Antares Auto-Tune: Hip-Hop's Biggest Problem?

"The commercialism of hip-hop, which has resulted in a split from those it's supposed to represent, is not new. In fact, it goes, in part, by the same name: hip. Just as the hip-hop generation was charged by rap, the hip era of the 1950s and '60s was fueled by jazz. In hip's case, and the same is true for hip-hop, Scott Saul, professor of English at UC Berkeley, points out that "it [hip] moved from a form of African-American and bohemian dissent to become the very language of the advertising world, which took hip's promise of authenticity, liberation and rebellion and attached it to the act of enjoying whatever was on sale at the moment." (Asante)¹

I'm truly fed up with Hip-Hop, and I could say that I've felt this way for a couple of years now. I guess it'd be accurate for me to consider myself a member of what Molefi K. Asante Jr. calls the post hip-hop generation, characterized by a feeling of "misrepresention" on the behalf of Hip-Hop, and conscious of the "limitations of being defined by a musical genre -- a misogynistic, homophobic and violent one to boot." With all of the commotion surrounding Jay-Z's 'Death of Autotune,' I ask myself the question: How is this relevant in any shape or form? I have less respect for this micro-movement than I did for the burial of the n-word. Simply put, Black youths face bigger issues than audio plugins and six letter words, that is, unless the said word is police. When all is said and done, what will Mr. Carter's album do to inspire me to seek liberation as a Black youth?

I wouldn't go as far as saying that Hip-Hop is completely dead, but it might have been zombified by a powerful houngan named hyper-capitalism. How is it possible that our beloved culture has left us? Once considering myself an active participant in Hip-Hop culture, I now feel the need to fill a void created by mainstream America's tendency to bastardize art through commercialization. I can sharply remember the feeling of awe that Hip-Hop inspired within me during my adolescent years. Delving into active participation in Hip-Hop culture, I'd become more or less proficient in turntablism and Hip-Hop production. I could truly feel what's afrogenically known as "soul." Who took Hip-Hop's soul?

Regarding the D.O.A. and Hip-Hop in general, rapper Young Jeezy stated in a recent YouTube video that Hip-Hop is now "fucked up" and "over-saturated with too much bullshit" as he plugged his new mixtape entitled Trappin' Aint Dead. I agree that the game is doing horribly, but what I see even more is a lack of innovation. Sure, by calling out artists who rely on an autotuner to make songs this issue of innovation is addressed, but what are we left with after that's gone? More negros talking about how much money they have, as consumers shell out their hard earned dollars to make them even richer. How is this relevant to me, a 20 year old Black male trapped in the rust belt of middle America? True, it is good to have something to aspire to, but not when financial security is attained by saturating your own community with narcotics, let alone selling sonic crack cocaine to the youths over the airwaves, encouraging them to destroy their communities as well. Maybe I'm alone here, but there's not much exciting about Hip-Hop anymore. I'm tired of hearing negros talk about matters irrelevant to my life. Understand that as an orator, you are obligated to speak within the confines of truth and righteousness, unless your desired outcome is disorder. Speak Ma'at, Do Ma'at!

*By the way, while I'm tired of autotuners myself, talkboxes still work wonders:

Sources:

1. Asante Jr., M. K. We are the post hip-hop generation. SF Gate Open Forum. 7 Feb. 2006.