"Hip-Hop Turns 30" Tate Article

“Happy birthday ‘cultural genocide’!” Greg Tate is passionate regarding what Hip Hop has become over the years. No aspect goes untouched in his 2005 Vibe article titled “Hiphop turns 30 Whatcha celebratin’ for?” After reading this article, I started wondering how we let Hip-Hop slip away. Were the ramifications of shifting from the voice of freedom to the subliminal voice of "the man" ever really considered? Trailblazers and originators did not want this for Hip Hop.
I agree to an extent. Nowadays I feel like we are being spoon-fed garbage too often. Maybe that is why I hardly tune into "Hip-Hop" stations and opt for CDs or an MP3. The body needs sustenance and lately I have been feeling hungry. Political rap artists like Dead Prez hit the nail on the head with “It’s Bigger Than Hip Hop”, but who recalls or even paid attention to more than just the chorus. Had we really listened maybe the path would have shifted to take us where we should have been going all along. Then too, who wants to awaken to harsh realities and fight when sweet dreams of money and pseudo power fill your head. America was built on capitalism. "It's all about gettin' mine," is the meaning behind most songs in today's Hip Hop; whether it is sex, money, cars, etc. Others would argue if Hip Hop did not cross over or become commercialized the culture would have remained underground or maybe died long before now. Commercialism gave Hip Hop permission to be a sounding board for our people regardless of the size of the soapbox. An album with 13 tracks may have one or two purposeful cuts. Commercialism gave Hip Hop the exposure it needed so Public Enemy could fight the power and Jay-Z to become a “business, man”. Hip Hop did not die. It simply evolved.
Even with that said, my heart still longs for old school Hip Hop. Or maybe what I really long for is to revisit my youth when Get Used Jeans and Cross Colours were cool, “Self Destruction” was in heavy rotation, and I felt like the world was filled with endless possibilities.