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KARMA SUITS YA
Hip-Hop is a strange genre of music and, it seems, one that rewards those who have done bad things in the past by way of recognizing ‘realness’ in its artists. With fans clamoring for artists who not only talk the talk but also walked the walk many artists come with a background of real or fabricated hustling, drug dealing and general ‘trife life.’ Of course most people have done things that they regret or at least would rather not have had to do, but the reality is that illegal living is not the glamorous lifestyle many would have you believe. What’s more, it is a common adage that what is done in the dark will eventually come to light. It is such incidents of ‘bad karma’ that can cause an artist to flounder when they try to extricate themselves from the streets.
So many times we see artists in Hip-Hop and beyond caught up in real life drama (word to C Murder, Lil Kim and Shyne) or facing the negative results of their actions (R Kelly?). The things you do with a feeling that your fame will stop you from being touched are sure to come back to haunt you so it is important to balance your life and to remember that those you hurt will be likely to come back to you on your way down (or even before). It is a tough decision to make, as the dollars seem to lie along the route of street based music. Perhaps it is time for fans to stop wanting true to life gangsters on the mic and opt instead for those with the lyrical skills to deliver entertainment and knowledge. Nas’ brand of street reportage is a fine example of one who may not have done all of the things he raps about, but rather someone who drew on experiences that he saw to create a vision of the Queensbridge streets. Rakim too revealed that possibly his most street-based track, ‘Juice (Know The Ledge),’ was a cautionary tale of street life rather than a true-to-life account of what he himself had actually been through in the first hand.

‘Street-Hop’ can be a lucrative art but the real street life is a dangerous game to play and one that has seen many of our rising stars fall by the wayside so when you embark on your career it is worth deciding how far you want to go with your ‘realness’ in order to sell units. Know The Ledge - the realities are really ‘real.’
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MUSICAL FORM
Modern music’s D.I.Y. ethic has created a strange situation where there are many artists without knowledge of music itself. Some feel that their ignorance of things such as how to read music has been help, with Timbaland being an obvious example as he once stated that he did not want to learn in case it hurt his way of producing.
But step back a little and you will see that most artists use an at least rudimentary knowledge of music in order to succeed. Prince has had a long and successful career based on his ability to play many instruments and the undoubted insight it has given him. Taking it away a step to DJs and it is a fact that while many may be able to beat-match if the tracks you are mixing are in opposing keys the result will sound like a catfight. A basic knowledge of notation, timing and musical keys may sound much less exciting than simply setting up your equipment and letting loose but it will pay dividends in the end as the music you create will be better for it. Even down to an understanding of bars for an MC it is important to be able to communicate with other artists and producers in a language that gets your point across clearly.

While you don’t need to be like Mozart such skills will prove to be worth learning if you are serious about your craft.
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COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN
Hip Hop music once existed in a sphere of being an underground music, a fad that would soon pass. Of course the "fad" didn't die but instead it grew through the course of the 80s and 90s until it became arguably the largest single popular music form in the world. The influence of Hip Hop is everywhere, from other genres of music to fashion, advertising, computer gaming and beyond it is clear that Hip Hop has, for many millions, become an all pervasive aspect of 21st Century life. Not bad for something that began at parties in the Bronx. Many pioneers of the earliest days of Hip Hop have seen little of the financial rewards that have been given to many of those they influenced, however, this piece is not about the financial differences between the old school and now but about the artistic differences. That is, the creative environment that artists found themselves in. 
 
Similarities are clear as there was poverty then as there is now, there was racism and there was a wish to elevate through the music. However, where the earliest musical elevation amounted to local fame and a few dollars this can now be translated to international acclaim and millions of dollars in record sales, endorsement deals, clothing lines and so forth. The rewards have certainly grown but, one can argue, so has the pressure on artists to deliver - and not the pressure of your peers to see you rock a crowd, that will always be there. Record companies are investing heavily in Hip Hop via expensive videos, production costs and so on and they expect a return for their money. As anyone with even a passing knowledge of the music business knows these costs are generally recoupable against the artist's sales, you are borrowing the money, but for the label it is still as risk to invest their money in an artist. The record companies have to decide where they will put their cash and while the independent route has made it easier for labels to track trends, by letting the artists create their own scenes before jumping on the bandwaggon with a contract and promises, the label's decision can lead to artists feeling pressure over what they record. It seems that with the growth in potential rewards and attention the creative process has been stifled as labels look to mimic the successes and sales that their competitors enjoy. This is not a new phenomenon, as Hip Hop blew up labels scrambled to sign their own acts to fit whatever trends were hot. The difference is that nowadays Hip Hop's dominance has led to more interest in what it does leaving less and less space for styles to develop and mature before being exposed to the masses. 
 
