Brandon Keating Show - How Do you feel about where HipHop is going?

I keep hearing people saying "HipHop is dead" or "HipHop is dying".  With so many artists these days coming out with what is known as "ringtone" raps, a lot of people who grew up in the 80's and 90's have finally had enough and are complaining about the way HipHop is now. I must admit, for a minute, I was one of those people. But if you look at all music genres, you will begin to realize that they all change over time.  You can not have it one way for the rest of eternity. 

I have received several hundred emails asking me what my stance on HipHop is and where I think it is going.  Without typing an entire essay, I will share my video of my thoughts.

Please feel free to comment on what your stance is.

Vote For It! '08 | www.voteforit08.org | Hip-Hop Summit Action Network

I found this great video and simply am posting it to help get out the message before the DNC Convention. It features LL Cool J -- who's made a huge comback (don't call it that) and Russell Simmons, among others. The description reads:

VFI08 is a joint initiative between the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), and online ad network and marketing company, CPX Interactive. The overarching purpose of the joint initiative is to serve as a call-to-action to America's youth vote, emphasizing the importance of connectivity to the growing national political spirit and the necessity of empowering one's self thru the exercise of the most basic responsibility...that is the right to vote.

Here's the video:

Vanessa Hudgens Sings Like Paula Abdul In "Sneakernight"

Every once in awhile, it's good to stop and take stock of..talent. Vanessa Hudgens has it and it's expressed in this video. Now, I'd not known of her until I decided to click on her YouTube video and that was because it was on the front page of YouTube. Then I realized Hudgens was at the center of the Internet photo scandal a while back.

Ok. It seems there are so many of those.

She can sing and dance. Her voice is soulful and reminds me of Paula Abdul or any one of the Pointer Sisters. I'll be one of the half-million MySpace friends she has who puts their sneakers on!

But from a Zeitgeist perspective, Vanessa's one of the emerging young women who aren't African American, but have the soulful voice that Black female singers have been known for. She's part Irish American and Filipino American. But her style is emblematic of the diversity that Hip Hop has for all practical purposes forced on America. Because Hip Hop and Rap are the dominant music culture forms, American Culture, including what kids listen to, and who they try to sing like, have been litterally controlled and shaped by them.

Vanessa is the end result of this process.

"SF Limo Service Tour | Bauer's Limo Video" - Too Short's Song Is Key

If there's one rap song of the modern era that has an "old school" feel to it, it's Too Short's "Blow The Whistle." Released in 2006, this make-you-get-up-and-dance tune is popular at clubs around the World. But what's not known is that it makes a great back drop for a commericial video. Take this one I made to promote Bauer's Limousines:

Too Short's "Blow The Whistle" Rages - Good For "SF Limo" Too

If there's one rap song of the modern era that has an "old school" feel to it, it's Too Short's "Blow The Whistle." Released in 2006, this make-you-get-up-and-dance tune is popular at clubs around the World. But what's not known is that it makes a great back drop for a commericial video. Take this one I made to promote Bauer's Limousines:

Video - Akon Dry Humps Underage Girl In Trinidad - Acts Stupidly; Crowd Eggs Him On

There's much being made of the video that captures rapper Akon -- who I'd never heard of until now -- forceably dry humping a woman later to be identified as underage. If you've not seen the video, it's presented below. Apparently, it was on YouTube, but taken down for "copywrite violations" -- any company that would claim protection of this is nuts to begin with.

For YouTube's part, they should fight back with the claim that this is public information about a public figure and thus falls outside the copywrite argument. As to the video itself, it's caused another attack on rap, but this time I think people are missing the point. What's on display here is a mob mentality and the pornification of American culture.

Look, while Akon was certainly criminal in his behavior it's not like the young lady ran off the stage, which she should have done at first. But she would not; in the video she just lays there waiting for him at first. Both are to blame here; it's like she wanted to see how far he would go, and he decided to go as far as he thought could.

I took a video at the LL Cool J concert at the ESPN Super Bowl Party, and got a stream of emails from women who claimed they were on stage and wanted a copy of the clip. The point being they want to be seen up there, and thus put up with whatever behavior the celebrity pushes on them, which is certainly what Akon did.

Now in the video, Akon does not really dry hump the woman at first -- he's actually over her as if he's doing pushups -- but as the crowd gets excited, then he goes nuts and too far with the act, when he should have stopped a long time ago.

To the young lady's defense, she had no idea of what was about to happen. She qas quoted as saying "This whole hip hop thing is a guise and I don't want any part of it. I don't want any part of it. Look at what I have to go through with one mistake that I made. My dad warned me every time and I didn't listen. I am sorry."

She accepts that she made a mistake. But Akon has not. That's terrible.

It's Akon's responsibility to be a gentleman due to his "power position" -- but instead, he violated that rule. Moreover, the crowd itself seemed to want it. Look for yourself. But what's even more disturbing is that he just ran off stage as if he knew that what he did was wrong. He does not see to her comfort; it looks like a complete rape, so that's what we'll call it.

But my question is if he's going to be prosecuted, it's not going to change the crowd. No one. Not the handlers of Akon. Not the spectators. No one stopped him. I think everyone on stage should be sued, not just Akon.