(Edward Federinko, professional scumbag and enabler of weak youth.)
People have been
debating for quite some time on whether Hip-Hop music is dead or not. I have been asked on numerous occasions and I
always thought it wasn’t a simple yes or no answer. First of all I don’t consider music with
mainstream distribution from Drake and Lil’ Wayne to be hip-hop. That statement goes without saying to most of
you reading my blog but must be put out there to be very clear when I am
talking about hip-hop music. I truly
feel that music is a direct reflection on where society is at that time. Just do a brief look into the “hippie”
movement of 70’s and the rock music that was produced in that decade. Unbelievable radical soul and rock that
embodied the young people that protested with it. The 80’s that had some very fun and light
R&B and pop music that was just fun to dance to and listen to; hey why not
everyone had money when Reagan was around. (Even though we all know now that it
is a huge reason we’re experiencing serious financial issues now, that are a
whole different discussion though.)
The 90’s that was transitioning into
this very aggressive “Gangster Rap” genre that was talking about some very
intense injustices that were going on at that time. I know I’m speaking in generalities here but
just an example of look at what is going on in the world and you’ll find music
doing more than imitating its surrounding.
I think we must keep this in mind when making statements about current
hip-hop being dead.
Reality TV that
offers almost zero substance of any kind and takes in almost most cases no
talent or ability to become literally defined a “star” with great financial
gain and fame. Our government is filled
with ignorance and more people are out of work and making less money than they ever
have in their lifetimes. Education in
our country has become an absolute joke.
Teachers are underpaid, students have very little standards to be held
accountable to and very little movement is happening to produce an environment
where young people are being presented with lofty goals and being
challenged. More people are worried
about being sued or simply just not caring in the first place than actually
providing change. It’s the system that
is truly broke, hell even teachers are being punished for sending students to
the office anymore because they are now a business and can’t be spending time
with students who misbehave. My high
school Principal, Edward Federinko, is a criminal. His title should have been called CEO of
Norwin High School, not Principal. He
didn’t care about anyone; he cared about money and his ego. New facilities, new equipment, new deals,
higher enrollment numbers meant more money from the federal and state
levels. Notice how helping young people
doesn’t really fit into that goal. These same facilities are not even allowed to
be used by the tax payers who helped support it.
Traditional families
are now working longer hours and multiple jobs to just support the “American
Dream.” More kids are growing up under the tutelage of the Jersey Shore cast
then they are their own parents. Less
neighborhood football games and basketball games are being played across the
board that’s a fact. I can’t remember
the last time I was in a car and had to slow down while the local kids moved a
hockey goal off the road or stop their football play so the car can pass. That was every day when I grew up. More children than ever are growing up in the
fast food drive thru’s and eating that same meal in front of the tv than seated
at the dining room table with a home cooked meal and having a solid discussion
on current events.
So why in the world
would we expect anything different from our music outlets? It’s the same thing happening there as
well. I can’t tell you over the last
decade how little number of hip-hop really moved me or inspired me compared to
the grand number of hip-hop that I absolutely spit at and couldn’t listen to
for a second. Yes Wiz Khalifa, you’re in
that group. Yes Mac Miller, you’re a
weak human being. Yes a million other
acts aren’t even worth naming. I really
only was forced to name those two acts since I live in Pittsburgh and am forced
to see a blind following that is very undeserving but does make since if you
look at their fans. They are the weak
kids that aren’t into anything. They are
the adults who are going through midlife crisis and hate their jobs but go buy
the bar out every weekend in an attempt to blow off steam. So yes shitty people will love shitty music. I hope that makes you happy. Being a whore to the music industry is
nothing new but there are artists who have refused to be pimped and are
absolutely flourishing because they have the vote of the strong. Immortal Technique has shown that if you have
a good product and do it right, you don’t have to have major distribution behind
you to be relevant. So is hip-hop music
dead? No, it’s there you just have to
find it and research. Which is something
most people do not want to do with anything, they want it given to them, they
want it now, they want it faster and they want it in excess. So yes it makes sense why our hip-hop music
options are becoming more watered down than the lies our politicians feed
us. You know how all that changes? By us as a society changing our
standards. Only time will tell which
direction it will go. As long as
American Terrorists like Mitt Romney are on TV speaking, it doesn’t look
promising.
DJ M.G.
