SOHH NYC

Written By SOHH Reckless

Feeling kind of melancholy right now. And irritated as well.

SOHH has been my home for over two and a half years, so it hurts pretty bad to see things fall into the pit like this. But f*ck it. By both Fe' and Techy's blessing, I'm still here. And I still despise stupid rappers. And I'm still a hater.

I don't frequent the radio too much but when I do, it's because I just happen to feel like tuning in for the moment. And yesterday, after an hour of listening I became very disappointed. Prior to now, my favorite station had been on a roll... or so I thought. There was very minimal down South airplay going on-- with the exception of Lil Wayne's "Lollipop." But I go to the beach yesterday with my mini radio in tow, and was disgusted by the overwhelming amount of magic-- and money-- that the powers that be have suddenly worked onto these radio station's premises. Seems like payola has resurfaced once again, and the resurgence is strong. And it's sickening. Yes. Lil Wayne has managed, with the push of his camp, to appear on every other song, whether featured or his own.

So then I begin to feel like Biggie, or Hov... I want that old thing back. Back when you didn't have to sit and wait for three or four songs to finally hear a song you like, or a song from your very own hometown. My town, in this instance, is New York City. Ten years ago-- give or take-- NYC (and surrounding), ruled the radio. DMX. Ruff Ryders. Lauryn Hill. Mase. Biggie. Hov. Big Pun. Mos Def, etc. And I can blame the stations, or I can blame the rappers in my city for not putting out good music. On that note I'd applaud Hot for spinning Maino's joint into double vision if he weren't just a Tri-state rapper. But that's what he is. So he doesn't count. Shout out to Sarah Alminawi of MGM, Inc., by the way.

So now that I've turned off that stupid radio, I've pulled out my favorite albums. And no, they're not just East Coast albums, either. The '90s was a time where everyone-- even the South-- was contributing to the "second golden era" of hip-hop. The millennium? The dark ages... that may or may not ever end.

Yawn. I'll exit on that note.