Recent releases by popular artists such as Jadakiss, Master P, Kanye West, David Banner, and Jay-Z have dealt with issues such as police harassment, terrorism, religion, materialism, and dead beat dads. All of these artists have publicly expressed that as they've grown as people, their lyrics reflect as much. In Jay-Z's video "99 Problems" there's a shot of him getting assassinated, which he says is a metaphor for the death of his old persona. In addition to the aforementioned artists, "Murder Mase" has returned, but on a totally positive vibe and he has renounced his past lifestyle. Are we looking at a new phase of conscious hip hop in the mainstream? Mind you, conscious hip hop never disappeared and even "gangsta" rappers such as W.C. and Mobb Deep have always been more complex than their radio hits appear. But as noted above, the corporate record labels respond to demand so they'll focus on whatever they think will sell.

 

Their ultimate goal is to make money so consumers have more power than we realize. Hip hop's last positive phase was in the late eighties. For those familiar with hip-hop history, the late eighties and early nineties is romanticized as a "Golden Era," due in part to the socially conscious lyrics of A Tribe Called Quest, Boogie Down Productions, Heiroglyphics, and even Ice Cube. People sported Malcolm X hats, wore African medallions, and Kid Frost penned an anthem for "La Raza." it was easy to find people who wore African medallions but thought Africa was a country or couldn't tell you anything about Malcolm X except how to spell his last name. A few artists such as Paris, Pubic Enemy, and Queen Latifah moved beyond music and dealt with financial advising, technology, and management. However, this phase was quickly overshadowed with the rise of artists such as Snoop Dogg, Onyx, Wu-Tang Clan, and the Notorious B.I.G.

 

While many were skilled artists, their subject matter began to emphasize more violence, sexism, and materialism than the past. Current artists such as T.I., Nelly, and David Banner are known for their work fixing up houses, registering bone marrow donors, and supporting higher education, respectively. They understand the power of being celebrities, but they'll ultimately respond to the market.

Dr. Dre remarked many times that he's tried to make positive records but the only thing that makes him money is gangsta rap. Image definitely sells so artists will often be as negative or positive as we allow them to be. Mind you, life isn't one long political rally and violence, sexism, and materialism are all parts of our reality. Partying, relationships, anger, and intimate relationships can all be a healthy part of life, but with a lack of context and balance they tend to reinforce negative stereotypes and glorify destructive behaviors. Beyond making catchy beats and hooks, do performers such as Cash Money, Nelly, or Lil' Kim really bring anything special to the table? While very few would be against a positive trend in music, we also have to be mindful of what are the benefits of this trend beyond filling the pockets of record company executives.

How do we move beyond rhetoric and clever lyrics to really make changes? While we may not have the same power as these artists, we can definitely play an active role in hip hop's development, as well as the development of our community. That discussion, of course, is worthy of several writings, well beyond the scope of this one. But in the meantime, we can let our wallets do the talking and remind the corporations and artists that we as fans dictate trends, and not the other way around. We just have to know what exactly it is that we want.