Anyone who listens to Hip-Hop has a favorite group from the past or present and many have a favorite song. Many things have changed over the years about Hip-Hop and I’m sure most of you have noticed some of these changes. First and fore most the type of effort that artists put into their instrumental beats that anyone with a big stereo system loves. Most of today’s artists will simply go online and search for bits and pieces of different types of beats. Then throw them all together to make the best sound they can but imagine how much work Old School artists would put into their sound. It would blow your mind. And this is probably one of my favorite things about Old School. If they wanted scratching from a mix-table they would have their DJ do it and record it. If they wanted a guitar or any drums in the background they would have someone play those instruments. The time that they took to make this was incredible, but they would do it with such ease that it just became a second nature to them.
Also, artists today are a lot more violent in their songs. Not to disrespect Lil’ Wayne, but one can hardly hear a song without him saying anything about him being a Blood, or Snoop Dogg being a Crip. Nobody knows exactly how all of this started. It just started uprising through the roots of good music and became something that none of us are able to control. All Hip-Hop is music that started as something much more than wanting to get famous and see your name up in lights. It was never about the fancy cars, the huge houses, and especially not for the money. It all started because artists wanted to tell stories. That’s where I think people lose sight of the real starting point of this wonderful genre of music. No one just woke up and started rapping. It took time to grow into what it is today, and I only hope it keeps growing.
Back in the day, Run-D.M.C was absolutely outstanding. They were a great group that consisted of three amazing men: Joseph “Run” Simmons, Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, and Jason “Jam-Master Jay” Mizell. If you have not heard of them, here are a few albums you might want to check out: Run-D.M.C., King of Rock, Tougher than Leather, Down with the King, and Crown Royal. Another great group was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Although they only produced two albums out of their short but wonderful career, they made a major impact.