Street Wize News ( Raw &Unkutt )

Man o man these days I feel like my homie from the "Chi" rapper/actor "Common" that I been blessed to know for many years along with his manager and my fellow homie and brother in the struggle Derrick Dudley, when it comes to hip hop (I used to love her). I grew up in an era where it was all about your "GOD" gifted talent and your sincere love for the art form and culture. Artist back then were into pure creativity, skills, and the overall progression of the their craft and the culture itself. What happened to the genuine love of hip hop and the preservation of it? I grew up when hip hop was a way of life and everything we did reflected that, everything from the music we listened to, the clothes we wore, the places we hung out at, the way we talked, the way we walked, the parties, the concerts, the neighborhoods, New York was the Mecca that we all emulated nationwide. We duplicated everything that came out of New York and gave it our own unique flavor and swagger. It was all love and it was all fun, from the break-dancing battles to rap-battles it started and ended with the culture. Hip hop was so beautiful, so different, so original, so pure, so natural, so mesmerizing, so untainted, and so much of the main driving force and influence in urban life. Now hip hop is so manufactured and microvaved, very little authencity and originality. Mostly everything is a carbon copy or off brand of someone else. Today you have a lot of cartoon characters and novelty rappers putting out processed hip hop. It's mostly symbol with no substance with no real meaning to their music. Money always played its part from the start but never to the extent of how it is today. Artist now have sold their souls and integrity for the get rich quick formula and its all about the money and fame not making classic and timeless hits. What happened to the hip hop that fed the soul, touched the heart and mind and made you visiualize and relive every moment as the music blasted through our speakers. The conscious hip hop that kept us informed on all the social and political ills of our communities nationwide and even dealt with racism and religious topics. Hip hop was truly the CNN of the Black Community then exspanded to the surburbs and took on another life altogether. But it was all good because the art form touched millions of other lives and different races and nationalities of loyal fans, then it catapulted into an international phenomonon. I grew up on Sugar Hill Gang, Run-DMC, Kurtis Blow, Afrika Bambaata and The Zulu Nation, LL Cool J., T-La Rock, Ice T, Eric B. and Rakim, BDP, KRS1., The Fat Boys, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Public Enemy, NWA, Marley Marl, DJ Red Alert, Big Daddy Kane, The Juice Crew All stars, Whodini, The Beastie Boys, The Jungle Brothers, Brand Nubians,The Intelligent Hoodlum, Poor Righteous Teachers, Special Ed, Kool G. Rap, Schooly Dee., Just-Ice, Davey D.M.X., EPMD, U.T.F.O., Scarface, Geto Boys, Busy B., Dana Dane, Master Ace, Ice-Cube and Kool Moe Dee to name a few. We had such a wide-range and diversity of hip hop to choose from in our golden era. Then came the next phase which was very unique and creative and to the next level era with such artists as Jay Z., DMX, Ja Rule, Outkast, Goodie Mob, Ludacris, Nelly, K-Solo, Keith Murray, Method Man and RedMan, Snoop Dogg, 2pac, Kam, Da Lench Mob, Common, Mack 10, Master P. and No Limit Records, Rocafella Records, Deathrow Records, So So Def Recordings, and Rap-A-Lot Records and I can go on and on and on. It was all love with my dearest hip hop even amongst the different battles and beefs, the culture still was flourishing now its subpar artists and subpar music. Turn on the radio and its all the same with exception to a hand full of artists. There's about a dozen artist thats very creative and original and trying to take music to another level but the majority is like old mold-infested bread. The Record Companies have largely contributed to the demise of quality and conscious hip hop through out the world. Another form of Master-Slave relations, modern day stepit fetchit. Today its too much buffoonery and self-degrading images within the hip hop genre. O MY "HOW I USED TO LOVE HER" Part 1.