15 (More) Things That Hip Hop Needs

You probably read the original post "30 Things That Hip Hop Needs".

If you haven't, stop here.

Check that out first, then come back.

Done? Great. So ... we posted a list of things we thought would be great for hip hop in general. Obviously the list should have more than 30 items, especially depending on how specific each item is. We took some of your feedback and decided to compile another list.

So moving along, in no particular order ...

1. A real Hip Hop Hall of Fame, complete with an induction ceremony and all the necessary pomp and circumstance (but done "our" way).

2. More dancing - at some point in the past everyone became gangstas and it suddenly became uncool for rappers to dance. Have we completely abandoned our rhythmic roots?

Maybe the average rapper these days doesn't have the lungs to dance and spit at the same time.

3. More Performance - in theory anyone can rhyme, especially if someone comes up with the lyrics for them. Is it wrong to expect performance artists to get on stage and deliver performances for their audiences? It isn't that much fun to go to a show and watch one guy mumble into a microphone while seven other guys yell over him every few bars.

4. More music about artists' children - Royce da 5'9" and The Game both did great songs dedicated to their sons early in their careers. Every song doesn't have to be about the lives you (fictitiously) ended. Make a few about the lives you actually helped create.

5. More DJ/MC crews.

"He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper" - Remember that sorta thing?
Modern version

6.  A divorce (or at least trial separation) from the music industry - hip hop started as a movement from the streets. It definitely benefited from the exposure that only the music industry could have provided at the time, but over time that relationship yielded more bad results than good ones. The entire music industry and its familiar elements (record labels, physical records/tapes/CDs, contracts) are antiquated and unlikely to last much longer. The internet changed the game; now it's possible for anyone with access to share material with a vast audience. Why chase after a record deal if you can release your music directly to the public and just get paid for shows and merchandise?

7. More support from educators - imagine how different things would be if all of your high school English teachers had you dissect lyrics for meaning and literary devices. They did it for poetry, right? Isn't rap a form of poetry?

8. An honest approach to physical health - too many artists have died young, and it is an accurate reflection of the condition of Black men and women in America. Drug and alcohol abuse, excessive consumption of junk food, and a lack of exercise are sending many to early graves. Somebody needs to start talking.

9. An honest approach to mental health - this also is a reflection of the general state of Black men and women in America. Somebody needs to start talking.

10. A change in attitude toward machismo - the idea that a man has to be extremely strong and aggressive didn't start with hip hop, so it's not up to hip hop to change it. Still, the shift has to begin somewhere. These dated concepts influence the aforementioned issues related to physical and mental health.

11. More collaborations (period) - it's always refreshing to see artists with different styles (or from different genres) come together and create something new. We're all used to seeing associated acts work together on a regular basis, but we need more people to step outside of their comfort zones. That should take us (the audience) outside of our collective sonic comfort zones, and everyone benefits from expanded horizons.

12. A spotlight on those less popular regions -  right now there's (probably) an 18 year old kid in Topeka, Kansas with BARS you can't even imagine ... but nobody expects lyricists to come from anywhere but New York, New Jersey, Philly, Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, and L.A.

13. More support for lesser known brands - Polo is a staple in the black community largely because of hip-hop. "TV Johnny" Dang became a nationally recognized name thanks to getting shouted out by several Houston rappers. Drake has made celebrities out of strippers and waitresses. Think about the boost your small business would get if a hot rapper cosigned it.

14. Appreciation for the past and predecessors - it seems that any material over five years old is immediately classified as "old school" (check any old school hip hop station for its most recent songs). A lot of artists are so worried about being relevant and not being considered old or dated that they compromise their art. Unfortunately, after 40+ years of existence, hip hop is still seen solely as a young man's venture by the majority. Forty seems to be the unofficial retirement age, and anyone who's still active after that point is taking a major risk. Nobody wants to be the old guy. Either you die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain, right? Surely if artists from other genres can maintain their careers well into their 60s and beyond, we can figure something out for hip hop.

15. Less critics and more contributors - everybody wants to talk about what's wrong or what needs to be fixed, but not as many people want to add to the culture. Sidenote: There's nothing hypocritical about this statement being made in a blog post about what hip hop needs. No hypocrisy at all.

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