Ice Cube: “The Internet Killed Hip-Hop”

Written by Rizoh. Posted in Gumbo

• Corey F from HHR

  In a way, I agree with Ice Cube. The internet has killed hip hop because of all the piracy and the unoriginality that is going on. However, some mCs have kicked started their careers solely on the internet buzz…

• http://my.rawkus.com/xn/detail/u_ivanrott Ivan

  Didn’t Busta Rhymes go on a similar rant a while back?

• Corey F from HHR

  In a way, I agree with Ice Cube. The internet has killed hip hop because of all the piracy and the unoriginality that is going on. However, some mCs have kicked started their careers solely on the internet buzz…

• http://my.rawkus.com/xn/detail/u_ivanrott Ivan

  Didn’t Busta Rhymes go on a similar rant a while back?

• dr. dope

  The internet didn’t kill hip hop, if that were true it would kill the other genres. The only way the internet damaged hip hop is because money hungry rapper’s aren’t getting enough $.
  I posted this on a message board I frequent and it is relevant to this
  After reviewing the beef with Soulja Boy and Ice-T, I determined that anything that sells is good for hip hop. If the new artists are not making music that is up to the par of the listeners standards, that forces the listen to investigate other artists and/or genres. It gives great exposure to up and comers as well as people who have done it for years and don’t get the light they deserve. In that manner it is good for hip hop, because it also forces everyone to increase their capabilities and creativity.
  Also, when someone goes big and starts making money, regardless of actual talent or style, it is good for them and also sets a bar. Other rappers have to step it up and try to top the man on top. However that also may take away from creativity. Another way to look at it though is that once the popular sound loses it’s image, some other sound or style has room to break through which also provides a variety and forces more creativity. its an up and down game, and its unfair to hate on someone who is doing what they have always been doing, i don’t like it, but it is Wayne’s time to shine, maybe one day it might be yours it might be mine.

• HipHopConsensus.com

  Hip Hop isn’t dead…. there’s plenty of good artists making quality music. If anything the internet has saved Hip Hop by opening avenues to great artists that mainstream outlets would have never done. There’s been so many dope releases the past couple of years, including this year, but most people don’t know where to look or find it.

  Artofficial – Fist Fights and Foot Races
  Sun Zoo – Roads on the Earth
  8thW1 – Love, Money & Music
  Elzhi – Europass
  Chords – Things We Do For Things
  Snowgoons – Black Snow
  Archetype – Unfolding

  That’s from this year alone, and there are some I’m not mentioning. The point is this whole “Hip Hop is dead” so and so killed it is complete bullshit. It’s only dead to those who refuse to open their eyes and minds.

• david

  actually the internet is helping hiphop…graffiti writers around the world link up better thru sites like flickr…breakdancers can see old school videos alot easier on youtube and get thse real dope moves down….djs can download those old jams that may b too rare to find on cd or vynil….

  rap music may not be sellng as well but hiphop is alive and well..someone call busta, nas, and cube and tell them theres 3 other elements to this shit

• david

  oops iment isnt lol…it isnt killing hiphop….

  another point….i think rappers tha tthink their actors and go make shitty movies instead of making dope albums is whats killing rap music

  **throws belley out the window****

• Hip Hop Made Me Do It

  For most rappers, they pretty much have to tour like crazy and sell alot of merchandise just to make some decent money because the CD sales these days alone will not pay for their big house, Bentley, etc . In the past, they can get alot of paper just targeting ma and pa shops and selling music from the trunk of their car.

  The internet has opened a few doors and it has helped some established acts. Shoot, any type of publicity is good publicity. But overall the file sharing sites has hurt the rap game. In a bad economy, our money is going towards food, gas and not exactly a couple of CDs here and there.

  For the most part, I see nothing but wackness on the internet — youtube, music myspace pages, etc..All I can do is shake my head in disgust.

  Hip Hop (Graffiti, Break Dancing, DJing, and Rap) is alive and is more mainstream than ever before. But as far as rap, it’s currently in a coma and it needs creativity, better executives getting the right talent and helping them grow as an artist, the consumer needs to support the lyrically gifted, and the file sharing sites need to charge for copyrighted music or they need to do a better job of going against music piracy.

• Belize

  I agree wit Cube

• rap’s gratefuldead

  before the internet, the majority of hip-hop was coming from big corporations who picked who to sign and market. internet at least gives way more people a chance to blow up themselves. soulja boy like him or not did all this without the help of a corporation backing him.

• david

  hiphop is out on the streets anyways…real hiphop is the action of rapping djing painting or dancing…..its the energy that makes a person flex their skills..and battling other peoples skills.anything after that like cds, perfomances, shows, books etc…that shit is a representation of hiphop, but its not hiphop…real hiphop aint bought or sold…thatefore it will never die

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• dr. dope

  The internet didn’t kill hip hop, if that were true it would kill the other genres. The only way the internet damaged hip hop is because money hungry rapper’s aren’t getting enough $.
  I posted this on a message board I frequent and it is relevant to this
  After reviewing the beef with Soulja Boy and Ice-T, I determined that anything that sells is good for hip hop. If the new artists are not making music that is up to the par of the listeners standards, that forces the listen to investigate other artists and/or genres. It gives great exposure to up and comers as well as people who have done it for years and don’t get the light they deserve. In that manner it is good for hip hop, because it also forces everyone to increase their capabilities and creativity.
  Also, when someone goes big and starts making money, regardless of actual talent or style, it is good for them and also sets a bar. Other rappers have to step it up and try to top the man on top. However that also may take away from creativity. Another way to look at it though is that once the popular sound loses it’s image, some other sound or style has room to break through which also provides a variety and forces more creativity. its an up and down game, and its unfair to hate on someone who is doing what they have always been doing, i don’t like it, but it is Wayne’s time to shine, maybe one day it might be yours it might be mine.

• Www Murraychetty

  i am from the oldskool in south africa. yeah i used to love hip hop and club jazz. funny its sor rare these days. even our clubs dont play this type of music. i wish someone will be able to give a sight where i can look up these old tracks and music. more especially the 80s music.