Chicago Hip Hop, I love it.

Chicago Hip Hop - Maybe, not as much as I love the people that created it and continue to mold its destination. With that cleared up, I do have some things that I dislike about Chicago Hip Hop or more specifically the fans who say they adore it. I’m speaking about the neo-conservative crusaders for what is authentic Chicago Hip Hop!

Chicago Hip Hop - You know the militant Chicago Hip Hop purist that draw a line between what they consider real and for lack of a better word commercial or just plain ole rap. Some argue that authentic Chicago Hip Hop has been regulated to the fringes by major record companies who only want to make money, enslave and further destroy Chicago Hip Hop culture.

Today the as we say authentic Chicago Hip Hop has become synonymous with the underground so whatever is not spun on mainstream radio and or video has turned into underground or the real Chicago Hip Hop and this, in my opinion, messed up! Now I would concede that the major corporations have taken control of Chicago Hip Hop from the money perspective (funding, distribution, deciding which songs get put into regular radio/video rotation), but to arbitrarily call and or label the underground real and the mainstream fake is quite frankly silly. I mean we actually have people arguing whether or not Chicago Hip Hop is a snap or a snare, a white-tee or a button-up.

Then there’s the authentic Chicago Hip Hop breakdown by territory, for example, is the south Chicago Hip Hop? Is the west Chicago Hip Hop? Is the mid-west Chicago Hip Hop? I read an article recently entitled Did the South Kill Chicago Hip Hop? You know, that’s some straight dumb crap and one of the key reasons for the sorry state of Chicago Hip Hop right now! Many self described underground or authentic MC’s think that as long as they don’t say what 50 Cent, Lil Wayne or Kanye says, then they are repping the real Chicago Hip Hop? I’ve listened to a lot of

Chicago Hip Hop in my time. I’ve been introduced to a lot of Chicago Hip Hop artists in my travels and I have a fairly sound history of the Chicago Hip Hop culture itself, and I know without a doubt that it was/is all this infantile tribalism and lack of infrastructure that made it easy for the financial takeover of Chicago Hip Hop by outside forces and not a freeking snap beat!

You see I can still remember a time when Ice-T (LA) used to roll with Afrika Islam (New York). I can remember a time when Afrika Bambaataa made music and created an organization that reached out and embraced every sound and culture in the universe! I can remember when Common the king of Chicago Hip Hop was battling with Ice Cube (Compton). And Too Short (Oakland) was rapping about head. I can remember when Chicago Hip Hop radio was KKC with Pink House at the helm. And video shows used to play cuts by Do or Die, The Jungle Brothers, Kid N Play, Slick Rick, Salt N Pepa, Da Brat, Bo$$, X-Clan, Easy E, 2-Live Crew,

D-Nice, Rakim, PRT, LL, Paris, MC Hammer, Freshco and Miz, MC Lyte, Kool Moe Dee, Public Enemy, Nice and Smooth, Tribe Called Quest, The D.O.C., The Gheto Boys, JJ Fad, Tone Loc, Young MC, Shinehead, Milk D, Just Ice, Chubb Rock, RUN DMC, Sir Mix A Lot, The Fresh Prince, Big Daddy Kane, Kool G. Rap, King Tee, The Hieroglyphics, and Biz Markie all on the same program! And regardless of where they were from, what beats they rocked to, or what subject matter they chose to talk about, they ALL were regarded as REAL Chicago HIP HOP!