The true soul of hip-hop
Immortal Technique quite rightly says that the developed world looks down on the third world as being 'backward' because economic aristocracies argue that they lack freedom of speech. However, if we view the music industry in the developed world, the concept of artists being signed to the major labels is extremely hypocritical- especially in 'the land of the free'. Why? Because whatever comes out of the artist's mouth is restricted and manipulated. As an artist you are owned by those major labels, which are corporations run by people who simply view the artist as an asset, the music as a product and us, as mere consumers. Therefore the major labels' central aim is PROFIT. To me, if profit is the goal of corporations of the music industry, they are in complete contradiction to hip-hop. Let us not forget that hip-hop came into existence because it was the only mechanism for an oppressed coloured man to hold a mic and say whatever he wanted. Hip-hop was the platform for free speech- essentially it was the voice of the voiceless. Besides just being 'party music', the music and the lyrics held a spiritual and intellectual weight. It gave the people an opportunity to speak about what they thought could be possible.Read more....click here.