Going "Pop"

[COOP407]

I'm a little older than most of the posters on here, so what I say may sound a little old-fashioned to some of you. There was a time in hip-hop when the worst thing an artist could be accused of was "going pop", meaning about the same thing as selling out. Several of the old-school artists talked about this, Ice Cube really setting it off in his song, "True to the Game", in which he dissed Hammer in the video. Artists were encouraged to remain true to hip-hop culture, whereas today it would seem as though that attitude no longer prevails.
The thing to do these days, it seems, is to find whatever pop singer is hot, and make a song with him or her. Puffy, Snoop, 50 Cent, Nelly, and several others have recorded with people like the *****cat Dolls, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke,N-Sync, etc. I know that the goal is to make as much money as possible, but I wonder if in doing that, we lose the foundation of hip-hop, blurring the lines between rap, pop, and r&b.
Just wondering what others might think on this issue.

[RAESAAD]

[QUOTE=COOP407;2598076]I'm a little older than most of the posters on here, so what I say may sound a little old-fashioned to some of you. There was a time in hip-hop when the worst thing an artist could be accused of was "going pop", meaning about the same thing as selling out. Several of the old-school artists talked about this, Ice Cube really setting it off in his song, "True to the Game", in which he dissed Hammer in the video. Artists were encouraged to remain true to hip-hop culture, whereas today it would seem as though that attitude no longer prevails.
The thing to do these days, it seems, is to find whatever pop singer is hot, and make a song with him or her. Puffy, Snoop, 50 Cent, Nelly, and several others have recorded with people like the *****cat Dolls, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke,N-Sync, etc. I know that the goal is to make as much money as possible, but I wonder if in doing that, we lose the foundation of hip-hop, blurring the lines between rap, pop, and r&b.
Just wondering what others might think on this issue.[QUOTE]

I think we gain some diversity out of this happening but at the same time as a 29 year old man I know what you mean and still listen to my old **** more than anything else.......I love my 90s.

[COOP407]

I'm the same way...You're much more likely to find me listening to NWA, Kool G. Rap, Geto Boys, Scarface, or Public Enemy than anything current. Not to disrespect today's artists, because there is a lot of serious talent out there, but I liked rap better when there was more lyrical content involved (as opposed to just rapping about rims, grills, and chains) and there was more rapping than singing.

[Sttuddahboy619]

It whack when rappers goes 'pop' but I think they do it 'cause it sells.And they all have look out for their family!

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

To be honest, I don’t believe there is definite correct answer to your question. It will probably depend on one’s personal taste. Some of the greatest music I have ever heard is where a specific artist collaborated with a different producer to make an album for the masses, or an artist that comes along, and gives a certain genre a little twist, and all the traditionalists end up hating it.
On the other hand, when it comes to Rap I must say, I agree with you. I also think that a lot of opinions about music are influenced by one’s age, and the music he, or she grew up with.

[neils7147933]

Hip-hop is pop now. There is no "selling out" for most artists, because they're manufactured. Remember EPMD "Crossover" - 'still I haven't seen one rapper living comfortably..."

Now we get corny stereotyped model-looking rappers with their first single sampling someone else's song and rapping about what they own.

Good first post, but it's about a decade too late...

[COOP407]

I guess that its just a sign of the times. Certain rappers (like P.Diddy, for example) can't seem to make a hit song without collaborating with someone, and sometimes these rap/pop duets turn out okay, in fact, for the most part, they almost all sound pretty good, if that's your thing.
I can remember when Run DMC hooked up with Aerosmith. While its looked at today as a groundbreaking moment in hip-hop, I recall that most street cats didn't really care for it at all, and thought that it was one of Run DMC's low moments (my favorite of theirs was "Its Like That"). In time, though I guess it became more accepted. Hell, even Public Enemy hooked up with Anthrax, and I have to admit that even I liked that song, probably because Anthrax was kind of edgy and rebellious, like Public Enemy was. So yeah, certain collabs just seem to work.
But how about that boring, seemingly endless crap that Nelly and Tim McGraw put together? That song made me lose respect for both of them! Sorry, country and rap can never go together. Ever.
If anyone can think of a worse example than that one, let me hear it.