Hip-Hop is Back!

Dangerous hip-hop. Defiant hip-hop. Don't know what the eff is going to happen if you invite these niggas to the corporate office hip-hop. It's back! And almost not soon enough.

We were in danger of letting the vast popularity and commercialization of our music dull its edge. I mean, we have 50 cent selling vitamin water and P-Diddy pushing zit cream. VH1 has a new rap special every month, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is trying to induct rappers. What the deal?

I predict and hope that the same institutions that welcomed in hip-hop will attempt to alienate us as they did when the music was young. Then our artists will turn from lashing out at each other, and point their lyrical guns at the powers that be. For example, compare Ice Cube's gangbanging first album with his culture critique laced second album, Death Certificate. Now peep how Hollywood eventually accepted Cube, so he's traded in his scowl for a grin. The same co-opting of our culture was happeing everywhere! Bless the dead, but thank God Tupac got shot before his acting career took off, or his music would be irreverent now too.

Trust me, if things continue on the same path, the Game, 50 Cent and the rest of them dudes are bound to go from cruising to cursing Jimmy Iovine, and others like him. Yessir. Hip-hop can't wait.