Turn on the radio take a listen
What you're missing/
Personally I'm sick of the ass-kissing/
What I'm kicking to you won't get rotation/
Nowhere in the nation/
Program directors and DJ's ignored me/
Cause I simply said f*#k Top Forty/
And top thirty top twenty and top ten/
Until you put more hip-hop in/
Ice Cube (Turn Off The Radio) circa 1990
I tried...
I mean...I really tried.
Against my better judgement, I tried to listen to the radio for an hour. Too bad I'll never get that hour back. To say that the music on the radio sucks would be an understatement. I'm a hip hip head. And I will be until I'm no longer here. I learned that hip hop aint dead...it's been replaced by rap music. Before you accuse me of being the old dude who won't give way to the new school, let's take a look at the current landscape. Gone are the days when hip hop songs had structure, meaning, or a message. If you listen to the radio, you'll hear something totally different. Every song is about the car of choice, alcoholic beverage of choice, and clothes of choice. So, if you go to the car dealership, the liquor store, and the mall...you'll see where rap is right now.
I don't begrude any artist who is trying to earn a living. I don't hate Souljah Boy. I don't know who Dream is. And I definitely don't know what a Stanky Leg is...and I'm not sure that I wanna know, either. Record executives are to blame. They seem to be more concerned with getting the "next hit" and not artistic development. They have created this "microwave rap" that we hear on the airwaves. And they wonder why people don't buy music any more?
For those who mention Lil Wayne...save your breath. I'll give him credit...he's hot right now. So what? Six years ago, Ja Rule was hot. Where is he now...Burger King? I would advise Wanye and his counterparts to save their money. Years ago, MC Hammer was the richest dude in hip hop. Look at him now. Wayne refers to himself as the "best rapper alive". He may be right about that. He aint no MC...he's a rapper. There's a difference.
Maybe it's just me. Who knows? I dare you to call your local radio station and ask to hear an old song from LL Cool J, Rakim, or Boogie Down Productions. They'll probably act like you're speaking a foreign language. Some may say I'm hating...but it's reality. Look at Ice Cube's lyrics above. He said this YEARS ago. And it's true today. The radio sucks.
And I'll never get that hour back.
Hollatchaboi!
I listen to the radio when I'm in my car! I'm only in my car a total of 20min a week....lol! I agree with you radio sucks but I will say radio in NYC is better than a lot of places! I listen to the lunch time old school mix. Then from 2-6 I listen to Wendy Williams.
ReplyDeleteThe Teacher picked me up from the airport on Sunday and made me listen to The Dream's new cd. I have to admit it was decent! If you can get a boot leg copy grab it!
@ ShellyShell
ReplyDeleteI dunno if the Dream is a dude or a chick. LoL
Or Puffy's barber? LoL
Hey...hope u feelin betta. Next time you'll stay in NYC and outta sunny Florida! LoL
Is this why I get so hyped when I hear old school music like MC Lyte, EPMD, Run DMC, and Public Enemy?
ReplyDeleteI miss the old LL Cool J, "I'm Bad", "Around the Way Girl","Pink Cookies Getting Crushed by Buildings", "Going Back to Cali", I could go on and on....
With that being said. I rock the "stanky legg", rofl
Good job Kyle!
Preach Pastor Preach!!!! I just had the very same convo w/ someone yesterday. I am so effin sick and tired of hearing the likes of Lil Boosie, Webbie, Gucci Mane and the like. That's rap...NOT hip hop. I LOVE music and am pretty much an equal opportunity listener, but some stuff is just to much(i.e. the bird walk, stanky leg, booty do, etc.) I can't tell you the last time I listened to the radio, I just can't take the 'hot mess' that seems to be playing now...maybe I'm getting older, nah that ain't it...I'm getting wiser!
ReplyDeleteSo I guess it's a good thing I'm a bookworm.
ReplyDeleteHey Brother!
ReplyDeleteLOL!! That's why I RARELY even listen to the radio...I'd like to hear my soulful songs with meaningful lyrics myself...BUT no such luck....
I feel you on the radio tip...
ReplyDeletemy antenna broke on my ride years ago, so i stopped listening to the radio then .
I cant say i was a Public Enemy fan. i respected where they came from though and know the significant of there music.
Music has turned into Entertainment...kinda like wrestling.
Lot of these artist seasons out here are short anyhow.
They lack that "timeless" attribute that OutKast, Nas and other great ones have .
