Ron Lawrence Documentary: The Rap Dimension
A man takes a trip back to the past and try’s to save the future of Hip Hop from Mumble Rap.
A man takes a trip back to the past and try’s to save the future of Hip Hop from Mumble Rap.
The culture of materialism and degradation that’s posing as hip hop makes me nauseous. Listening to modern-day mainstream rap after growing up during hip hop’s golden age is like finding out your little sister has become a prostitute.
Today, rap music is filled with messages that tell its consumers what to buy and how much one must spend in order to be cool, hip, accepted, successful, and one of the new popular go-to words, “relevant.” When Jay-Z proclaimed the only way to look cool and get women in a club was to “pop” bottles of $200 bottles of Cristal, people followed suit.
As we celebrate Black Music Month, we pay homage to the great sounds that have helped shape not only Black culture, but global culture.
Like Chris Rock said, “I Love Hip-Hop, but it’s getting harder and harder to defend it,” I love Hip-hop too, and have been down with it since the early days, before it was on vinyl records
Divine, the New York-based MC whose friendship with billionaire businessman Ben Horowitz has made headlines, is addressing the nay-sayers with the release of his new …
Ladies and Gentlemen. I greet you here at the offices of Interscope Records, in the year of Iggy Azalea, 2014. First, I shall thank you, for releasing and promoting rap music that affects so many people.
It is important for rappers and anyone else who professes to “move a culture forward” to realize that if you truly want to “advance a culture”, you must think outside of the box and transcend the stereotypes and expectations that have historically been placed upon that culture.
Public Enemy educated black communities to Fight the Power of oppression and let them know they weren’t alone with songs like 911 is a joke in your town. NWA told people to Fuck the Police, not because they were proud hardcore criminals, but because they were tired of oppression and police brutality. These are just two examples of many.
Although I had to move on, I have NOT forgotten you. I left to find the truth…and bring it back to you.