Since Nas dropped Hip Hop Is Dead back in 2006, many of the 90s era of rap has tossed in their two cents echoing the sentiment that today’s age of Hip Hop has become too saturated with imitators and not enough innovation.
KRS-One recently made remarks towards the Def Jam label around the time of the Hip Hop Honors which was celebrating Def Jam’s 25th anniversary. Although he stated that the brand has helped to revolutionize rap, it has also been the catalyst in destroying the genre.
“Def Jam is the dopest label in Hip Hop, in the culture of Hip Hop. There really would be no Hip Hop as we know it today if it wasn’t for Def Jam, but you don’t get that respect without also being the label that single-handledly destroyed Hip Hop.”
After such a statement, there seemed to be nobody to counter that statement, not even one rap artist on Def Jam. Their silence seemed to only solidify what he stated.
Members of Triple Cs, however, have not sat well with the words with the Hip Hop legend and have even found sparks of him being a hypocrite. Speaking with Rollingout.com, Torch touched on the older generation calling the game dead, but not keeping in mind the way they initially came in the game.
“To top it all off, it’s like Hip Hop is dead, but when they had their run, the same people that say these things, they be in pictures with AKs. They forget all that now. You need your track record, do your homework and the same record that people are pointing their fingers, you gotta realize, every time you point finger, the other four are point right back at you.”
The picture in question references the album cover to 1987s Criminal Minded with the rapper draped in bullets and holding a firearm, as well as, the 1988 album By All Means Necessary..
He also added that the campaign against new Hip Hop is being lead by those that can’t adapt to the time and are suffering with their own musical projects.
“You notice it’s the people that always say ‘Hip Hop is dead,’ they ain’t got no money.”
The covers in question were actually politically driven and inspired by Malcolm X, but I guess no one really cares about history these days. The time then is similar, but nothing to the time now and people must find a way to realize that.
