Thug Life Army

Popular hip hop columnist, radio personality and hip hop historian writes a column for many publications and his column in the Mercury News is published biweekly in Eye.

This column looks at “Why commerce is killing the true spirit of hip-hop”.

Here is an excerpt from Davey D’s Mercury News column for this week. Please click the ‘source’ tab at the end to finish reading this article.

Hip-hop icon Nas made the provocative statement, ``Hip-hop is dead,'''' in September and set off a firestorm of controversy. It was intensified by the January release of his album bearing the same title.

Many questioned why Nas would say hip-hop -- a worldwide phenomenon that has generated billions of dollars -- could be ``dead.'''' After all, more hip-hop albums are being released then ever before, and the music's influence extends to movies, corporate marketing and theater. That it's dead seems absurd -- until you realize Nas was looking beneath the surface.

He was speaking of the corporate side of the music and the mentality of executives more interested in turning a quick buck than nurturing rap culture. Nas realized sex, violence and bling, as themes for the music, had pretty much run their course.