Posted on April 28, 2009 9:45 AM
"Obama represents so much hope for blacks and Latinos. The hope he represents is bigger than any of the huge problems he could possibly correct. When you have positive role models, you can change your life for the better. The day Obama got elected, the gangsta became less relevant."
-- Jay-Z Cigar Aficionado Magazine
Fair enough. But it's fair to say, too, that these little dudes who glorify fake bloods like Dipset and Lil Wayne are quick to idolize the loser who just came home from prison with a federal drug charge, but pays no mind to the college graduate who just came home from Harvard. Or any other college for that matter. This mentality will never change. And especially over "some president who has a little color in his skin." Obama is only relevant to those who understand the cause. Those who don't see a future in education and legitimacy will talk and act like Cam'ron: "f*ck I look like going to college just to make 60,000 a year?" and "I only worked one job my whole life." Etc. But this doesn't take away from those who feel working for themselves as successful businessmen/women is the best way to go. Which I agree with.
And speaking of relevance, it's also fair to say that the day Jay-Z retired, his music career became less relevant.
"As fate would have it, Jay's status appears to be at an all-time high, perfect time to say goodbye When I come back like Jordan, wearin the 4-5 It ain't to play games witchu"
-- Jay-Z
And Jordan wasn't the same wearing #45. Doesn't Jay-Z see that wearing #45 means he's musically wack? He's become less and less of a rapper -- but more of an intelligent businessman-- since 2004.
Via Insidenova.com
Co-sign. But this, of course, reiterates what I'd already been saying. Too many archives to search for the article I wrote on this...I ask hip-hop fan this: Is it time for Jay Z to hang up his microphone? I would have to say yes. Granted, he is still a very relevant fixture in the music scene and his music is still worth a listen, but the more we see of this new and incorporated Jay Z, the more we lament on what once was.
It hit me while watching a re-run of his VH1 Live Soul performance of American Gangster that Jay Z is now somewhat robotic. To me it seems that the passion is gone and the more that he tries to press his manufactured passion onto the listener, the more it comes off as commercial.
In his Iceberg20Slim days, Jay Z's cold smooth delivery is what made people pay attention to what was being said. Yet now, that honest and authentic passion that made that brand of Jay Z so great has been pampered with success and an underlying sense of jadedness.
What else is there left for him to achieve? He has been to the mountaintop and the only direction left to go is down. No one enjoyed watching Ali get pummeled in his older days, Jordan in that Wizard uniform, or Emmitt Smith in an Arizona jersey.
The time has come for the great Jay Z to rap his last song and do the one thing that he has not done yet ... retire!
Peace Reckless:
I too think it is time to turn the page on all these dudes, even my favorites. Hip Hop needs to bring closure to the 90's and early 2,000's.
why would he retire,when we got scull gang,bird gang,young money,and all these other garbage dudes making this wack ass music,hes the only dude u can still break down his word play and hes still better than everybody in the game,who ever wrote this article is iether a hater,or like the bullshit thats out now.
@ poon dog:
I used to feel like you. I def resect your post. However, Hip Hop now is like a dependent grown child who sits on his ass and waits for his parents to do everything for him.
The only way you break a grown man out of dependency is to cut his ass off. This is why I think Jay and others need to bounce. It is for the good of the art. All my favorite cats are in their 30's except Lupe. However, if this thing is to experience a rebirth, I have come to the conclusion, that these dudes have to bounce, otherwise it will continue to stay at is, and degrade itself away.
Peace to Bigup2bk & Reckles:
As much as I hate to admit about my fav's as well, it's time for all of them to hang it up. Let the new breed get some shine and takeover. The old heads is part of the reason why that hardly anyone else can advance...As much as I like and respect Bun B, it's time to let it go..Same for Hov, Busta & Fat Joe.
@ Clo-fresh:
Peace Homie:
Yeah, it really isn't any other way. It is almost how a sport team trades away their aging superstar so that they can rebuild. They know that they are going to suck like sh*t for a couple of years, but eventually some young talent will emerge and they will be competitive again and for a longer a period of time and more so than if they had kept the aging superstar on their roster.
SO who makes the rules on who should retire and who shouldnt?
