Opinion

Hip-hop's in a state of emergency

Zach Lee
Guest Columnist

Frontier Fiesta should have everyone asking themselves questions -- not about the political correctness of the name, but instead about the current state of hip-hop music. "Choppa," now appearing on the Billboard charts, rocks crowds with shoddy, meaningless lyrics such as "choppa style chop chop choppa style." It doesnit take much skill or insight to repeat your name or rhyme about the "ice" on your neck.

Of course, that style works for Master P., the king of bad lyrics. With songs like "Ooohhhwee" and "Make Em Say Ugh," it seems heid rather make the clothing line P. Miller than any kind of sense with the microphone. Donit tell me the songs sound good so the lyrics donit matter. Lyrics are everything in hip-hop. It's about wordplay, puns and metaphors, not noises you make in the bathroom.

I canit blame the record executives or the radio stations — theyire just trying to make money. They made their move as soon as they figured out that people actually will spend money to hear music made by the same guys that put down "aarrggh" in a game of Scrabble.

Some would like to blame the deterioration of hip-hop on the loss of 2pac and Notorious B.I.G., but thatis avoiding the issue. The only people to blame here are the listeners. If popular hip-hop is ever again going to require more than a personal clothing line the people that listen to it are going to have to make some changes.

Master P is number 11 on Forbes magazineis "Top 40 Under 40" list, with a net worth of more than $200 million. We gave him that money by shelling out our own cash for one of his homemade movies or one of his many substandard CDs. It seems like a new generation of rappers has come up with just enough talent to fool people into buying their products and going to their shows.

We need lyricists to come in and prove that hip-hop is an art form and show the world that it takes skills to rap. We need someone who rhymes not for platinum chains or new Escalades but for the love of the game.

The world isnit devoid of real skill. Nas' "Rewind" tells a story in reverse without sacrificing lyrical or plot strength. The Wu-Tang Clan, The Roots -- the list is substantial, and it gets bigger the further underground you go.

Hereis how Pharcyde justifies hip-hop in "Somethini That Means Somethini": "You best believe I put in time to conceive — deep concentration from sunrise to eve — and even in my sleep, rhymes formulate. Free form lyrical storms falling from a cloudy brain."

That is what hip-hop should be: living and breathing, eating and sleeping the words and the rhymes. Iim not calling for some kind of hip-hop purism where every verse is a philosophical dissertation. I just want to turn on the radio without being hit with the same sounds I can hear from my 10-month-old neighbor.

Lee, a freshman pre-business major, can be reached via dccampus@mail.uh.edu.