Hip hop's not dead

" Hip hop's not dead, it's just on vacation". A very true line from the song " Say Something" by the infamous hip hop artist Talib Kweli. Now if you are like most people who have been chewing on, listening to, and digesting a flavorless serving of today's pop/ rap music, then I am here to help improve your listening taste buds. I am here to serve you a delicious full course meal of real hip hop music. And this meal comes packed full with the taste and savoring flavors of Talib Kwelli, Common, Mos Def, Lauryen Hill and Lupe Fiasco just to name a few. They are just some of the few true hip hop artists that will leave your ear drums satisfied and hungry for more.

First, let me start of my redefining what hip hop is for those who have been led astray from its true musical roots. Hip hop is a culture. A musical imitation of life. It is comprised of harmonizing beats and lyrics that are meant to move your soul and your body. Meant to uplift your mood, and change your way of thinking. Hip Hop is suppose to be the voice of the people, meant for the people that are suppressed, the people who live off of every dime they struggle to make. Hip Hop is a musical story. And really talented artists have this unique ability to rhythmically connect their words. It's how an artists can pick words and let it fit into the pockets of the beats, and let the words linger on the snare, so it's not just some guy talking on the track.
Common is an excellent artist who writes and speaks quality lyrics. Take Common's song sixth sense, where he reference's people of the past like Langston Hughes and Malcom X. He's direct with his lyrics, but also slips in metaphors about life. Around my way by Talib Kweli, is about how and where Kweli grew up. About real life, that most people can relate too.
Second let me further define the seemingly invisible bridge between hip hop and rap. Hip hop is a culture, rap is a business, which is why you probably wont be able to find a main stream rap song that doesn't mention how much money they have, how many cars they drive or how many hoes they've had.
Now I can't totally knock the main stream hip hop and rap music. Besides the almost numbing and empty and often repetitive lyrics, mainstream music does have some good beats. And I have no shame in saying I enjoy shaking my ass and my moving my body to Lil Wayne or T-pain. And when I've had a long say, it's easy to flip on the radio and seep into the numbing lyrics and the thick vibrations of what is considered popular music. It's catchy and it gets my mind off of things. But unlike real hip hop music main stream is just a treatment, it isn't a remedy to what my heart and soul really needs.
To me, true hip hop is a way of life, there is passion behind every beat and every lyric. It's authentic and raw music that you can feel. That is real hip hop.