What Your Favorite Rapper Should SayAbout The State Of Hip Hop,But MoreThan Likely Never Will !!!

Long title right?I know,but,I couldn’t think of any shorter way to describe how
I really feel about how the game is right now!And the biggest problem?It’s not
how the labels sign and market adult language rap music to the kids!That’s
their parents job to police that!It’s not how the radio stations only play the same
10 songs in a row 24 hrs a day!And it’s damn sure not how your talent is judged
solely on your first week soundscan numbers!No!No!And hella NO!But,what DOES piss me off personally is how when these so-called Hip Hop magazines interview different rappers,and they pretend like the state of Hip Hop as we know it now is on some next level greatness!Like the game ain’t truly fucked up right now?!!!So in response to all of these half assed interviews that I painstakingly critique online…I decided to create my own mock interview where some boo boo online magazine that doesn’t really give two shits about the real culture of Hip Hop,but needs the money generated by the genre to stay afloat,interviews me!lol.
So,in short,this is my lil parody of how niggas ignorantly answer questions at these wack interviews!Not really,because my answers are little bit more in depth thought wise,but you’ll get the idea!lol.It’s crazy how artists try to tip toe around the tough questions as to not try and ruffle anybody’s feathers!But instead,I’m on some Mad Rapper shit!Word up!lol.Honestly,this would make an ill Boondocks episode for real!Maybe I’ll pitch this piece to Aaron!Shout out to Aaron McGruder and the Mighty Mos Def by the way for the ill Gangstalicious episode man!Classic shit homie!So if you ever get a chance to read this piece…Holla at your boy!lol.
Anyways,the name of this online magazine is TheGameReallySucksRightNow.com/!TGRSRN.com for short!Enough of the small talk,let’s get into it!So really open your minds and rock with me on this one!Peace!-Will a.k.a. Hip Hop Is Alive & Well/Tha Blogger 3

TGRSRN:What’s good Hip Hop Is Alive & Well?How you god?

HHIA&W:I’m good fam!Chillin’!Just workin’ my ass off you know.(interviewer laughs) You’re laughin’,but I mean that I’m literally working a real ass job homie!Ain’t shit sweet out here fam!But I’m still chasing my dreams,so it’s all good.I’m Gucci though.

TGRSRN:Right…so…since there are probably a lot of Hip Hop fans out there that never heard of you,give the readers a lil run down as to who you are!

HHIA&W:Word.Well,I’ve been grindin’ in this game since the early 90’s.Messed with several crews here and there,but nobody was really serious though.Hooked up with a cat by the name of Carlos Broady,who later went on to work for Puff up at Bad Boy.Shopped a few demos here and there.Got a lil feedback,but nothing ever really happened with that!So eventually,Los introduced me to his man DJ Paragon,we connected musically,and later went on to form The Order Of Assassinz!Which is a group and a business.Hashishinnya To The Grave!Now here I am talking to you.What?!!!

TGRSRN:Word.Being that you’ve been grindin’ for so long,what keeps you motivated to keep pursuing a career in rap?

HHIA&W:Well,to be really,really honest with you fam,and I know that this sounds hella cliché,cause nearly every rapper who never ever sell records always says this shit but…I really do love this shit homie!Straight up and down!As hella corny as that may sound right about now with the way that the game is playing out and all.But,I really do love making music!

TGRSRN:Word!That’s a bold statement to make right about now being that the industry is so ringtone driven,and your success is judged mostly on how your first week numbers pan out.

HHIA&W:Exactly!Exactly!That’s why I keep going man!I’m bigger than all of this Hollywood shit that’s going on behind and in front of the camera fam!Feel me?So I know that if I really keep at it,and go harder than any other artist and show these labels that I’m not no 15 minute nigga,that somebody who is ready to spend some real money is gonna eventually wake up and hopefully they’ll wanna hear some real shit!So here I am baby!(laughs)


TGRSRN:That’s what’s up!So,with that being said,how do you feel about artists who solely do this for the money?Do you have a problem with that?

HHIA&W:(eyes wide) Do I have a problem with niggas getting’ money?Naw man!Why would I have beef with that?But seriously,the problem that I DO have is when artists let the paper chase dictate their overall creativity!Then,that in turn dictates the music!So,if that’s your only motivation,which is getting’ that gwopp,then it eventually affects the way that you make music!

