Xzibit Blasts Today's Commercial Rap Music

JPeg

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
World famous hip hop rapper Xzibit urged artists on Wednesday to try harder to communicate through their music, saying they should stop glorifying violence and get back to being the voice of rebellion and protest.
"Hip hop went through a total stage of positivity and then it transformed into gangster rap and then it got commercial," said the singer and host of MTV car-makeover show "Pimp My Ride."

"Hopefully it goes back to that positive side where we can start communicating and saying something through our music," he told Reuters Television ahead of the MTV Europe Awards, which Xzibit will present in Rome on Thursday night.

The Los Angeles-based rapper said hip hop and rap were traditionally "the voice of rebellion, the voice of protest," but that radio and music companies had made it difficult to break out of the current tendency to glorify violence and power.

"When you can choose to play a record that says pop your ass or a record that has some kind of positive message or knowledgeable subject, it's easier to accept the ignorance than put out something that has some thought process to it," he said.

In its current phase, hip hop generates $2.8 billion in CD sales annually, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, and has become extremely influential in America.

"The guy who just does ignorant music wins the awards and gets the millions of music sales and that becomes defeating after a while," said Xzibit, relaxing on a sofa in custom-made MTV tents on the outskirts of Rome.


"That's kind of what's forcing people to come out copying the same people over and over again."


Xzibit, real name Alvin Joyner, kicked off his solo career in 1996 with the album "At the Speed of Life."


Defying the gangster rap trend, he was one of a number of hip hop artists to take a political stand in the run-up to the U.S. elections this year, denouncing President Bush..


His new album "Weapons of Mass Destruction" will be released in December. "As an artist you have to find a way to get your message into your music," Xzibit said.
 
E

Equality 7-2521

Guest
i got respect for xzibit. not only does he have a sick voice and sick delivery, he does write conscious rhymes. he has on occasion done some wack shit (associated himself with snoop for starters) but hes shown what he is capable of and what he believes in via tracks like "paparazzi" and "foundation."

i think its good that a bigtime mc is stepping up and trying to make more cunts conscious of what this hiphop shit is all about. looking forward to this new album.
 

Ozmosis

Sound Tight Productions
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 201
Thats real what Xzibit is talking about. Look at Chingy's latest single, all he's saying in the hook is "Im a BAlla". What the hell is that, how much creativity do you need to come up with a line like that. But the thing is this, I actullay think Chingy is better then what he shows, its the corporate commercialism that basicly tell Chingy what type of sound their looking for. If Chingy had a song with a hot beat talking about uplifting the community it woulnt even make his album.
 

Sucio

Old and dirty...
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 304
lol....

x's latest album was pretty commercialized......in my opinion....

but i feel where he's coming from..

hip-hop is dying slowly....becoming so watered down .......

bring back bushwick bill....
 

Rhythmikal

Beat's Disciple
ill o.g.
i think X is one of the best emcees out there right now, in terms of lyrical skill and he also has a flow which never falls off. and still he's getting slated nowadays and guys like J-Kwon are gettin worshipped.

i saw him live last year and he was one of the best live acts iv seen.

sAfE.
 

Guevara

BETTER THAN YESTERDAY
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 34
coming sooN said:
bring back bushwick bill....

PLEASE...
iF YoU GoNNA BRiNG BACK ANYBoDY
BRiNG BACK SoMEBoDY WHo WAS WRiTiNG THEiR oWN RHYMES.

RELEASE;
 

pirell

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
im not exhibit, and im not a celebrity ..and il agree ith what he says, and ask rappers to do just as xhibit has said. it really is getting quite lame. is theer not more to life than some 500k pendant and a range rover with some light skinned women crawling all over you? talking about how much money u earn and why ur such a baller.

yet ur people are the most deprived in the country on a national average, and africa the most deprived continent, and there they are syaing...hahaha look at me "im rich"...get real and back to basics please
 

MarkN

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 55
Go do some more pimp my ride ! lol

nah but seriously, he does have a point with what he says but then he does present a show where they 'pimp' someones car by throwing obscene amounts of money at them so......
 

Shonsteez

Gurpologist
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 33
I havent heard the newest Xzibit, but from his article, he said some conscious shit that ive honestly, been pretty hardcore about believin all along......Only thing in the article that kinda bugged me, and it may have jus been the way i interpreted it, was this part

"The guy who just does ignorant music wins the awards and gets the millions of music sales and that becomes defeating after a while," said Xzibit, relaxing on a sofa in custom-made MTV tents on the outskirts of Rome.


"That's kind of what's forcing people to come out copying the same people over and over again."