LL who BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN shoulda retired got no request to retire
heads is STILL waiting for a dre album
outta all the albums Jay got how many can u say is wack? kingdom come.............okay, but after that came american gangsta which is a banga from begining to end dont front.
rae and ghost, meth and red, c'mon theres WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more artist thats still dropping or trying to drop albums thats as old as jay.
sheit wasnt Ra still dropping in the later 90s with the pepper n salt beard (cant think of the name of the song though)
i think its BS that becuase of your age that mean u gotta stop making music in OUR REALM of music we allow others to dictate whats hot and whats not and thats corny
Co signs Brooklyn B...real sh*t!
@ BKB:
American Gangsta is a Problem. It was crazy. It is not that these dudes are wack that they need too bounce, it is because everyone else is wak.
It's more of a sacrafice for the greater good.
pOetiQ rOses/Amazon.com
Fabulosity Galore: Dramatic Drama & The Pages Turn
This 4th Edition coming from Ms. pOetiQ rOses is centered on Drama.
If you can't take the heat, stay out of the Pages. Just kidding! A Drama filled tale full of excitement, ambition, Guidance and Social Issues that are faced in the United States of America. There's Fillings about Family, Friends, Authority Figures, survival, employment, prison & housing. From don't provide a Divorce, The single life, protected sex, commercial sex, never sale your soul, crying out loud, Affidavit and Public life in General. Alot of Drama is at Stake but to only bring reassurance of laying old Ghosts to rest. There's too much Drama to number the Pages.
@bigup
so because the newer acts are corny one hit wonders etc etc (GA have to have the most where are they nows) that mean the artist thats NOT wack should go????
bigup and anyone else that wanna try
name some new up and coming artist?
from 2000 til now, thats 8 years to come up with new artist and more then likely they can be hit with the where are they now
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if your nice then "older" rappers wont be able to hold u back, but to say the old rappers leave so the young wack rappers can live and one day the rap game will be better makes no sense cause we (black people) are losing control over our craft. and being that ONLY our music get retirement age, our on police etc etc u have to wonder who is putting this in our head.
u dont hear people saying all u old actors need to bounce and give the new actors a chance or
all u old rocker and country singers need to go
but our craft we allow people to tell us
no dark skin girls
more n i g g a talk
no message
no growth
keep the artist young and dumb, is what retirement in hip hop means to me
@ BKB:
These new dudes are garbage. I don't endorse these bums. Trust me, you and I, like the same Sh*t.
My point is to strip this down to the core and rebuild.
We agree - I am just trying to find away to rebuild the art. The older cats are too old to do it and the new dudes are too wack to do it.
So you have to let the underground come to surface and maybe they can rebuild - the only way I can see that happening is by pealing away the top older layer. again, it is sacrafice because for a while will not have sh*t but before you know it, the real will emerge again and hopefully better than ever.
@bigup
i hear what u saying
but for what u saying to happen that means WE HAVE TO CONTROL OUR CRAFT
that have nothing to do with age and more to do with ownership
these krakkaz is rapin our craft and gonna push us out like they always done
check it
the ill MC's gets no burn. why? cause hip hop is no longer a craft and more of a job
demos dont dictate your skills, now its your resume
the A&Rs and rec execs are now your bosses and tell YOU what to do with YOUR craft.
when we take control over our music then you will see the music sound better, but right now the wack MC's are getting burn just like gangsta rap in the early 90s
and what happens?
everyone wanna do whats gonna get them paid now.
so instead of being original and being yourself or wanting to change the game, now everyone wants a dance song, a song with t-pain or wayne, talk about the same stuff, so forth and so on and when these krakkaz figure that its no longer profitable (this thing called hip hop) they will have us hating it and looking else where for music like they did with everything we create
NO JAY-Z NOT RETIRE!! THIS IS THE BEST RAPPER ALIVE AND BEST PERFORMER EVER!! I WOULD MISS HIM. HE'S ALREADY GONE SINCE 07!! PLEAE JAY COME BACK
i agree 100% with Bigup2bk. it's nothing wrong with liking what's out now tho. But why u would say that it's time for him to retire is beyond me. JayZ is the greatest. He's the only one that can not put his album out on itunes and make u go buy that ish at a store. and still sell as many as he did. As he would say "men lie, women lie. but numbers don't"
Peace Reckless, Bigup2bk, & Clo-fresh.
Live Nation wasted $150 million on a has-been who's well past his prime. He just doesn't have it anymore. It's time for Jay-Z to "Fade To Black" for good this time, as well as a lot of the older artists and wack MCs out there. But we also have to be A LOT MORE STRICT about which newbies we allow into the game. This autotune techno-pop club-anthem era has got to end IMMEDIATELY, and we can just about end the Dirty South emphasis also.
