How much would you buy hip-hop for?

Hip Hop. It once started as a new way of expressing oneself. It gave a voice to the voiceless. It empowered the disenfranchised and discarded youth by giving them a weapon which they could wield in order to make a positive change in their lives. As Mumia Abul Jamal put it, “the music arises from a generation that feels with some justice that they have been betrayed by those who came before them.” It was a tool for the rebellious; it was synonymous with terms such as revolution and social change. What happens then, when this inherently defiant music becomes the status quo? The commercialization of hip hop in today’s world has in my opinion, both aided and destroyed hip hop. While increased sales have led to more lavish studios leading to bigger and better beats, its artistic integrity has suffered. Cries of revolution and questions of why poverty even exists in a nation as wealthy as America have been replaced with the quintessential question of “Who is Mike Jones?” Because of this I feel that the hip hop industry has essentially sold out by changing what it once stood for to reach a wider audience and make money. Artists, some of which I feel don’t even deserve to bear the name, are guilty of this too. Fifty Cent, when he first came out wrote lyrics that were not only gritty and violent, but they were also witty. In his much publicized feud against Ja Rule, he accused him of making nothing but love songs and ridiculed him for singing on hooks. After effectively ending Ja’s career, Fifty Cent put out singles such as Candy Shop and Just a Lil Bit in which he not only appeals to female fans but also sings on the hooks. I haven’t heard a rapper attempt to sing so much since, well, Ja Rule.