Why is the music industry flooded with music with no structure or a message? It’s all about a gimmick. If you have some new dance or some catchy way for individuals to remember your name instead of the content of your lyrics is why. First and foremost, I don’t want you to think that because I started this Screwface World Music Group Blog that I am coming at this from one angle. I feel that right now at this point in the industry, this is what true fans of True Hip-hop music need. I know there are a lot of music labels out there and have saturated the market and it’s hard for up and coming artists to be noticed, but to me, this is my opinion, it seems that it’s the ones that don’t know what the true essence of Hip-Hop really is or means for that matter. The artists that have struggled and worked hard for years putting up their own money are the ones that NEED TO BE seen and heard, but 95% of them are overlooked. I know that Hip-Hop has made a drastic change from the early beginnings, but why must an individual/individuals sacrifice their “message” to sell records? Writing good lyrics is an art. It’s not always about crazy word play, it’s telling it like it is. They are speaking on things around them and not fabricating a story to sell records. Some artists hustle and make their name on being their true self, but once they become mainstream they want to all of a sudden re-invent themselves. I understand that you can’t do the same things that you used to do, because your life has changed, but why quit being true to yourself?
I don’t claim to be a lyricist, a rhymologist (don’t take my word), but I am a connoisseur of great lyrics. Those of you have followed my previous Blog, have heard me talk about the elements of Hip-Hop. For those that don’t know I will do my best to discuss them as I am still learning a lot about them myself. When rap became rap, it was a way to express yourself because you didn’t want or wasn’t made to be apart of the disco era. So, those that went against the grain came up with rhyming. In early Hip-Hop, you couldn’t consider yourself a Hip-Hop artist if you didn’t possess the 4 Elements of Hip-Hop. Those 4 Elements are: DJ’ing, Emceeing, Breaking (B-Boying) and Graffiti Art. There is a lot more than the 4 Elements that one must possess, but we will keep it simple and cover these 4 Elements.
1. DJ’ing is selecting and playing music using turntables to perform turntable scratching to create percussive sounds, and are also often music producers who use turntablism and sampling to create backing instrumentals for new tracks. It takes skill to scratch and mix, for it to sound good. You want your mixes to be flawless and keep the momentum of the crowd. If you lose the crowd, you might as well pack up your equipment and go back to the basement.
2. Emceeing refers to “spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics”. The art form can be broken down into different components, where it is separated into “content”, “flow” (rhythm and rhyme), and “delivery”. Rapping is distinct from spoken word poetry in that it is performed in time to a beat. Rapping is often associated with and a primary ingredient of hip-hop music, but the origins of the phenomenon can be said to predate hip-hop culture by centuries. It also encompasses the ability to hype the crowd. A real emcee can keep a crowd going for hours with losing one individual.
3. Break dancing/Breaking/B-boying/B-girl is a style of street dance that originated among Black and Puerto Rican youths in New York City during the early 1970s.The dance spread worldwide due to popularity in the media, especially in regions such as South Korea, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and Japan. While diverse in the amount of variation available in the dance, b-boying consists of four kinds of movement: toprock, downrock, power moves, and freezes. B-boying is typically danced to hip-hop, funk music and especially breakbeats, although modern trends allow for much wider varieties of music along certain ranges of tempo and beat patterns. A practitioner of this dance is called a b-boy, b-girl, or breaker. Although the term “breakdance” is frequently used to refer to the dance, “b-boying” and “breaking” are the original terms. These terms are preferred by the majority of the pioneers and most notable practitioners.
4. Graffiti Art is writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and it has 
existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire. In modern times, paint (particularly spray paint) and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner’s consent is considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime, but that’s what fuels a lot of Graffiti artists. Graffiti may also express underlying social and political messages and a whole genre of artistic expression is based upon spray paint graffiti styles. Within Hip-Hop culture, graffiti has evolved alongside Hip-Hop music, B-boying and the other 3 Elements. Unrelated to hip-hop graffiti, gangs use their own form of graffiti to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities. Controversies that surround graffiti continue to create disagreement amongst city officials, law enforcement, and writers who wish to display and appreciate work in public locations. There are many different types and styles of graffiti and it is a rapidly developing art form whose value is highly contested and reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.
I suggest that you do your own research and don’t just take my word for it. There is a lot more to Hip-Hop than what you see today. Hip-Hop is an ART!
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