TGRSRN:Hmm…I see.You know,I’ve never really thought about it like that!

HHIA&W:And that’s my point exactly!Alot of people inside and outside of the industry don’t think about it either!Some don’t care,just as long as the money is flowin’.But,eventually,it’s gonna get to a point as to where the money is not gonna be so lucrative for rappers!To be honest,it’s reaching that point now!Cats have to secure other deals like commercial ads and whatnot just to eat.The music alone ain’t cuttin’ it anymore.Real talk,it’s like this,The Roots told niggas on their album “Things Fall Apart” that Hip Hop music as a genre is disposable music!And people never paid attention!The industry is tryin’ to fade this shit out just like they did with Jazz and eventually Disco!Now they’ve got so many different stigmas attached to the culture that media corporations don’t wanna really touch it!But they’re still able to capitalize a litte bit off of the music,so they’re just in the milking process right now.Sooner or later the shit is gonna play out though.Hopefully me and my team can get in and out before the bottom completely falls out of this thing!Word up!lol.Just like when Busta Rhymes was telling niggas that there was only 5 years left!Nobody listened!Same thing with the industry basically.

TGRSRN:So being that this is the case,why even continue to make music then?

HHIA&W:See,it’s like this man.(pauses) I’m an old head in this game man according to the industry standards.I’m thirty years and some change!So the industry ain’t messing with me on that level because they can’t market me to the teenie boppers!But if cats like me don’t stick around,who’s gonna have the younger cats that’s entering the game best interest?Surely not the labels!(laughs)

TGRSRN:So…what’s your solution for all of this madness within the industry?

HHIA&W:Well,to be brutally honest with you,there is no magic pill that dudes can take that would make everything be right in this game.Feel me?But,what myself and other cats like me will have to do is find other outlets for us to properly market our music!Then once we got our foot in the door,put other niggas that feel the same as we do on.Point blank.It’s gonna have to be a group effort!Ain’t no one team gonna be able to pull it off because the mega corporations’ movement is too big!Cause like I said before,ain’t no Interscope gonna sign no thirty plus year old rapper because it don’t make sense marketing-wise.I don’t care if you’ve got hot music or not!Now they might take your song and give it to one of their younger acts and put it out like that,but as for you performing that song in it’s original form…no way!
Now,don’t get me wrong,I’m not naive to the way that the game works,so I understand that in a sense.But,at the same time,you’re only marketing your product to one age bracket!So at the end of the day,you’re really alienating alot of people who would otherwise actually come out to the stores and by records just because they don’t fit the label demographics.

TGRSRN:Very insightful.We could actually talk about this hidden situation behind the scenes all day,But,unfortunately,we can’t.So tell us a little about what you have going on as an artist.

HHIA&W:Well,basically,what I have going on,to be perfectly honest,is just to secure a stable situation for me and my team!Shout to my nigga Tay Lee by the way!We’ve got a group called Soul Gritty which also moonlights as a songwriting/producing team.Plus my people Joe Brasco and J UniteUs out in Cali!My man Joe has an album out,and by man UniteUs is currently working on his solo joint.My team is on that,so be checking for that pretty soon!But,as far as industry moves,just basically trying to do a little ghostwriting and producing for other acts.And oh yeah,check out the new Steven Seagal flick when it drops!We on that joint too!I heard that niggas already have that on bootleg which is kinda foul,but whatever.It is what it is!Now,don’t get it twisted fam,we still believe in making hits!Whatever that means nowadays,(laughs) but we just have a different method as to how we approach our craft.But at the same time,we also realize what’s at stake behind the music and the politics of the business.

TGRSRN:Good interview.I’m really glad that we got the chance to sit down with you and get knowledge of the game from a different perspective.

HHIA&W:Well,that’s why I’m here fam.(laughs) All real story,no filler added!(laughs)

TGRSRN:Is there anything that you wanna let the people know before we go?

HHIA&W:Fa sho’!Fa sho’!Man…just be real with yourselves man!That’s all it is man.And all you old heads up there running these labels…QUIT HATING!Word up!Cause your boy is here to stay!

TGRSRN:Peace Will!

HHIA&W:One.