I am glad to say that I grew up in Hip-Hops "Golden Era". Though I grew up in Kentucky, where the only rap we knew of was whatever was on TV, the range of stuff I saw introduced me to music that I have never stopped listening to. I was in high school from 1991-95 and I didn't realize at the time, but I was witnessing the evolution of hip-hop in it's most acclaimed hour.
Most of my afternoons were spent watching Rap City on BET, recording it on VHS so I could remember artists like EC Illa, OC, Nas, Bush Babees next time I went to the CD store. I was always a fan of Rap City because it was on in early afternoons (right after school for me) and seemed to play any video by any artist that rapped.
A few videos stick out to me as transformative for me. OC "Times Up", Smif n Wessun "Let's git it on", Outkast "Git up, Git out", Ec Illa "On Ill", NWA "Always into Somethin", and Nas "Ain't Hard to Tell" were all videos that stuff out to me as interesting, among others. I was so into the sounds coming out at the time, that I flooded my CD collection with every cassingle and remix of everything that I could get in my small town.
These videos, CDs, cassettes and some vinyl carried me into my college years from the Rawkus era to the Bling era and the eventually to an era where all of the things I liked were suddenly underground. Master P, Cash Money and Suave House were gaining popularity at this time and seemed to have dominated every set of speakers on the street. I can't say that some of these songs weren't catchy, but I still wanted to hear the range of music I used to see on Rap City and heard from friends.
Flash forward 10 years later and things are not really evolving into anything I am interested in, in terms of mainstream music. Luckily, the internet has allowed me access to songs that I can decide if I like (most of the times I don't) by checking it out on Youtube or a million other sites. I find it hard to believe that folks like lil' Wayne (who I thought was cheese-mo as a kid) is considered one of "the greats". It seems like if it is not a Cash Money artist on the radio, then there is at least one of them as a guest feature.
Needless to say, I haven't listened to the radio in almost 15 years. I don't sit down and make it a point to write down an artist or listen to anything that isn't commercial free or catering to a 10 year old. It is sad that I have to scour the internet for "grown man" hip hop AKA non-money related or psuedo house music. I am still an avid fan of the "Golden Era" mentality and mindstate, but it is more difficult to find quality tunes in any public forum.
I realize that I sound like an old man and at 35, I know people think I AM an old man, but I find it hard to believe that people like Eminem, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes or any of these groups (who are also 35 or older) can want to make music that sounds like Casio synthy, tinkerbell songs when they grew up on the same thing I did. I wish that there was a television channel (not that I have a TV) for artists like 9th Wonder, Murs, Del and Hieroglyphics, Ruste Juxx, DJ Premier, Apollo Brown, Oddisee, I Self Devine or any number of artists who make a broader range of content in their music then what you will hear on the radio.
I know those days are gone, but it seems odd that groups like U2, Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney can keep making tunes and getting press, but if a hip-hopper older than 21 tries to make an album, nobody wants to hear it anymore. I do and probably will till I die. If I am the only one in a nursing home listening to "Sound Bwoy Buriel" then so be it. It makes me happy.
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