Hip-hop History
One thing that I have noticed that in hip-hop we don't celebrate our history or heritage. Not to say we don't have an understanding of it, but we don't pass it on to the youth the same way as fans of other genres. Rock fans are sure to play classic songs for their kids and their stations have a wider mix of music being played together. When does that happen on urban radio stations? During the mid-day mix and it is usually a commercial friendly song.
The second thing is parents passing the music down. In rock, you have younger generations desiring to be musicians and thus have to learn the old songs as they learn their instrument. In Hip-hop you don't have that same process. Most of the time if your child wants to be a rapper you have no idea until after he or she has been doing it for a while. There isn't the same type of interaction between parent and child. It is also the same when listening to the music. How many parents are actually listening to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx with their child? The first issue is that it is considered something that the kids don't need to be listening to in the first place. Parents aren't going to explain to a 10 year old what is going on in "Heaven or Hell". These are the formative years when a love for the music begins and the future tastes shaped. For the aspiring artist, one gets to see where the music has grown and evolved and what has been done. When this doesn't happen you have a generation which feels that everything that they do is original, no matter how true or not that is.
The solution is to share with the youth, hopefully at an age where they are able to understand the rich history of hip-hop music. To explain to them the meaning behind the songs and let them gain an appreciation for the sound and work that has been put in. It's up to everyone who is a fan of the hip-hop culture to do their best to pass on the history of the music they choose to be apart of.
The second thing is parents passing the music down. In rock, you have younger generations desiring to be musicians and thus have to learn the old songs as they learn their instrument. In Hip-hop you don't have that same process. Most of the time if your child wants to be a rapper you have no idea until after he or she has been doing it for a while. There isn't the same type of interaction between parent and child. It is also the same when listening to the music. How many parents are actually listening to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx with their child? The first issue is that it is considered something that the kids don't need to be listening to in the first place. Parents aren't going to explain to a 10 year old what is going on in "Heaven or Hell". These are the formative years when a love for the music begins and the future tastes shaped. For the aspiring artist, one gets to see where the music has grown and evolved and what has been done. When this doesn't happen you have a generation which feels that everything that they do is original, no matter how true or not that is.
The solution is to share with the youth, hopefully at an age where they are able to understand the rich history of hip-hop music. To explain to them the meaning behind the songs and let them gain an appreciation for the sound and work that has been put in. It's up to everyone who is a fan of the hip-hop culture to do their best to pass on the history of the music they choose to be apart of.
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