So if you read my “About Moi“ section
(Under the menu tab), you’ll notice I’m a Yanksta.
So it only makes sense that I enjoy Reggae to some degree.
Even though I’m a music junkie and love all genres of music, there’s something I truly enjoy about my era of Reggae & Dancehall, and that was the Riddims. Yes, the Riddims.
If you’re not familiar with the Reggae-Dancehall culture or Soca & Calypso culture, then maybe the term “Riddim” is new to you. Riddim, translated into English is “Rhythm”. Basically, it’s an instrumental.
Now the reason I have a high respect for the Caribbean music scene,
is how you can really see an artist creativity on a track.
One Riddim, 10 artist, 10 different sounds.
Don’t get me wrong, all the artist can be good, but there’s always going to be a couple of tracks that stand out more than the rest. We don’t have to make a competition out of it, we’re just seeing who did their thing on the rhythm and how CREATIVE they can get on the Riddim. The keyword here is CREATIVE.
Now, I’m a lover of all types of music, so I can’t just say I enjoy one genre of music. There’s no discrimination when it comes to music and my ears,
but I must admit, I’m not really excited these days when it comes to Hip Hop. I feel Hip Hop has slowly lost it’s CREATIVITY over these years and only a select few artist are managing to keep the music alive when it comes to mainstream music (which is the music we ALL hear in some shape or form commercially).
Hip Hop music has become so repetitive, that it’s not even enjoyable these days. It’s so sad because it seems like all these artist are saying the same things over and over again: Thots, mollies, strippers, Balenciaga, Gucci, ice, & blah blah blah!
Is this all we really have to talk about within Hip Hop???
Apparently in mainstream Hip Hop, there’s nothing else to talk about.
It’s even to the point where mainstream Hip Hop is now polluting the underground Hip Hop game. Underground artist are sounding like mainstream artist. As a Hip Hop fan, I have a request: RIDDIMS. Known in the States as “remixes”.
I love to listen to remixes simply because you get to see an artist’s real talent and creativity. In today’s world of Hip Hop, as long as you have a fire beat and a catchy hook (chorus), then you have got a hit, which is pure mediocrity.
Today’s era of Hip Hop, songs are sounding like nursery rhyme. No real lyrics, just catchy phrases that the artist just made up which has no real meaning. All you need is a fire beat and VIOLA, you have a hit. What happen to the art of the music, using music to heal, utilizing it as a voice for the unheard. In future articles, I will get more into detail about how Hip Hop and other select genres of music that are being used as a weapon to destruct the mentalities of its listeners and how music really does have an effect on people’s behaviors.
Until we meet again Ladies and Gents!