Overlooked
I’m tired of being overlooked. It hasn’t always bothered me, but lately it has really gotten under my skin.
I’m sure we all have our stories about someone, somewhere not knowing that
Always the quiet neighbors, it’s easy for people to forget that we’re here (unless John Walsh reminds them). And I think it’s time to start making a little noise.
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An acquaintance of mine recently said that Hip-Hop has become the new Rock and Roll. Like it or not, this doesn’t seem far from the truth. It has been 24 years since the Sugarhill Gang hit the charts with “Rapper’s Delight,” and 22 years since Grand Master Flash’s “The Message.” In terms of credibility and staying power, Hip-Hop is not a passing fancy; it is a force to be reckoned with.
Hip-Hop is more than the music of the streets, it’s life on the streets. Not since The Blues have we seen a genre of music so intertwined in a lifestyle. Okay, the surfing music of the Sixties comes close, and it was Fun Fun Fun while it lasted, but that safari didn’t last long.
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It’s not just the
In recent history, there have been a few hotbeds for Hip-Hop:
Chicano Hip-Hop flourishes in this area, and while it is covered in mags like Lowrider and Street Customs, music magazines pay little attention to the Latin rap game. National artists like Baby Bash, Gemini, NB Ridaz and Lil’ Rob—many of whom have recording contracts with national labels—get virtually no love from the national media. And that needs to change.
Furthermore, these artists have enormous followings. The market is ripe and should be tapped.
I’m afraid I don’t have any answers. You don’t have to be a Hip-Hop fan to get the feeling that we are forgotten. We need to find a way to work the threads of the Southwest into the fabric of American Pop-Culture.
-From Pulse
November 18, 2004
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