Divorcing Hip Hop by Matthew Lynch

Can you remember the first time that you heard a Hip Hop track? Do you remember hearing the treble and bass resonating in your ear drum, creating an auditory intoxication that left you in a euphoric state of mind? I remember when I first met Hip Hop. It was an unseasonably cool day in September. My mother and father had just recently purchased me an A. M. /F.M. Cassette Radio. They allowed me to listen to it regularly, as long as it was played at a reasonable tone. The first cassette that I purchased was Eric B. and Rakim’s, "Paid in Full.” I remember listening to “Clap to This,” and being enraptured by his complex rhyme schemes and his ability to balance both style and substance without comprising.

Hip Hop and I dated for a few years and finally when I heard Nas’s classic LP “Illmatic,” I decided that it was time for me to marry her. The year was 1994, and I was a 16 year old bride groom without enough money to adequately commandeer the necessities of life. But, back then she didn’t care how much bling I had, or the type of car I drove, she only wanted my heart. We had an open relationship, and although I became jealous when I saw her out with other fellows, and enraged when wack emcee’s would defile her name by creating Dr. Seuss rhymes, that can only be described as unimaginative. They were unauthentic, misogynistic, soulless cretins who invariably wanted my wife for selfish reasons. Even though I knew that she was a polygamist, I didn’t care because I loved her.

Nowadays, in order to get next to her, all you need is a gimmick or street credibility. It has gotten to the point were her suitors no longer care about sounding coherent or even rhyming when they talk to her and with the hooks that I have been hearing lately, it is easy to ascertain why hip hop is in a state of decay. Although, Hip Hop purists like Saul, Nas, Talib Kweli, have been bold enough to call a spade a spade and address this issue in their perspective mediums, what have the Hip Hop heads done to combat the poisoning of our bride? Iconoclastic emcee’s like Nas, Mos Def, Common, etc have been forced to play the back for a number of years, being tormented with the decision to stay authentic or crossover into the mainstream. A number of these emcees have resisted this temptation and have become multi-platinum artists on their sheer talent alone. The zeitgeist of the hip hop arena has been marked by fads, bi-coastal rivalries, etc. Hopefully she has learned from her mistakes, and matured now that she is in her early 30’s. CONTINUE