How to be a good rapper Part 1a: Listen to Rakim.

You make a good point Victory, who do they have to listen to? In my day, if you didn't have any skill, you were banned from the mic. In 2008 it's fair game for anybody with enough money to press a disk.

We now live in a world where mindless chants (Super soak that Hoooo!) become hits. No longer are quality lyrics or beats sought after, it's now about gimmick lyrics and hooks about women, money, and car rims of all things. Where are the good emcees in today's pop culture? Jay-Z, Kanye, and Nas are decent enough but when you got Yung Joc, Soul Ja Boy's out there it cancels out. I blame Master P for ruining rap...after he started grunting on the mic, it all went downhill...and now southern rap will single handedly destroy the quality.

OOOOOOHHHHHH YEAH! I'm with you there, as long as folks heard "unnngggh", a record would sell like crack. The south already had credibal artists (Scarface, Outkast, Big Mike), then P came through and commercially destroyed everything.

Then you look at rappers like Jay-Z who who admits to watering down his Lyrics. He has a lot more skill than P, but he is on the same mission.

I would have to agree. Reading is the key to understanding how to write, and writing is the cornerstone of any real artist. But therin lies the rub: how many 'rappers' are actually 'artists'? Because an artist, an artist takes their craft seriously. It's a devotion, a religion, and relentless pursuit of perfection, and it is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SELFLESS. An artist researches and respects those before them, acknowledges those among them, and is determined to live forever through their works. So they are constantly evolving, changing, adapting, pushing themselves to become something better today than the day prior. Unfortunately, too many fall victim to the summer bug zapper-trap that is the bright lights and allure of fame. But in all reality, the ratio of signed to unsigned artists is GROTESQUELY inbalanced. Those that you see on television, receiving all the fanfare are merely a FRACTION of ONE PERCENT of all those doing music. 'Stars', in music, are an ANAMOLY. They are NOT the norm. And fame is the most addictive drug in the world; Jay Z even made an entire song dedicated to this premise ('Hollywood', Kingdom Come). And most cats are attempting to make a lifestyle and living off merely one aspect of a greater whole, and KRS ONE said it best:

'RAP is something you DO; HIP HOP is something I LIVE.'

And until you open your minds, do the knowledge, respect the architects, and challeng your imagination and creativity by READING (and NO, black romance novels and Hip Hop magazines do NOT count; grab some TRUE literature, of any descent, be it american, shakesperean, foreign, african, even sci fi or fantasy), you will forever be trying to make a LIFE out of one small piece, and will consistently, forever, miss the big picture.

Think of bragging about having a hot new ride.... not realizing that all you truly are sitting on is One. Tire.

Wheels are only a part of a drving machine. The driving force is the engine (knowledge, which is gained from reading and LISTENING), with a solid framework to support passengers (that would be knowing your history, be it the history of your chosen art form or just... You). THEN, you can use the wheels to steer in whatever direction you choose (and God should always be in the drivers seat).

So buckle down, buckle up...

Or please, just buckle out.