From His HHG BlogGreetings to the ten people who still practice the lost art of what earthlings call reading. From henceforth you shall be known as my comrades. And I, as your informer, shall report to you every week the goings on of this culture we call hip-hop.
Generational Respect - Hip Hop Then & Now
The controversy that Lupe Fiasco brewed up last year over his dismissiveness of A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders seemed like a fluke. I never expected anything like that to happen again.
However, with the advent of newer artists that are finding success within hip-hop, this sentiment seems to be spreading. Rarely, if ever, do we hear a newer artist give props to let's say an EPMD or MC Lyte. For them, hip-hop begins at Tupac and Biggie and works its way down.
Some would say, "Give ‘em a break, Fest! some of these guys are 18-20 years old! Far too young to remember the golden years of hip-hop!" To that I would reply, once you decide to make this your profession, if you are to be taken seriously-it is your duty to understand rap history.
I cannot become a black doctor and feel as though Charles Drew is irrelevant. "Aw, that nigga just did the first open heart surgery!! We got lasers now, nigga!! Fuck yo scalpel!!" Kobe Bryant couldn't be like. ‘Fuck Dr. J!!’ So why should any of us today not have KRS-One's Criminal Minded in our arsenal of knowledge?
That being said, rappers such as The Game have given credit to his greatest inspirations like NWA and Eazy-E, who were pioneers of the type of rap he represents. While on the other hand, many of the so-called hipsters seem to have a grasp on the stylish elements of the music they create, with no historic reference or even appreciation for its rich culture. I guess actually listening to music these days takes too long.
Couldn't agree more with that fourth paragraph.
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