There is something very wrong with Hip-Hop...

...And it's not hip-hop.

Before we get started, these views reflect ALL CITY BOSS DARK NIGHTS opinion ONLY!)

It's erroneous and misleading to state that the song's that dominate the radio waves today are a part of a Hip-Hop subculture known as "party" or "dance" music. This "garbage" has no place in hip-hop now, and it definitely wouldn't have had a place in hip-hop 10, 20, or 30 years ago. From hip-hops inception, all songs that fell into the "dance" category were still of substantial lyrical value. Not on the level of a "Keep Ya Head Up" by Tupac Shakur, or "Shadowboxing" by the Gza & Method Man, but they weren't incoherent globs of trash masquerading as music.

"An' then, there's rap critics, they say all I make is "dance music"/

But to almost anything you could dance, stupid!/"

These two bars, from Joe Budden, from his memorable record "Whatever It Takes", just about sums it up. Quite possibly, the two most famous songs in hip-hop, "The Message", & "Beat Street Breakdown" by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, were danced to, at every block party in New York City from the time they were released, to this very day. These songs were conscious, hard hitting, they were even political, but they were still danced to. Public Enemy's politically charged, hardcore, boom bap masterpieces, were also danced to, and marched to, by everybody and anybody who had an interest in hip-hop, as well as social issues. There are numerous instances of Gang Starr records, that were played during parties, and high level events in the tri state area. There are countless DMX records that were all over the radio and treated as "party" songs, but still hit hard because of Mr. Simmons passion. Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Souls Of Mischief, all spit over funky, jazzy, alternative, classy beats, that could be categorized as "dance" music, yet the lyrical content of these legendary groups have been matched by very few, throughout hip-hop history.

The earliest songs of KRS-ONE, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Godfather of gangsta rap Kool G-Rap, and Slick Rick all had what can be considered beats that inspired to move there body, but again, the lyrical content hasn't been duplicated up until this point in hip-hop. Redman, arguably the most underrated MC in history, had spat over a plethora of funky, George Clinton style beats, and has always considered himself, someone who knows how to move a crowd. The same goes for his partner in rhyme, and Wu Tang Member, Method Man. Pharoahe Monch, another ridiculously underrated MC, and in my opinion one of the best to ever pick up the microphone, had a worldwide smash with Simon Says, and he tore it down lyrically, not sacrificing himself, for the radio.

Wu Tang Clan, Biggie, Nas, Big L, Jay-Z & the Rocafella camp, Lost Boyz, Big Pun, Outkast, and the list goes on, all have made "dance" records, that have been lyrically dope, I will repeat, lyrically dope.

The "ringtone" rap era is most certainly what the last half decade can be labeled as. Although corporate infiltration in hip-hop began almost 25 years ago with Run DMC & Adidas, this corrosive force has become out of control within this period. The CEO's, Presidents & Directors of all MAJOR record labels, are connected to an elite, and powerful group of individuals that have laid out an agenda, which dominates all aspects of world culture, especially, entertainment & the media. All forms of music, especially music that was birthed from struggle, have been infiltrated, corrupted, poisoned, exploited, and then mass marketed to unsuspecting youth. It happened with soul, it happened with jazz, it happened with blues, it happened with rock & roll (no, white people did not create rock & roll), and now it has happened with hip-hop. And what has been done to hip-hop, may be the worst example of them all. Hip-Hop was targeted for destruction because of it's unifying ability to captivate masses upon masses of people who have been oppressed by the aforementioned elites, from all walks of life. So just like the CIA & FBI created COINTELPRO to eliminate all forms of anti government resistance, mainly, black & latino organizations, the CEO's of the music industry concocted an idea to eliminate creativity, militancy, resistance, make an exuberant amount of money, dumb down the people & to de-masculinate black men by feminizing hip-hops fashion (see murses, & skinny jeans).

This idea farmed a new culture within hip-hop known as ringtone rap. And there is NOBODY that can deny the influence that this musical travesty has over both suburban, and ghetto youth today. So just because you take an urban, synthed sounding instrumental, stick a couple "ghetto" men over it, who rhyme words in rhythm with the instrumentation, it doesn't make it hip-hop music. Hip-Hop is not just a form of music, it's an entire culture, that was birthed from soul, rock and roll, jazz, blues, and the oppression and living conditions that were forced upon it's creators.

Hip-Hop is made up of 4 elements, with an un-official fifth.

1. MC'ing

2. DJ'ing

3. Graffiti

4. Break Dancing

5. Beat Boxing (Which has evolved into production today)

People engaged in these five elements to get away from the violence that was bred in there communities by corrupt police, and U.S. intelligence officials. Instead of picking up a gun, or a knife, and thing's turning violent, people would use hip-hop to solve there disputes, and to maintain peace in the community. This beauty has been completely and totally eradicated by what we are fed today.

To conclude, I will reiterate the few points that were made here.

First of all, this bullshit on the radio, IS NOT HIP-HOP, IT'S NEVER BEEN HIP-HOP, AND IT NEVER WILL BE HIP-HOP.

Second of all, dance has always existed in hip-hop this is true, but it has existed as a form of resistance, and later on, as a means for a good time, but never interfering, damaging, or subtracting from the lyrical content of the MC that encouraged the dance.

Thirdly, the trash on the radio serves an elite agenda, and it must be rejected at all costs.

And finally, a note to my partner in blogging Chris, the writer of the "Nothing is wrong with hip-hop" article, the songs that you mentioned, are not hip-hop, and were never considered a part of hip-hop (other than California Love), than anyone other than the mainstream media, i.e. BET, VH1, MTV, etc.

These songs were pop songs, and nothing more. (Miami, Baby Got Back, Can't Touch This etc.)

I'd like to end this post, with 10 examples, of songs made SOLELY to make your body move at a party, or club, or wherever you may be, that were all top charting songs, that didn't sacrifice the lyrical content within the record.