Welcome to Past the Margin where we go beyond the beats, beyond the rhymes, beyond the cars, girls and diamonds. At Past The Margin we dig a little deeper into the topics that deal with this thing we call "Hip-Hop".

We plan to bring to you those serious, comical and controversial ideas and opinions that you've had with your "peoples" whether it was on the block or in your crib. There's hundreds of conversations going on right now about Hip-Hop and everyone has something to say about it. So don't think outside the box... take it Past the Margin.

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Friday, June 20, 2008

5,000 X 200...


A Millie…
written by 4bars


Carter III did a mil in its first week, anybody surprised? Kanye beat 50 in their first week with Ye doing almost a mil himself; 50 put up numbers, but not enough to win, again, anybody surprised? As much as we talk about hip hop being dead, this has been a year of really good music. And yeah, I know I was the one who read its figurative obituary, but at the time, its how I felt. But after several huge hip hop moments for me (Glow in the Dark, Roots album, Wayne album, just to name a few) I was thinking the other day how hip hop today compared to the attractive female situation on my college campus.

People used to always talk about how many ugly girls went to our school and I would concede that yes, there were quite a few unattractive females on our campus, but I liken it to a rummage sale where there is plenty of really good items, you just have to sift through a bunch of ugly ass stuff to find em; I’m not sure, yet, if viewing hip hop like this is good or bad.

I figure that with all the money that was poured into hip hop in the past 20 years that it was bound to get watered down, and recently, it has (to many) hit absolute rock bottom with “ring tone rappers” dominating the game and the music industry seemingly in deep trouble. I’m not saying that big time labels aren’t still on the ropes, because music is simply not consumed through record sales the way it once was and this is forcing companies to adapt and/or innovate or fold. But I do think that there is A LOT of really good music out there, and honestly, I only mess with a hand full who have produced consistent quality (Outkast, Wayne, Lupe, Ye, Face, LB, etc) so I’m probably not up on the huge amount of up and coming artists who are really good. But a recent Cool Kids show and video of a Kidz in the Hall album release party triggered the thought that hip hop is very much alive and well. You’ve got your veterans (even the aging ones) who are getting close to their last leg but still have undeniable talent but you have a whole crop of young artists who are choosing to do their own thing and the youth are really responding. I just hope that they continue to cherish what they have in hip hop and treat it better than some before them have, but rest easy because I have a feeling that hip hop, in the illustrious words of Diddy, Puffy, P Daddy “aint goin nowhere…”. Bars

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a veteran of the Tuesday release at the Wall in the Bay Terrace shopping center, I am qualified to say that there has always been terrible albums released in hip-hop history. And I bought most of them. I'm glad there are ringtone hits, because then I can download the one song I want to hear, without mistakenly buying the whole album like I would have back in the day. Its a buyer's market. Supply and demand. The fact that Kanye and Wayne sold what they did at this time in history proves that people will still come out and cop a hot album. It means that everyone else needs to up their game. If hiphop is the truth that I believe it to be, the cream will always rise to the top, W.E.B. Dubois style. I work in publishing and its the same in every industry right now. Companies are scrambling to put a massive amount of product out there to see what sticks. Its a business. I'm not saying its the right way, but for the most part its the only way its been. As the industry expands, more people have the opportunity to drop. I'm not saying that hot albums dont get slept on, but you cant call something dead just because there's other stuff out there moving more than the true sh*t.

Anonymous said...

"The fact that Kanye and Wayne sold what they did at this time in history proves that people will still come out and cop a hot album. It means that everyone else needs to up their game."

Truth. Couldn't have said it any better so I won't try.

Mimi said...

I cosign the above ^^

..but Diddys blogs are weak :)

Anonymous said...

Wayne sold a milli in a week. Definitely proud of the man I've been calling the best rapper alive for some time now.

I say Wayne's the best but Kanye on the lolipop remix said this,

"This a song with Wayne so you know its gon melt
But you aint fina murder me like everybody else
Imma rap like I got some type respect for myself
I dont do it for my health man
I do it for the belt
Man I do it to the death
Til the roof get melt
100 degrees, drop the roof so the coupe dont melt
Man the flow so cold Chicken Soup won't help"

THAT right there makes me think twice. LOL...Gotta respect Ye for how seriously he takes his craft. The only thing Wayne got over him is the amount of songs Wayne is on per year. lol..

Anonymous said...

def props for selling a mil. I like his "promotion", when 50 and kanye had the battle to see who would sell the most that was a new way to sell records. Wayne did what all of us do everyday to show what we about. He showed a crazy work ethic that you had to respect.