Mainstream Money, OR Respect?

This is a massive topic of conversation regarding urban music recently, particularly in the UK. A lot of artists have - in some people's words - abandoned certain sub-genres for the glitz, glamour, and more importantly - money of the mainstream music industry... Basically releasing "Pop" music.

A lot of hip-hop purists get really annoyed by this. The prime example is Ice-T dissing Soulja Boy over youtube (Yes, very lame I know) because he didn't think that the cong in question 'Crank Dat' was worthy of all the radio time it was clocking up amongst other things. Another example of a mainstream US rapper who always seems to aim his music at the radio's is none other than M.I-Yayo native Flo Rida. Ever since he dropped his massive single 'Low' he has released 5 other singles: 'Elevator', 'In The Ayer', 'Right Round', 'Sugar' and 'Jump'. If you haven't heard all of them, then you've been living under a rock for the past 2 years! They are all obvious radio hits due to the lack of lyrical ambition, rapping about nothing other than clubbing/partying, strippers/girls, catchy and well known samples in 'Right Round' & 'Sugar' plus unimaginative hooks that even Steven Hawking wouldn't have too many problems singing along to.

In the UK though, two artists that people would associate with this but on more extreme level would be Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder. Both highly respected grime artists before their obvious change to mainstream. Dizzee Rascal for example, has an album that is considered the greatest UK hip-hop/grime album ever with 'Boy In Da Corner' and a panel on MTV Base including R&B singer Jay Sean, considered it a classic in worldwide hip-hop, rating it third of all time. On his newest album 'Tongue N Cheek', there is only one song that even comes close to the old Dizzee and that is 'Road Rage'. Quite similar to his 2007 hit 'Old Skool', not quite as good, but still not bad. Tinchy Stryder's first album 'Star In The Hood', created a real buzz for him all over the country. His second and most recent effort was QUITE different. The first single, 'Stryderman' in my opinion was extremely lame, it's hook not drawing on too much creative genius:

"She’s like oh there’s Stryderman
Top east London writer man
If anyone can then Stryder can
got her caught on the web like Spiderman
She’s like oh that Stryderman
Top east London writer man
If anyone can then Stryder can
Work through on the whip like Spiderman"

Okay it didn't do brilliantly (peaking at only #73 on UK Singles Chart), but as you can imagine, that got him that little bit more radio-appeal needed to help boost his upcoming singles and albums, as well as wet the appetite for those who like Pop music. Up next was 'Take Me Back' featuring fellow UK native Taio Cruz got Tinchy to #3 in the charts. A song about love gone wrong with a catchy hook, it was always going to do well. The next three; 'Number 1', 'Never Leave You' and 'You're Not Alone' all pretty much followed that exact same winning formula. And I might just add that 'Never Leave You' and 'You're Not Alone' are awful.

My last example of this sort of thing comes from US hip-hop legends and pioneers of gangsta rap in the south... Three Six Mafia. Their most recent single 'Feel It' hit a nerve with me. Featuring Tiesto, Sean Kingston & Flo Rida, you know it's radio-bound without even having to listen to it. You press play and are straight away hit with noisy synths and loud/hard club kicks with barely a beat between them. The hook sums this one up:

"I say DJ turn the music up
And send another round going to my cup
I wanna Feel it (ohh ohh)
I wanna Feel it (ohh ohh)
Dj let the music drop
We going all night let the party rock
I wanna Feel It (ohh ohh)
I wanna Feel it (ohh ohh)"

Find the song in question here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FThuVI_maAs

I mean, sure, all the money is in the mainstream music, but what I hate is when rappers or artists change their music to fit in with something else. Okay, to be fair to Soulja Boy and Flo Rida, they have only released the radio-aimed tracks and neither started off in gangsta rap or anything, but the whole Three Six Mafia situation has really pissed me off, one of my favourite groups, they turn to a trance DJ in Tiesto and come up with the biggest pile of faeces I've heard in hip-hop since Soulja Boy's 'Crank Dat'. Now that is 'selling out' on the biggest scale if you ask me. I can safely say that, I will not be buying that album. Hell I won't even download it illegally!

I will leave you with the wise words of UK grime artist Ghetto:

"Alot of emcees dropped out with the same excuses ["THERE AIN't NO MONEY IN THIS TING!"]/But me I love making music so the fame and money was a bonus"

Taken from his brilliant new song 'Does It Now' where he rips through the bars, and just touching on the subject of artists dropping grime to get more money.


Signing Off, Ryan 'The Infidel'