Hard Pill

Gen X Dropped The Ball….

When I was growing up in the 70s, my older sister exposed me to what was new (at the time). My father, in particular, exposed me to music from the 50s and 60s. Every time I rolled with him (which was ALL the time), we listened to KRLA, which was an oldies station in LA. Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, James Brown, the whole nine. I knew their songs word for word, would even listen to the station alone. I had a love for it. And that wasn’t just MY story, that was the story for every kid in my hood. Probably every Black (and some brown) kid across the country. That taste in music was our “birthright”, and it was reflected through the music that spawned hip-hop.

In the 80s we celebrated this new culture. Pushing boundaries, and letting creativity run ramped. It was ALL about being creative and different. Sounding like someone else was bound to fail you. Run DMC was adding rock, LL added do-wop; we even had a “rapping John Wayne” (I don’t wanna speak on that one, though). Every lane was wide open to be explored. Doc Ice rapped in Spanish for the first time, while on the west coast, Mix Master Spade was sing/rapping. Kool Moe Dee introduced rapping fast, while Chicago’s Tongue Twister was “twisting”. Everything done now, was done then.

Time goes on and we started having kids in the 90s. Maybe it was the crack epidemic, or the “new found money and fame”, or a combination of the two with another element, but the fact of the matter is, we failed to pass down our birthright. We didn’t raise and pass down the love for 70s and 80s music to OUR children. They didn’t grow to love or even know the sounds of the previous generation. And because of that, there is a disconnect like our people have never seen. The previous generation isn’t respected or adored like we did ours. Now, we’re just “old heads” made to believe “hip-hop isn’t for us, anymore; cuz it’s a young man’s game”. Yes, I already shared my feelings on why this new stuff ISN’T “hip-hop”, but I digress….

We lost the helm. I feel like it was our generation that failed hip-hop. Granted, there are a few gems, but there’s DEFINITELY more bullshit out than there should be. Although the gems manage to show they are gems by their consistency and apparent future longevity, the culture is kept alive. That, and the help of my generation continuing to put out quality albums. Shout out to Nas. But, hip-hop could be even more beautiful than what it is today. So the next time you see an “Island Boy”, keep in mind that that is OUR collective fault.