It's high time hip-hop got that "Scrub, Rinse, Repeat" treatment.
{{-_-}}
so live nation didnt waste money on madonna whos down with live nation
and they aint waste money on U2 who is down with them
but they waste money when they give it to Jay...........wow
bigup2bk wrote:It is almost how a sport team trades away their aging superstar so that they can rebuild. They know that they are going to suck like sh*t for a couple of years, but eventually some young talent will emerge and they will be competitive again and for a longer a period of time and more so than if they had kept the aging superstar on their roster.
That was the best that I have ever heard someone inerpret the current game like that, and you did it very simply..Nice!
Correction:****^^^^Interpret^^^^******
Naw fam-O, "Brooklyn B" put it best. We helping brainwash and short change our own art. It's sickening. Hov doesn't need to retire no more than Denzel needs to stop making movies. Hip Hop needs to grow the f-ck up and wise the f-ck up. Why should we have to subject ourselves to wack music just to let some new head get enough motivation to make a difference? Sh-t makes no sense. No disrespect. But it doesn't. And reality talk, Jay ain't hurting nothing. Duke deosn't oversaturate the radio to the point to where he needs to make room for nobody. The door is wide open and for some reason we keep letting in bullshit. Yall nigg@z' buggin. Smokin dust or something.
Naw fam-o, BKB said best. He dropped some knowledge on you dudes and half of you not even in a place to receive it. Hov doesn't need to retire anymore than Denzel needs to stop making movies. Cats are brainwashed. F-cking up the art with this bullsh-t a$$ mentality. The door has been wide open for new blood. And what we get? More of the same BS. And reality talk, Jay ain't hurting nothing. duke aint all over the radio or all over mixtapes crowding the space so that cats can't get air time. Sh-t you wanna make hiphop better? Make T-pain retire. Dude's are more concerned with picking their wack a$$ necklaces to wear aropund their neck than making the music original and fullfilling. Sh-ts disgusting. And yall want Hov to retire? Stop f-cking up my sh-t, duke. Real talk. I'm taking it personal. Get yall minds right.
I'm here cracking up because I've been expressing this viewpoint for a minute. It's not a matter of wack or not because that's all a matter of personal taste. The issue is; are they (artists) connecting with the fans and they are not, at least nowhere near how they once did. Old rappers cater to old fans who spend less money and are less influenced by the artists therefore they tend to succumb to the product bombardment the artists pitch.
Nobody says anyone must retire but old rappers should not be the priority at a label if the genre is going to survive. If you want the game to last you'll have to invest in YOUTH. If not keep pushing that Jigga. He's over 40. I wonder how many of the 11 to 24 demographic who buy the most albums identify with him since he can literally be their dad.
Soulja Boy and Lil Mama sold because the record buying public saw themselves in them. YOUTH. All these old farts talking about there favorite old rappers need to take a bath, get a decent haircut and pull up their pants and start acting like GROWN UPS! You can't wait for adulthood to be a cool kid cause all you'll ever be is an old fool. LOL!
U2 and Madonna have a track record that sh*ts on Jay's entire career peaked with his Hard Knock Life Album. Madonna is a WORLDWIDE star as is U2. The difference between them and Jay is their fans are many and loyal. Rap is a different animal because it's youth oriented and inspired whereas other genres enjoy a wider more adult base so yes they're more worth the investment dollars based on economics alone. You dudes kill me with your lack of fundamental understanding of the business of music. Even Beyonce is having trouble selling tickets on her latest tour. Let Madonna or U2 go on tour and watch how fast it sell out and at higher ticket prices too. They have a WHITE fanbase which has more disposable income. They're not looking for the "hook uo" all the damn time. If you can't recognize the dynamic that RACE plays in everything then what's the use? Do you think race only matters when the police are involved?!!!!
Black acts depend on white money and support. Who do you think stands a better chance of getting that money and support? White acts of course. This ain't rocket science.
"Lil Mama sold because the record buying public saw themselves in them."
@nimrod
she went double copper
and soulja boy 2nd CD (if it even came out) aint selling close to his 1st joint. THERE WILL BE NO SOULJA BOY 3RD ALBUM!!!!!
