What is Real Hip Hop?

Well, there are people who complain daily about there not being ‘real’ Hip Hop and some may feel justified in stating so, BUT, it’s ALL relative! As universal as Hip Hop is, there are so many different Flavors of Hip Hop that there CAN’T be a definitive definition of the term ‘Real Hip Hop’, despite constant back and forth conversations on this very topic. You can sit 12 people in a room of similar backgrounds and ethnicities and there may never be a constant definition according to everyone in a room. It’s too subjective and based on opinion not necessarily facts….

I’m a bonafide ‘Old School’ New York Hip Hop head who grew up on the lyricism of artists like Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, Ice Cube, Scarface, MC Lyte, Paris, I can go on and on about hearing the sweet science of putting words together and phrasing them in a way that would give you a history lesson in ‘How to Effectively Rap’ over beats and music and you’d be amazed how these young people were able to take something that seemed simple and made it lyrically appealing. It was pure poetry in ways that poets couldn’t understand nor explain and they never needed to. For me, growing up in an era where it was about how you wrote words to a track, they way you said it and how effective it was over that rhythm made it a skill that wasn’t afforded many songwriters, even today, couldn’t/can’t match and we labeled that Real Hip Hop.

Fast forward to today, lyrics have taken a backseat like a drunk passenger riding home in an Uber vehicle! But does what a 20 year old listening to today make it that much less ‘real’ because they are embedded in an era where it’s more about the hook and drug culture/strip club/ratchet mentality that invades the airwaves today? We can’t and shouldn’t take away from his meaning of ‘realness’ based on what the culture dictates today. As the phrase goes, it is what it is! We can’t and shouldn’t discount anyone else’s meaning of ‘Real Hip Hop’ because it doesn’t match our definition!

Just like anything else in culture throughout the years, there will and should be changes. Hip Hop is STILL the strongest, best and arguably, the most influential genre today and it’s because of different people’s perception of what ‘Real Hip Hop’ signifies to them. Despite the constant argument about Hip Hop being good, it’s lasted longer than Polka, Disco and you’d be pressed to find any other genre that has the stranglehold it has on commercialism.

So, ‘What is Real Hip Hop?’, that answer lies within each and every one of us and will be debated for years to come.

Props to VJ Ralph McDaniels and Video Music Box……

RICK ROSS SETS DEC. 4^th RELEASE FOR BLACK MARKET, NEW ALBUM ON DEF JAM RECORDINGS/ MAYBACH MUSIC GROUP!

NEW SINGLE “SORRY” FEATURING CHRIS BROWN EXPLODES AT RADIO AND SHAZAM USA, AS VEVO STREAMS TOP 3 MILLION !

BLACK MARKET FOLLOWS-UP 2014 TANDEM HOOD BILLIONAIRE AND MASTERMIND

(Nov. 3, 2015 – New York, NY) Multi-platinum selling, Grammy®-nominated hip-hop magnate Rick Ross, whose brand new single “Sorry” featuring Chris Brown has turned into one of the fastest growing singles of his career, has confirmed that BLACK MARKET, his third full-length album release in less than two years, will officially arrive in stores December 4^th on Def Jam Recordings/ Maybach Music Group..

BLACK MARKET will be released in two versions, standard and deluxe, the album artwork for both versions was exclusively revealed on Billboard.com.  BLACK MARKET is the follow-up to Ross’ Hood Billionaire, released November 2014, and Mastermind, released March 2014, his fifth career album to debut at #1 Soundscan.

Radio activity for “Sorry” has exploded in the wake of Ross personally premiering the single October 6^th on the nationally syndicated Breakfast Club morning show on Power 105.1 in New York City.  “Sorry” impacted at radio six days later, and was Billboard’s #2 Greatest Gainer at Rhythm that week. Ever since its release, the track has been very reactive in USA tags at Shazam, and advances to #1 this week at USA Future Hits Hip-Hop, and #2 at USA Future Hits. Total combined VEVO streams have topped the 3 million mark over the same period. Ross released the trailer for the upcoming visual for “Sorry” co-starring Chris Brown and Lira Galore, check it out here. Listen to “Sorry” here, and purchase the track at http://smarturl.it/RickRossSorry.

In the lead up to BLACK MARKET, Rick Ross released a stellar mixtape this past summer entitled Black Dollar, which was heralded by critics for his humble and honest wordplay.  Pitchfork exclaimed, “that voice of his, and the way he makes it leap and tremble with joy, can momentarily make you believe anything”; while XXL stated “Rick Ross is on the ascent again.”  To date, Black Dollar has over 1.7 million listens on mixtape site DatPiff.

Hood Billionaire and Mastermind succeeded Ross’ 2012 release, God Forgives, I Don’t, his fourth album to debut at #1 Soundscan, which included top hits “Touch’N You” featuring Usher, “So Sophisticated” featuring Meek Mill, and fan favorite “Diced Pine­apples” featur­ing Drake and Wale.  Ross’ previous best-selling albums include Port Of Miami (2006), Trilla (2008), and Deeper Than Rap(2009), all of which debuted at #1 Soundscan; and Teflon Don (2010).

Chris Rivers is back with a video to his previously released freestyle I Got It Made Featuring Sheek Louch. Directed by Fanasea and produced by Dtaled Films and Airmagintion.