Originally Posted by Stanky Fresh

I get your point and you might be right about option #2 being better...Maybe the game has changed..maybe it is time for the torch to be passed..but it's hard for me to accept that when artists from the old still make good ass music...for example, Q-Tip-The Renaissance..That album was DOPE AS FUCK to me...just funky as all hell...or EPMD-We Mean Business...They were two dope ass albums that came out in the last year from artists that have been doing it since the late 80's...Granted an 18 old kid probably ain't gunna pick them shits up aside from cats that frequent forums and such..but how can you say artists from that era should pack it up when they are more than capable of making great shit...That Tip album especially...I can't get over how fucking good it is and it was a breath of fresh air after hearing Common's bullshit ass album...I almost cried when I heard the beats on that shit....wtf was he thinking?...but back on track...Tip led by example on how to make a great record with lyrical content other than some new dance,or tales of spending drug money on rims....

as you and Blaze stated earlier in this thread it all started to go downhill 97ish with No Limit/Cash Money and Diddy/Mase....I'm not gunna blame the South for what happened cause Diddy was doing the same shit....But a lot of where it went wrong was P flooding the market with a new album every month from his circle of clowns..my friends were like crack addicts when that shit was going on...dudes would be bumpin' Mia X and Mo B Dick like it was the shit because the were hypnotized....and the jacking of beats by Diddy didn't help either....BUT artists did stand up around that time and say it was bullshit...I just don't think the artists have as much influence as they probably should....I think Blaze said it earlier in this thread that the owners of the record labels are the most at fault....They also own the radio stations that play the music and the television channels that play the videos....What can KRS or Rakim do against that?

I don't wanna get all conspiracy theorist on your ass but, is what gets played and the negative things things they teach i.e. be materialistic,disrespect women,sell drugs..all a coincidence? The music put out these days does nothing but keep "urban" youth blind as to whats really important in life...But in the late 80's early 90's Afrocentricity,Empowering,Life Skills,Positivity in songs were what was up...Then this shit started to get REALLY big and it suddenly got dumbed down....Iunno where I'm going with this but um..yeah...Fuck new shit....