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now Jigga man ans his "old fans" he cater too..........jay on his worst sell what these new artist sell at there best
so to say he caters to old fans that spend less money, but he is still making money in a drought. he aint selling himself for sales
he aint doing a million videos and stuff, hov stay in the back ground the only time u hear about him is when he making another power move.
it amazes me how someone like jay is dissed by when he makes
1) good music
and 2) power moves u can follow
but artist like wayne who wanna kiss men, stay high and scream young moola baby(lol) is praised but aint doing nothing major.
-
im still waiting to hear who are these young artist that isnt getting shine cause of old rappers.
didnt jada just drop an album?
isnt the lox album supposed to be comming out on bad boys?
how old u think these guys are?
i understand if jay is dropping brick after brick but thats not the case.
SUPPORT THE NEXT WAVE OF HIP HOP...SEARCH BIG CREEP "TIME 4 DA MONEY"
By Nimrod on April 28, 2009 2:19 PM
U2 and Madonna have a track record that sh*ts on Jay's entire career peaked with his Hard Knock Life Album. Madonna is a WORLDWIDE star as is U2. The difference between them and Jay is their fans are many and loyal. Rap is a different animal because it's youth oriented and inspired whereas other genres enjoy a wider more adult base so yes they're more worth the investment dollars based on economics alone. You dudes kill me with your lack of fundamental understanding of the business of music. Even Beyonce is having trouble selling tickets on her latest tour. Let Madonna or U2 go on tour and watch how fast it sell out and at higher ticket prices too. They have a WHITE fanbase which has more disposable income. They're not looking for the "hook uo" all the damn time. If you can't recognize the dynamic that RACE plays in everything then what's the use? Do you think race only matters when the police are involved?!!!!
Black acts depend on white money and support. Who do you think stands a better chance of getting that money and support? White acts of course. This ain't rocket science.
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and like i said earlier, maybe u was cracking up to much to see where i said we need to control our craft.
talking bout madonna when she came out her music was adult or youth based? u think it was a bunch of middle class whites women saying like a virgin or material girl
please that was the youth and she grew with her fans not getting booted out the game by rec execs that no longer have control over there slave........i mean artist.
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but let me stay focus
u mention race
race is a factor
race according to you is the reason why these U2 acts and madonna act (not to mention the kanye concert was done by live nation) can live on cause they will spend for there artist and not ask for "hand outs" (what ever thats supposd to mean) but your co-signing getting rid of the vets to flood the rap game with a bunch of add water and stir rappers.
@Brooklyn B
I'm not a fan of Lil Mama or Soulja Boy but they both experienced success at some point or neither of us would know their names.
I said hook up not handout. Hook-up as in BOOTLEGG or FREEBIES. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.
Next, your criticism of the young rappers sounds just like what the old heads said about the GIANTS of rap back in the day. Niles Rodger couldn't understand why the Sugarhill Gang used his music and not make their own. Soul singers equated rap with noise and TALKING over drum beats. So you see your lack of appreciation is part of the cycle. You don't get it because it's not for YOU.
Lastly, Jigga crossed over with the Orphan Annie jingle. You don't get whiter than Orphan Annie. He did a collabo with Limpbizkit and Amy Winehouse and a few others. He was pressed to headline the concert in London for the same reason. He's doesn't care about YOUR money. You don't have enough to sustain him. He and all the other balck acts go for white dollars. There's simply more of it.
The rest of your rebuttal I'm not going to address because some things are self explanatary and either you get it or you don't. I've gotten paid off of this I don't know about you.
Also Brooklyn B Your celebration of Soulja Boy's demise is premature. He's a hot producer and song writer. The kid is doing it on all levels. His Swag song and the Kiss me through the phone joint with Sammie is killing radio around the country. He has fans and there's no denying it. He also at Interscope. Jimmy Iovine loves the kid.
I don't have lil mama's #'s because I never cared but she kept getting coverage for a reason. She had a decent run on TV as a judge and a few other gigs that couldn't have happened if she didn't have a base. That's how the game goes.
Jay is the past not the future. That has nothing to do with his music. He was good when he was hot but he's no longer hot and Live Nation didn't give him anywhere near 150 mil. Don't believe the hyp but of course you think he owns the Nets and the 40/40 club too. Whatever man.
I see yall continued the topic. My thing isn't as much of a connection, because as a young kid I connected with Rakim and Kane and I was 10 or 12 years old back then. I hated sappy sh*t like don't worry be happy and cornball sh*t like Tone Loc's wild thang.
I actually think that some of the older cats can connect. Sh*t Jamie Fox is (although R & B) is damn near 44 years old but his music connects well with the youth. In fact, his music is the only thing on the radio.