As a general musical style Hip Hop had many years to develop and grow before it was thrust into the spotlight. This meant that it developed it's own set of rules and regulations, stylistic signatures and codes and in having done so made it more difficult for the music business to infiltrate and change it's core. But the fear is for how long movements inside Hip Hop can remain underground enough to develop to the point where they are ready to be more than just flash-in-the-pan fads open to exploitation. It is clear that Hip Hop's growth to a commercial multi-million dollar industry has broken down some of the space for creativity. Despite this bleak view there is hope for the growth of the shoots of Hip Hop's new directions with many independent labels and self-promoting artists ignoring the trends that the major labels pursue to instead push their own artistic agenda. Yes, the majors will notice and often try to incorporate these growing facets into the latest release by their own acts as they become fashionable, but this will seldom hurt the real grassroots movement. The other breath of fresh air comes from the appointment of the truly Hip Hop savvy to postitons of power in the music industry, it is just a question of how much real power these names hold as to how far they can influence what hits the stores. It is a matter of time to see whether the commercial influences on Hip Hop's creativity will continue to break down the pioneering spirit embodied by the old school or if the independent movement and the growing Hip Hop presence in the boardroom will reverse the trend...
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WHO IS HIP-HOP?
There is an oft repeated mantra that "I am Hip Hop" but what makes someone Hip Hop?
 
Is Hip Hop buying and wearing baggy jeans, Timbs and an over-sized T? No, that's just shopping and fashion.
 
Is Hip Hop cutting and beat juggling on two turntables? No, that's just DJing which can and does go outside of Hip Hop.
 
Is Hip Hop writing your name on a train or wall? No, that's simply graffiti which in itself is not the sole domain of Hip Hop.
 
Is Hip Hop spitting 16 bars on the mic? No, rapping does not autmatically get you a pass to being Hip Hop.
 
Is Hip Hop about being an African American under 30? Certainly not, Hip Hop goes beyond such restrictive racial, age and geographical lines.
 
Is Hip Hop popping, locking or b-boying? No, that's dance which again does not give you an automatic Hip hop qualification.
 
Is Hip Hop about being 'gangsta?' No, gangsters existed before Hip Hop and many do their business outside of the confines of the culture.
 
Is Hip Hop using certain slang? No, that's semantics and from the wrong mouths it simply sounds contrived.
 
We could go on, but chances are you get the idea. No one thing makes you 'Hip Hop' while even participation in the traditional elements of Hip Hop do not guarantee a pass. Hip Hop is more than a racially closed 'urban' tag. Hip Hop is more than fashion, music, dance and art. Hip Hop is about an attitude, a lifestyle and a culture. To be Hip Hop is to maintain the status in a suit or a ballgown, at a business meeting, picking up welfare, driving a car, walking down the street or whatever else you may do day to day. While you can buy the commodities of the culture you cannot buy into becoming a personification of Hip Hop. Hip Hop knows no boundaries of class or race. Hip Hop can grow and thrive as well in Africa or Britain as in the U.S.A. To be Hip Hop is not a facade, a front, it is within you, and fakes will not pass. You can feel it in everything you do and those around you will see it. Hip Hop is as Hip Hop does, regardless of what or where that may actually be. 
 
Are you Hip Hop?
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POVERTY AND PROPS
It's official, within Hip Hop it seems that being poor is keeping it real. How many times have you heard that an artist has sold out as soon as they manage to get the sort of success that allows them to live comfortably? For all of the "get rich or die tryin'" rhetoric it seems that we don't really like to see our stars shining. Living in a mansion with a fleet of luxury vehicles and eating the best food while drinking on the most expensive cognacs seems better left as a dream in the minds of the image-conscious keeping-it-real consumer. Instead the 'realest' lyricists seem to be those who proclaim to be living the street life and facing poverty, crime and drama on the daily. Never mind that very few are actually living like this, it is more about speaking to and in many more cases glorifying a picture of bleak urban life. The downside being that, for an MC who comes up spitting about hustling to eat, to actually achieve the goal of making it to a better life undermines the status as spokesperson for the people, even if the people they move most units to happen to be middle class whites in the suburbs. Hip Hop, it seems, is stuck on poverty and this is not just confined to the gritty portrayer of Street-Hop. It seems that for an artist to maintain their props they have to be seen as struggling, or at least having been through the struggle.
Of course many Hip Hoppers have witnessed a struggle and come from poverty-ridden backgrounds, something that is seen clearly through the very culture of Hip Hop. To get a record company advance can seem like having 'made it' and rather than invest any money from record sales too many head straight for the jewellers to cop a chain and a watch. This peacock-style flossing is not new, nor is it just restricted to Hip Hop, indeed many working class inspired social movements have had a similar desire to flaunt wealth through clothing and material possessions before thinking of the future. Of course everyone wants to have nice things around them but it is something of a working class bane to blow your riches on material goods in order to show and prove. However in doing so you also set yourself up as a target for selling out. it is little wonder that in order to maintain a sense of credibility too many successful artists will roll with a crew in a manner that will help maintain their street edge. Of course you should not forget your friends and family but is it really a good idea to go to all the same spots you used to while advertising your wealth through expensive consumer goods? OK, so it's keeping it real? So you are proving that you can handle yourself and that you have not changed? All well and good, but don't wonder when someone who is still struggling to eat comes up to rob you. It's simple street economics.  
 
It seems that the way around this problem is to change the mindset of the culture somewhat. Instead of hating on Hip Hop's success stories with claims of selling out perhaps we should embrace the rags-to-riches tales as examples that you can make a better life. We should allow our stars to be true to themselves in whatever situations they find themselves in and remove the pressure to show a thug mentality when either there never was one or it is simply no longer how they need to live. Certainly Hip Hop should accept poverty as a fact of everyday life for many people and should allow their stories to be heard but isn't it about time we stopped constricting people on the basis of their success or otherwise?
 
By Slim
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