the Normandie Casino. I guess the Staples Centre isn't available.

Rock The Bells Chapter Twelve:
A Tribe Called Quest + Xzibit + Jurassic 5 + Cypress Hill + Jaylib + Little Brother + Supernatural + The CMA + Crown City Rockers + Self Scientific + Mr. Choc + DJ Revolution + DJ Mark Luv + DJ Icy Ice

Probably one of the biggest concerts in the L.A. this year. This was a BackPackers heaven. See what I mean guy? Do you even know what you're talking about? Have you ever been to Project Blowed? Do you remember Elements? Unity? I don't think you do. You're not up on this BackPack shit. Stick to Rock n Roll, you're good at that.