Rappers need real beef

Rappers need real beef.

Stop picking on Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Christina Aguilera. These chicks weight a combine 200 pounds.

I realize why rappers do, its marketing like it used to be with East Coast West Coast, or any of the classic hip hop beefs of past years. Beefing is apart of the hip hop, whether its true competitive nature, or dislike or show, we all love a battle, whether its in a ring, a court or on grass. America is a country built on a competitive spirit.

And names like I mentioned above sell papers, albums and help put you in the spotlight. Music is a young persons game, the artists are young, the audience is young, and most of the sales are by young Tweens and Teens of Caucasian decent dollars. So its natural that rappers go after the stars that grab the demographics which capture dollars.

The rap game has been dumbed down to sell records to masses, but how much dumber will it get, and is there not an audience to appreciate good music without beef?Caucasian

Is there not an audience to listen to real beef, because there is plenty in this country to beef about. From billion dollar insurance companies that cripple us, to lying stealing slave driving politicians, to corporate greed, scandalous bankers, fake wars, dirty oil men, crooked cops, abusing priests, and this list can continue for days. But for whatever reason rappers now days find it more viable to go after 100 pound pop stars.

I grew up in an era where the music was used as a tool for political and social change, thats what grasped me to hip hop, whether it was Tupac, Nas, Public Enemy or Dead Prez, and I think still today there is plenty of an audience that would adhere to a sound, a voice which left hip hop when the money started flowing in.

Kanye West on his Jesus Walks track says,”my record wont play, if I rap about Jesus.” But it did. Tupac built a legacy on rebellion. Public Enemy became legends, Nas is forever connected to hip hop. So is it in fact true that radio and record companies dont push political records and artists?

I dare my say it, Obama is hip hop, and should be thankful for it, because without the doors that hip hop opened, he would not have the opportunities he does today.

The argument can be made that CEOs of record and distribution companies enjoy dinners with or are the beefs I mentioned above, but those same CEO's have one common trait, they want to make money, and they will push what pays. So why dont they push rappers and music that is conscience? Music with real beef, the kind Joell Ortiz or Immortal Technique or Mos Def makes?

The fact is that developing artists such as Joell Ortiz and Mos Def isnt as easy as Soulja Boy, most people dont listen to what a hip hop song says, they just move to the beat, including my mom that loves 50 Cent and T-pain when they come on. Building the image of a rapper as a critic of real life situations is a lot harder than a building the image of a rapper that gets drunk, fucks bitches, goes to the club and smokes a blunt, thats what rappers do after all, right? Plus helping homeless people isnt cool, but a house party is off the hook, but cant there be a balance?

From a business stand point artist more often than not find themselves promoting their music at clubs, you remember the last time you heard Tupac's Dear Mama at a club? But you do hear California Love. People go to hip hop shows at clubs, where they want to get perved, crunk and go dumb, dance, act a fool, get some tail.

This is how rock n roll was sold off and lost. We have their ears, lets not loose this great opportunity. It is up to the Jay-Z's of the industry to develop the next generation but unfortunatelyy thats who puts out the Memphis Bleek's of the world.

--R.Enayati for Justus Media Group