JAY-Z & NAS ATLANTIC CITY JUNE 2028

About 3 weeks ago, my mom and some friends went to Atlantic City to see one of her favorite groups, The Temptations, perform their greatest hits. She gets to see her favorite groups from the 60's and 70's plenty of times during the year. The Four Tops, The O'Jays, shit, even Paliment/Funkadelic gets a few dates through the year whenever half their members aren't in rehab. Although some group's line-ups have changed over the years, for various reasons, these various "old school groups" continue to perform over 100 shows a year when they are over 25 yrs. past their "prime". Now I understand that Hip Hop started out as a genre of music for the "youth", but so did cartoons. Nobody can tell me that "The Boondocks" or even the "Batman" and "Superman" animated shows (that air in prime-time) are for the "youth". If you liked cartoons as a youngster, you will probably enjoy them (at least some of them) as an adult. It should be the same way with Hip Hop, but can you see you and your friends going to see any of today's MCs perform 20 years from now? There may be a handful of artists that you could tolerate while in your late forties and early fifties (Kanye, Jay, Common, etc.), but after those names, you would be hard-pressed to come up with many more names. I doubt I'll ever stop listening to Hip Hop, but their are many folks who lose interest in Hip Hop as they get older, also for various reasons. What is it about those Motown artists or rock groups like The Rolling Stones and Grateful Dead that allow them to tour for so long? It's not like they've been topping the charts with hot singles over the years. Could it be that the music takes our parents back to a fond time in their lives? All of these reasons could be the reasons that we listen to Hip Hop years from now. Our generation may still listen to Hip Hop in 2028, but the touring aspect of it would most likely be dead because nobody wants to see a 52 yr. old Kanye perform "GoldDigger" at the Taj Mahal with his white shades on.
A bigger problem seems to be that rap (not Hip Hop) is producing more disposable artists and music than ever before. Most artists are here today/gone tomorrow. There is virtually no artist development at the labels since the business bottomline has nothing to do with the quality of music. On the real, I can see Hip Hop as we know it becoming virtually obsolete in the next 15-20 yrs. With the overall lack of marketed talented, clueless radio program directors, attacks on the music and culture by the mainstream public, and the fact that the record business is dwindling as a whole, it wouldn't be surprising at all if we had to get most of our Hip Hop via the underground (like in Nas' "Hip Hop Is Dead" video). Just think, after this Jay-Z/Mary J. tour, when's the next time we're going to see Jay on stage performing? Homie is pushing forty, and although he could put something out whenever he wants, he doesn't even have a deal now. Anybody that's seen Jay perform live knows exactly what we'd be missing, as Jay puts on one of the best live shows I've ever seen. I love all types of music so I'll still be able to go enjoy a live show, but going to see a Hip Hop artist even 5 years from now seems like more of a longshot everyday.

So I say to my fellow Grown Folk Hip Hoppers, enjoy whatever we get right now, the days will soon be coming to an end.