My Hip Hop is Alive and Beatin'

I've been in New Jersey for a few weeks and what I've found is the claim that Hip Hop is dead is only speaking in the industry sense. We've gotten so used to astronomical record sales that we've forgaotten how hard it really is to push gold and platinum. In the chase of duplicating past feats, records companies have pimped hard and let some "not so favorable" disasters make whoopie with the radio waves. So much in fact, that younger audiences believe what they're getting is the pure uncut and having no idea otherwise but, whatever I suppose.

All I can say is, I would like to thank the NYC DJ's and the kid New Era for keeping some good music in my life. I could sound like alot of grumpy old dudes and say "classic" Hip Hop but I don't want you to be confused about what I mean. Technically, "Classic Hip Hop Music" would be like KRS One said in Beef, the Bom Diggy Bang Bang rap. You know, the cats with fish net muscle shirts, leather pants and boots (which was fly for the time). But many styles have passed and are now considered classic. What I've heard lately is Styles P feat. Noreaga and Uncle Murda, Raekwon feat. Jadakiss and Styles P, new M.O.P music, Charles Hamilton, Albe Back feat. Fabulous (The cat from New York in the movie ATL) and the list goes on.

It's been good to hear music that's distinctive to a particuliar area of the country. You hear all types of songs from all over the country on Power 105, Hot 97, 98.6 which may be in Jersey (happened to catch it on the fly), and depending if your just west or south of Newark you may also catch a couple of Philly radio stations. The surprising factor is internet radio. There are a number of local internet stations that don't necessarily have to adhere to the playlist bore of some of the big stations. I had the opportunity to check out 999.3 the joynt www.993thejoynt.com in Newark with my fam DJ Ovadoze. He's on from 3-5 Mon-Thurs afternoons. They have a unique broadcast and allow unsigned artist to be heard as well. Watching internet radio being produced was new for me as was the sation manager's attitude towards me being there which I won't discuss at this time.

For whatever its worth to anyone else, in Jersey and across the Hudson in NYC my Hip Hop spirit has been lifted. I've been inspired to put in some late night shifts on the MPC. In fact, I haven't turned it off in three days because I don't want to miss a note that passes through the brain. I enourage you to go to You Tube or www.RapBasement.com and checkout the cats I mentioned and SPREAD THE WORD!