I feel you...I stopped listening to the local hip-hop stations here in Philly years ago and went back to listening to "Classic R& B" and Neo-Soul stations. A lot of times when I'm in the ride, I play my mix CD's with my own playlists (Jazmine sullivan, Foreign Exchange,Neo, Beyonce, Jennifer Sullivan, mixed with some Ojays,
ReplyDeleteAl Green, Stevie Wonder,Marvin Gaye
and some Teddy Pendergrass.)
We have a station here or rather a
DJ who comes on late at night and rocks old school Hip Hop-Biggie,
Tupac, Busta Rhymes,Early Foxy Brown, Jay Z and what not..but a lot of nights, I miss it, because I'm asleep.
Oh and just for the record, Dream is a dude!
I was writing too fast..I meant Jennifer Hudson!
ReplyDeleteYeah, Kyle...you kinda do sound like that old dude...but I'ma hafta be old right along witcha because you're totally right. :-)
ReplyDeleteI"m not even a hip-hop head, but I agree that the radio is just awful!!!
ReplyDeleteI only listen to it when I go to visit my family back in Chicago, but when I do hear it, it sucks big time.
Where is music headed???
Kudos to that... I hate the radio and spend a lot of money on cd's just to so I can listen to music that I like to hear...They bangin Lil Wayne and T-Pain down there too, I thought it would be different in other areas of the country but I guess not..here in philly we have a station call 107.9and they play old skool music and neo-soul all day and I'm taling the good stuff...They may have a station down there like it too...
ReplyDeleteThis is why I feel like I'm stuck in the 90's, this music sucks big time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I listen to the radio in the car, I listen for the antics of the radio personality, not the music. I remember the day when I wished they would shut up and play the next song, now I'm hoping the song will hurry up and end so I can get some more entertainment before I have to get out of the car.
2 words for you: Ipod adapter. The radio sucks, and always has sucked. I never heard anything consistently that I would call hip hop on the radio. Back in the day, it was all YO! and Rap City. Now kids don't even have that alternative.
ReplyDeleteBTW.. Lil Wayne as the best rapper alive? The only other rappers alive must be Nelly, Jim Jones and Vanilla Ice. LOL
You would love 107.9 FM (The station Charece is talking about.) That's the station that bangs the old school Hip Hop from the 90's...Especially at night.. That's the station I was talking about, but didn't name.
ReplyDeleteThat is my station, I knew you would know about that one Keith it's a philly thing, er body else need to get wit it!
ReplyDeleteNow u know I had add my two cents on this one. I uTe the radio so much that I broke my car Antenna on purpose. That's just how much I hate the radio. The shit is horrible. I don't know nothin bout turnin my swag on, I don't do the stankin leg and I still don't know what a goon is. The shit they play on the radio gives hip hop music a bad rep. It's no longer about the skills of the artist it's all about their 1 hit and there is nothing after that.
ReplyDeleteLong Live True Hip-Hop
Loved it...I came back and it's like I haven't missed a thing...and you haven't missed a step! BIG KYLE BABY! BABY!
ReplyDeleteBloggin' what's good with it man!!!
I'm in between analytical papers right now and had to bring myself "up from slavery" of school if I even hear about Tuskegee institute in the next month I'm choppig my own foot off!
But I hear you about the radio and I live in Sacramento about as wack as you can get in between the bay and LA so you know radio is dead out here if my cd player dies they are going to have to bury me with it! I thought the ATL was hot on the airwaves?
what about:
"Self esteem makes me super superb and supreme but for the microphone still I fiend" 10 dollars if you can guess where that little gem came from...but if your a true hip hop head you know hit me up and give me the answer.
peace and love!
You're right about this, Kyle. I've started listening to NPR most of the day. At least I feel like it's an hour well spent. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rashan the radio has always sucked. But back in the day, when I couldn't afford CDs, it was the only way I could listen to a lot of stuff. Too bad they play music for money instead of for music.
ReplyDeleteHey, I nominated you for the Lemonade Award on my blog! Check it out if you want to accept:
http://jeremyscorner-grifter.blogspot.com/2009/03/lemonade-award.html
I agree! Radio sucks, and I think NYC Radio is the worst. Same 10 songs every hour, come on give shire to new artist that might be doing some real music.
ReplyDeleteWhen I listen to radio its at Noon, for the old school at noon on any given NY station and then its back to Pandora.
Have you heard LaCrae?
ReplyDeleteSorry I misspelled it. And should have left a link
ReplyDeleteLeCrae
oooooh thats where Ja Rule went? Burger King...lol
ReplyDelete