I think it is like any industry, you groom your next superstars in usher the old one out. I remember studying the case of the NBA for a project. Believe it or not, before DR J retired the NBA was hanging on by a thread. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird saved the league. Then Jordan made it better (I am talking money now) - then Shaq, Iverson and Kobe -Now Lebron is taking it over - and the NBA is now an international money making machine because of their grooming process.
One day Jay is going to wake up and he will be 50 - if you don't start to develop that talent now and move the older stars to the side (maybe not out) then your industry will die.
That is my point. Hip Hop music right now is a bad investment. You only have 3 to 5 guys who can sell a million records. That is awful. You must develop the new talent now and usher out the old, if the game is going to survive,
U said lil mama and soulja boy sold because of there young fan base
soulja boy sold
lil mama went triple pocket lent
and what happens is your gonna here lil mama got dropped from whatever lable shes on.
what im saying about the new artist isnt
whats that boom bap music u young kids playing
im saying when i hear laffy taffy (member that song) and next year people like D4 who?
shop boys got party like a rock star, now its shop who? the white t boys, i dont even remeber they name. but where are they now?
who are the new artist that people want to get shine that the likes of jayz is hindering them?
so its not my opinion its a fact these new rappers that u want to replace the old rappers are being replaced by some more add water and stir talent (which i use lossely), the music aint growing the maturity aint growing
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and with jigga
he crossed over with annie???? since when was the hard knock life a white thing? and i know u cant be just talking bout the sample cause hip hop been sampling from whites.............thats whiter then annie at that.
limpbizkit.............please, they a cross between rock and rap so jay CANT cross over to them when they include our music..............well both are ours but u know what i mean.
amy wino
as many black people that was on her when she 1st came out, c'mon.
now if u saying he "crossed over" to widen his fan base
whats the difference between him doing that and madonna
Well said Big Up. But I repeat Rap is unlike any other genre. It's unique in a # of ways. Practically anybody can do it and lately anybody does. No musical skill is required. You don't have to play instruments, read music or even have a great singing voice, hell you don't even have to have rhythm. Because the bar is so low there is a saturation of "talent" which causes the game to rely on GIMMICKS, BEEF and all sorts of non musical spectacle to sell. Dudes just don't get it. It takes alot to keep the attention of people when all you're doing is yapping to music being piped in from God knows where. LOL! Rap created the hype man. Barry White or Marvin Gaye didn't need dancers or hype men because they were CAPTIVATING in their own right. Hip Hop is a helluva thing man. Despite lacking any distinguishing musical quality it managed to dominate and it did so for the same reason Rock-N-Roll flourished... The youth loved it and they propelled it. It's not for old people to understand.
As usual you missed the point Brooklyn B. His best selling album just happened to be the one with the Annie Jingle and he didn't seek the exposure to a white fanbase with those collaborations either. I'm sure he did collabos with Limpbizkit and Amy Winehouse to get play in the hood. LOL! Did you ever go see Annie on Broadway? LOL! You probably think it sold 5 million in the hood. LOL! Man I'm trhough breaking it down for you man. Whatever you want to believe be my guest. It's not like you're going to do anything with the info anyway.
U said lil mama and soulja boy sold because of there young fan base
soulja boy sold
lil mama went triple pocket lent
and what happens is your gonna here lil mama got dropped from whatever lable shes on.
what im saying about the new artist isnt
whats that boom bap music u young kids playing
im saying when i hear laffy taffy (member that song) and next year people like D4 who?
shop boys got party like a rock star, now its shop who? the white t boys, i dont even remeber they name. but where are they now?
who are the new artist that people want to get shine that the likes of jayz is hindering them?
so its not my opinion its a fact these new rappers that u want to replace the old rappers are being replaced by some more add water and stir talent (which i use lossely), the music aint growing the maturity aint growing
-
and with jigga
he crossed over with annie???? since when was the hard knock life a white thing? and i know u cant be just talking bout the sample cause hip hop been sampling from whites.............thats whiter then annie at that.
limpbizkit.............please, they a cross between rock and rap so jay CANT cross over to them when they include our music..............well both are ours but u know what i mean.
amy wino
as many black people that was on her when she 1st came out, c'mon.
now if u saying he "crossed over" to widen his fan base
whats the difference between him doing that and madonna
By Nimrod on April 28, 2009 3:27 PM
As usual you missed the point Brooklyn B. His best selling album just happened to be the one with the Annie Jingle and he didn't seek the exposure to a white fanbase with those collaborations either. I'm sure he did collabos with Limpbizkit and Amy Winehouse to get play in the hood. LOL! Did you ever go see Annie on Broadway? LOL! You probably think it sold 5 million in the hood. LOL! Man I'm trhough breaking it down for you man. Whatever you want to believe be my guest. It's not like you're going to do anything with the info anyway.
