Is Hip Hop dead?

In 2006 Rapper "Nas" released a CD called "Hip Hop is Dead". Much of the industry paid no attention to his statement but it was in the back of everyone's mind. At that time a lot of the new artists coming out were from the Southern United States and produced what was called "ringtone rap". Their music had no substance for thought, it was all about cars, girls and money backed up by lots of bass and a nice overall beat. The days of rappers such as Nas, Jay-Z, 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G. and KRS-One seemed to be over.

However, in recent years new life has been injected into Hip Hop. Many of the best artists in Hip Hop today have only been around from 2007. Names such as Cory Gunz, The Game, B.O.B., Papoose, Saigon, Lupe Fiasco, Wale, Drake, Kid Cudi, J.Cole, and Asher Roth have surfaced from the underground. These artists feature an excellent mix of lyrical ability and a mainstream look, which record labels love because it means the artists are marketable. From the names I listed above Lupe Fiasco is probably the best overall. He features amazing lyrical prowess along with a mainstream connection. He got his big break on Kanye West's single "Touch the Sky" and it's been a roller coaster ride ever since. He's actually been saying he's going to retire after his next album but the entire Hip Hop world hopes he's just joking. Then, you have the other guys who are not to be slighted. They all have the abilities to make it to the top of the Billboard charts which a couple already have, it's just up to them whether or not they'd be willing to work for it.

Add everything to the fact that great Hip Hop artists like Jay-Z, Nas, and Kanye West are still producing music and you have a recipe for success. The fact is that Hip Hop was dying when Nas brought out that CD in 2006 but it clearly was not dead. It seems as though Hip Hop will be in good hands for years to come and to think any differently would be foolish. I didn't even mention many of the great underground artists who have yet to make it in the mainstream Hip Hop world. All Hip Hop fans can do now is wait and enjoy the great years to come. There will always be the artists in the middle such as Soulja Boy who are only in it for the money but once you filter those guys out the cream rises to the top.

Below is a Youtube video featuring a few of the up and coming artists on one song:

Basketball & Hip Hop

The movie "More Than A Game", which is set to hit theatres this week features NBA megastar LeBron James and his high school teammates as they struggle to win a national high school championship. This group of players grew up together and became men by building a sacred bond with one another. They are still close to this day even after LeBron James rose to stardom. The main theme for this movie shows the relationship between Basketball and Hip Hop. It is a brand new song by hip hop artist's Drake, Kanye West, Lil' Wayne and Eminem called Forever.

The relationship between hip hop and basketball extends over a long period of time. Every rapper wants to be a basketball player and every basketball player wants to be a rapper. The two subjects have almost always gone together and the release of this movie shows nothing different. To get 4 of the industries biggest artists to collaborate on a soundtrack is almost unheard of. Missing from the fold however might be one of the greatest artists of all time; Jay-Z. One could argue that he is missing from the track because of his commitment to promoting his new album "The Blueprint 3" but to have him on this song would make sense in two ways that I can think of at the moment:

1) Jay-Z and LeBron James are great friends. Jay-Z shows up to any game LeBron James plays in New York (Jay-Z's hometown) or New Jersey (Jay-Z owns a part of the New Jersey Nets). It has even been rumoured that Jay-Z will lure LeBron to the Nets in 2010 when LeBron becomes a free agent.

2) Jay-Z is one of the greatest rappers of all time. He understands greatness when he sees it and LeBron is just that. It only makes sense for him to have a part in LeBron's movie.

Bringing the topic back to Basketball and Hip Hop, the relationship can even be traced back to the past NBA season. The NBA's motto this past season was "Where Amazing Happens" and it's theme song was Kanye West - Amazing. This shows that the relationship is undeniable. Players used to dress exactly like rappers before NBA implemented a more business-like dress code. Now, many rappers have taken up that business-esque look as well. A few years ago you would see players showing up to games in du-rags and chains much too large for their necks. These days you see those same players showing up in well-tailored suits and ties. The connection also translates to other forms of entertainment beyond court.

Video games are another example of the relationship between Basketball and Hip Hop. The latest NBA 2K10 has the same feature track the NBA had this past season in Kanye West's "Amazing". It's counterpart NBA Live 10 also brings basketball back to Hip Hop since it's main narrator is Hip Hop artist Mos Def. Along with all of that, many of the games' soundtracks have hip hop tracks on them. Of course there are the token Rock & Roll or Techno songs to keep everyone happy but the majority of songs on the soundtrack in a basketball game will always be hip hop because that's what the majority of NBA players listen to.


Now, the relationship is not always peaches and cream. There are the facets of the connection between Basketball and Hip Hop that should never go together no matter what. Situations like the one in the video I posted above are the main reason why rappers rap and basketball players play basketball. Shaquille O'Neal's lame attempt to freestyle about Kobe Bryant got him in hot water and it wasn't because of his bad rapping. Everyone though that the Shaq/Kobe feud had been cleared up until Shaq brought out this rap. In it his favourite line is, "Kobe, tell me how my a** taste!" This was a little while after the Los Angeles Lakers had finished losing to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals and Shaq was essentially saying that Kobe could not win a championship without him. Well, this past season Kobe won the championship and Shaq missed the playoffs. It's funny how those things come back to bite you in the a** (pun intended).

Nevertheless, Basketball and Hip Hop are a match made in heaven even with people like Shaq around. The connection between the two has been strong for many years and has helped both things prosper in their own ways. Hopefully the relationship will stay strong for many years to come.

Nike Hyperize Commercial

This Nike Hyperize commercial was released in the summer of 2009 and it features four of the NBA's young stars. They include Kevin Durant, Mo Williams, Rashard Lewis and Andre Iguodala. The commercial is focused around selling a shoe made by Nike called the Hyperize. It is the latest version of this extremely popular basketball shoe, following in the footsteps of the Huarache which came out in 2004 and the Hyperdunk which was released in the summer of 2008 for the entire Team USA basketball players to wear while they were winning a gold medal in Beijing.

This specific commercial is especially fun to watch for basketball fans but it is entertaining for anyone, at least in my opinion. The old school rappers being portrayed by the players is hilarious especially since all of these players are not known as outgoing people. All of them have fairly mellow expressions while on the court and a commercial like this allows fans to see the other side of the players they love. One of the most entertaining parts of the entire theme would be the rap names given to the guys. Mo Williams is "Fog Raw", Kevin Durant is "Velvet Hoop", Andre Iguodala is "Chief Blocka" and Rashard Lewis is "Ice-O".

While the theme is entertaining a simple subject can be overlooked in a commercial such as this; the shoe! While watching this commercial, as a basketball fan, I was more interested in what every player would look like and how good his rapping skills were. At the end of the ad you see Nike and Foot Locker logos but end up thinking about the rap video you just saw. Since the first time I saw this commercial I can honestly say that I have not once looked for a pair of Nike Hyperize's in the store. Maybe that's because I am not currently looking to buy a basketball shoe but every time I enter a footlocker I always seem to find the Nike Hyperdunk or Jordan 23's. All I'm trying to say is, I love the theme but I'm not sure it sells the shoe as much as it sells the players personalities and rapping abilities.