I totally see what hes sayin and i agree, but is he simply making an observation here, or is he tryin to say that since thats the popular norm now, thats why people have to finally break outa it?
If thats the case, thats retarded.
Cuz hes spittin all this positive stuff, and then he says that.....Im assuming its just a observation?......None the less, i would have been happier if he jus said somethin like, "try not being fake so much to get a dam record deal!"....Or somethin along those lines....


STEEZ
 

gram green

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 1
i def feel what he's sayin.. i think its weird comin from him though... he did change he shit pretty radically to get put on... unless thats why he's sayin it.. cuz it seems kinda self realizing to me...
but i still like dude.... and my car is pretty fucked up right now
 

Tim D

Bitchn' Bout IRS
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 1
Yo, anyone hear that intro from new Xzibit album? that shit is crazzzy, bugged me out when i first heard it
 
M

MIKELABZ

Guest
I Dont Think He Is Against Making Money, But It Seems Like He Is Against The Wrong People Getting It And He Dont Necessarily Agree On How They Got It Either.

I Agree With His Little Time Line Of Hip Hop And I Feel As Though The More Conscieous Side Of Hip Hop Is On Its Way In And The Commercailism Is Out. So If U Making Them Choppy Sporadic Beats That U Heard Back When Master P Was Running Things, U Need To Start Listening To More Of The Roots Or Mos Def.
 

MadManBeats

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 6
personally i listen to instrumentals more than lyrics...i pretty much love it all from the underground to the gangsta shit 2 the mainstream shit....as long as the shit bumps and has a hot beat...so i really could give a flying fuck where these emcees are goin with their lyrical content as long as hip hop stays alive and the beats stay hot...i heard a line from toni yayo somethin like, hip hop industry is like the wrestling industry, its all fake, but its a good pussy getter...thats one of the realest lines ive ever heard not 2 mention the truest....so i say fuck the emcee its all about the beats for me...if the beat sucks, i dont give a fuck if pac and big release a track from heaven...ill prolly hear it once to see what they sayin and never hear it again....
 

Soulja

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
MadManBeats- You must not be listening to the lyrics if "hip hop industry is like the wrestling industry, its all fake, but its a good pussy getter..." is one of the realest lines you've ever heard. Not to hate but your entire message looked ignorant to me.

Soulja
 

Soulja

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
I'm not saying it wasnt a good line. He said it was one of the realest lines he's ever heard.

Soulja
 

benny beatz

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 36
I feel you on this issue madman... (no homo)

for me it goes 1. beats
2. flow
3. content

i still like a rapper like kool keith who raps about mumbo-jumbo type shit, or foreign rap which i dont even understand...

i sometimes start to find a rapper like mos def annoying with his "poetry"

dope content for me is something that when i hear it im like "damn thats true"

like an original thought or a philosophy or some shit...

like when snoop said "bitches aint shit but hoes and tricks" - lol just playin producergyal lol

for real tho dope hiphop is all about a hot beat and a tight flow laced with a couple words of wisdom...
 

benny beatz

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 36
after thinking about this some more...

good content is all about what you relate to...

2pac is my favorite MC, and although I don't really know what its like to stay on the block hustling rocks and bustin shots at cops, I know exactly what 2pac means when he says "fuck the world" or "be the realest"...

unfortunately, thug life is very real for a large population of americans...

and those who cant relate to it may feel a voyeuristic pleasure about hearing "what its like in the hood," while they are driving to the mall in daddy's BMW...

americans have had a love affair with black culture for quite some time...

ever heard of "blackface" acts in the early 20th century?

people are pervertedly entertained by light-hearted depictions of a grim reality which, ultimately, they would not want to call their own...

why are violent movies, video games and sports entertaining? for the same reason...

why?

I dont know, I didnt make the world...
 
M

MIKELABZ

Guest
benny beatz said:
americans have had a love affair with black culture for quite some time...

ever heard of "blackface" acts in the early 20th century?

people are pervertedly entertained by light-hearted depictions of a grim reality which, ultimately, they would not want to call their own...

why are violent movies, video games and sports entertaining? for the same reason...

why?

I dont know, I didnt make the world...

SPEAKING OF BLACKFACE... HAVE U EVER SEEN THAT SPIKE LEE MOVIE CALLED BAMBOOZLED?

IT HAD BLACK ACTORS IN BLACKFACE MOCKING THE WAY THAT IT WAS CAST AS A STEREOTYPICAL METHOD OF PORTRAYING BLACKS AND IT WENT ON TO CLAIM BLACKFACE AS A BLACK THING KINDA LIKE NIGGER WENT FROM RACIST TO A BLACK THING THAT ONLY BLACK PEOPLE COULD SAY.
 
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