News
Simon Reynolds Claims Hip-Hop is "At Death's Door"
Simon Reynolds, author of the excellent Rip it Up and Start Again and Energy Flash, has penned a piece about the death of hip-hop for the Guardian. Reynolds’ piece was inspired by a near-identical article by Sasha Frere-Jones in the New Yorker, which was published at the end of October. "I read it and couldn't find a thing to disagree with," writes Reynolds.
Unfortunately, Frere-Jones has subsequently back-peddled on his stance, saying he didn’t believe that hip-hop was dead (in this piece). But these words from the original article tend to suggest otherwise: “If I had to pick a year for hip-hop’s demise, though, I would choose 2009, not 2006.” So what is Frere-Jones saying? It’s not clear, and Reynolds spends a decent amount of time defending him, which seems like a waste of effort considering the original author's stance is somewhat muddled.
Both these articles have a whiff of old school music journalism about them, harking back to a time when a handful of critics could declare genres dead or alive and actually play a major role in shaping people’s tastes. Unfortunately for Reynolds and Frere-Jones, those days are long gone—the time when a critic could make sweeping statements about genre and actually have an affect have disappeared down the plughole with most of the print media.
Hip-hop has gone through good and bad patches, and while 2009 might not be a vintage year, it’s far too early to call time on the entire genre. Reynolds skirts some highly dubious territory at the end of his piece, saying hip-hop “maintains a deadlock on the musical imagination (and personal ambitions) of Black American youth,” which is the kind of tired, sensationalist, comment-baiting statement that a writer of his caliber should really be above.
[via The Guardian]
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Sweeping statements are dead.
Yippie Kai YAAA!
Tabby and Friends
Liar! Hip hop will neva die!
Tabby and Friends
Hip-hop has been the only consistently commerically viable genre that was still viable in the 90s. Hence, it's been exploited to preposterous levels like grunge in the 90s or hair metal in the 80s.
Hip-hop is dead. Long live hip-hop.
2009 hasn't been that bad--Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. II was damn good.
Hip hop will never die, because it 's more than about the music ,it ;s really a movement. If anything it has grew and is still an effective force in the music industry. You just gotta have an ear for real hip hop.
D Boz
2009 wasn't bad at all; mainstream-wise maybe, but there were still a few decent bigger records and a slew of good underground albums.
From Simon Reynolds' 2001 piece on Cannibal Ox:
"El-P's the anti-bling king, with an approach to sound that equates 'independent' with "f*cked.'"
From Simon Reynolds' 2001 piece on Cannibal Ox:
"El-P's the anti-bling king, with an approach to sound that equates 'independent' with 'f*cked.'"
I have to say Cannibal Ox's "The Cold Vein" felt like the last truly epochal hip-hop record. I can't believe it was eight years ago...There have been some good records since then and more than a few great tracks, but nothing that felt so next-level like The Cold Vein. cLOUDDEAD's "Ten" and "One Word Extinguisher" by Prefuse 73 were the only records since then that I think are worthy of comparison.
I disagree with you, MFB, but I don't feel like listing all the reasons why.
"I disagree with you, MFB, but I don't feel like listing all the reasons why."
Sounds like you took a page out of the Simon Reynolds book of rhetoric.
OH BURN!!!
Hahaha, fiiiiiiiiiine. I just think there are a lot of great albums that are up there with Can Ox's; like El-P's 'I'll Sleep When You're Dead.'
MFB or Misled Foolish *****, might like to talit but, he def dont walk it Prefuse 73, aint Hip Hop you dimwit, nor Cloudead, although, Dose is nice, they are other music genres who sometimes make Hip Hop orientated music. There are a ton of albums that, have come since, but obviously mr litterate (purposely mis-spelt, jus for u), went to uni in the 2000's n felt hip about hop, not Hip Hop. when ur qualified to add a comment on OUR culture, i'll eat my bell end. DICK
Keef Vans