Hip Hop is Alive and Well…And I Still Love it…

There has been much debate about the current state of hip-hop, especially commercial hip-hop. And not a lot of it has been positive. When Nas drops “Hip-Hop is Dead” and thousands agree, you know that isn’t a good thing. Sadly many of us old enough to remember the “Golden Age” of hip hop in the late 80’s and early 90’s truly lament what the rap game has become. That amazing feeling many of us felt as we grew up and came of age listening to hip hop has been replaced by sheer disdain as we are inundated with songs about lollipops and silly dances.

Well yesterday was an amazing day for me as a lover of true, real hip-hop. It was a day that served to remind me of why I love this music so much even when the current state of it is in such disrepair. For a moment I felt like that 16 year old kid again that would listen to hip-hop for hours on end and love the feeling I got from it.

What brought this on? I went to the Rock The Bells music festival. Over 10 hours of music from some of the greatest MC’s ever. The names speak for themselves. Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, Rakim, Mos Def, Redman, Ghostface Killa, Raekwon, Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, Murs, Supernatural. It was a true celebration of hip hop that has meaning, soul and relevance. It was music that made you move and dance with lyrics that made you smile and think. It was a true appreciation of hip-hop as an art form, with turntablism and freestyles in abundance.

And unlike some concerts where people just mail it in and get their check, everyone brought their A-game. Nas is truly the best in the game right now. During his set he had the entire crowd in the palm of his hand, fully embodying the role of an M.C. as master of ceremony who moves the crowd. He mixed his classic songs with the biting political commentary of his new album keeping folks on their feet and full of energy the entire time.

Two of the most meaningful sets for me was watching my two favorite groups of all time, A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde, fully reunited and rocking the mic. I hadn’t seen the Pharcyde live since 1994 and amazingly I had never seen Tribe live. Having the chance after all these years to see them meant the world to me. Chanting every lyric to every song, getting amped into a frenzy….Its something I won’t forget. And both of them fed off the energy of the crowd and delivered amazing performances, laying down classic cut after classic cut.

Similarly, seeing Rakim, arguably the best MC ever, again was a privilege. The “R” was as sharp as ever. Raekwon and Ghostface have always been my favorite two members of the Wu Tang Clan and they did a great job. Immortal Technique was as advertised…As real and as raw as any MC has ever been. Unapologetically radical and political, he spit incendiary lyrics that really made you think about a lot of the political nonsense we have seen over the past decade. And Supernatural’s freestyles are something every hip hop fan should see. He literally takes items from people in the crowd and incorporates into his freestyles, on the fly….Amazing.

At the end of the night, I was exhausted, partially dehydrated and starving, but I still drove home with a smile on my face. Because the art form I love, when done right, is still the most amazing thing. To be in a crowd of people, all completely losing themselves in a frenzy to the music….To for a moment in time, lose yourself and find yourself jumping, dancing, and bobbing your head like you are back in college again…is priceless. Its funny because Nas, the man who proclaimed hip-hop dead, was also the one who solidified for me that hip hop is not only alive, its immortal.