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I know some of you will hate me for this and I that some of you probably know most of what i'm about to say, but i simply have to do it for those who don't. I wrote many posts supporting hip-hop whenever it was discussed/bashed on these boards, and this is another one of them. So if you care... read.
Hip-hop music has made a big contribution to the music as a whole. It all started off as something that everyone with a mic and dmx machine could make, and is now a million dollar industry. However, in the late 90s hip-hop culture got to its peek and with this came all the side effects: lack of dedication, garbage material, club bangers, real em cees substituted by no talent em cees with raspy voices, and of course every teeny bopper feeding off of it. In other words, due to the fact that hip-hop hit the mainstream and due to the fact that the white youth was feeling the style, hip-hop became commercial. It still dominates the charts, it still produces new artists, however MAINSTREAM HIP-HOP IS GARBAGE. No real issues are discussed, public wants to dance rather than listen to real delivery. This is all swell, since hip-hop started off as a party movement, but it also had a serious side to it with positive and negative messages. This serious side was there from the get-go because this was a black form of music and it originated from black ghettos. These messages have disappeared and have been replaced by annoying catch phrases and flashy wordplay that has very little, if any, meaning at all. When Kool Mo Dee battled Busy Bee in the early 80s and gave the people the "lyrical" em cee instead of the "crowd rocker", he sure as hell didn't intend for the music to be solely marketed as a x-rated party genre 20 years later. But this is what has happend. You can't blame the artists without blaming the public too. Hip-hop aritst happen to be some of the poorest and most deprived of all musicians out there. Many of them struggle through the underground scene making good music their whole careers. However, when they are given a chance to make some money.. they can't pass it up. Then they make that club song that the public responds like crazy to.
However, there are artists within the mainstream who manage to make good music and find success. Christopher "The Notorious BIG" Wallace was one of them. Tupac Amaru Shakur was one of them too. They both passed away, but they were replaced (at least physically) by other good artists. Wu Tang clan is still good when they get together (Besides Method Man's last release), The Roots always put out good music, Kanye West has made a classic with his 2003 debut College Dropout, Nas makes great records still, and Ghostface is the master of the flow.
But, if you really want to listen to good hip-hop music and really experience how it felt when it wasn't so commercial.. then turn to the underground. Artists like Atmosphere, MF Doom, Masta Ace, Immortal Technique, Brother Ali, 7L & Esoteric, Vakill, Cormega, J-Live, Murs, Ed OG, Dead Prez, Cunninlynguists and etc.
Since EDM is production-oritented community, check out the beats by underground hip-hop producers. Pete Rock is outstanding. Madlib is wicked (Madvillain - Madvillainy check the album out). Also, ANT (of Amtosphere) check out the production quality on Brother Ali's "Shadows Of The Sun" it's crazy!
Really, there is so much stuff out there that is so good. You just have to look for it.
You can bash me now. 
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I needed to believe in something
I need you to believe in something
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