---------------------------------
u aint break nothing down, u speaking in circles
who are the rappers that old rappers are hindering from sucess in the rap game?
are u telling me that hard knock life was the reason the album sold, so why the rest sold?
u used amy and limp as example of calabos that jay had done music with to cross over, im saying how can he use them to cross over when they was crossing over to us.
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and for hip hop being unique cause of ur many reasons
thats why i keep saying WE HAVE TO TAKE CONTROL OF OUR CRAFT
who u think tell these rappers that contervery sells
get in a beef and draw some buzz
we dont have control of our music so it dont matter if jay, nas, snoop, dre outkast and any other old rappers LEAVE the friggin country the music will suck cause we no longer control it
it have nothing to do with the old leaving cause my question thats seem to not get any shine to be answered
WHO ARE THESE NEW RAPPERS THAT CANT GET IN THE GAME OR SUCCEED CUZ OF THE OLD RAPPERS
I got caught up on the phone. I have to read through to catch up!
Agreed with the whole Jay-z is robotic thing....predicatble as well. But you trippin if you think Jordan wasn't the same with #45.....he wasn't the same cuz he was out of practice....but if he had rocked that #45 during the 2nd 3-peat that analogy would be trash. But he did drop a double nickel on yo NYC boys rocking the #45......lets not forget that.
Wow, I didn't know this conversation was still going on. It took me a lil minute to get caught up..I C U Nim...
Nim, way to break it down. BKB, you STAY missing (or completely ignoring) the point.
Old rappers don't just hinder new rappers, they hinder rap in general by causing the artists and fans to be dependent on them instead of finding BETTER new talent. Old geezers like Jay-Z are way past their prime, yet people keep looking to them as a break from the norm of bullshit music. They are NOT the answer. It's time for new talent (like Jay Rock, Nipsey Hussle, Crooked I, Glasses Malone, etc.) to take over music and let the old heads retire.
{{-_-}}
I agree with Bigup, Nimrod, and Brooklyn B. Yall all make good points. I agree that hip hop needs something exciting and new, like when the NBA drafts new exciting players. I also agree with the fact that the NBA, although you can compare it to any business such as Music, it has different properties. With sports its but so long you play since it is wear and tear on the body and after awhile you get old and you can't move as fast or jump as high, like the younger guys coming in. Music, does not possess those same properties. It does not have a real age limit, it grows with the fans. If Prince, Madonna, and U2 can still be relevant and they are all in their 50's, who is to say that you cannot be relevant in Hip Hop in your 50's? We have to stop selling hip hop short and saying that it is a young man's game. Says who? Why hip hop has to be young? why can't hip hop mature like all other genres of music? Hip Hop is getting older, so it does have an older demographic now. People that fell in love with Hip Hop when they were younger are now in their late 30's and early 40's. I don't think Jay has to retire until he is ready because there is still a market for him. I just think that if he is going to stay in the game then he has to be musically prolific like a Prince or Madonna. Prince and Madonna you can tell that music runs through them and they always feel they can do better. Jay-z has not done it all! Arrogance will make you feel like Hip Hop has accomplished more than you think! No Hip Hop artist has ever done it on the level of Prince and he is still going. No Hip Hop artist ever did it on the level of MJ, Madonna or a U2! So I feel like Hip Hop has more to accomplish, we just gotta stop selling it short.
if these old rappers have to retire, how about the fans? If Nas and Jay z can retire, i wont listen to rap anymore
u guys are wildin, hov can be the hip hop tony bennet for all i care, i'll still support as long as he got dope beats and rhymes i'm copping
Content! It's like you guys only read half of the article.
We all know Jay-Z should retire but greed will never allow it. Greed of the 10 million dollars he makes everytime an album comes out and the automatic one million records he will sell. Get over it.
Realistically these "up and coming" rappers dont have what it takes. Jay-Z made it talking about crack...50 made it talking about gangsta.
Again I stress content. The article claims "gangsta has become less relevant." Well what is the new gangsta?
P.S. It obviously aint that Lupe