Hip Hop Culture
On this page I will be talking about all kinds of Hip Hop music. Also the different kinds of hip hop and artists.
There are many different kinds and many different ways of doing it for instance there is Horrorcore which is mostly underground Detriot hip hop (which is where Eminem started off.) Some of the following hip hop groups/artists under the Horrorcore label would be Doomsday Productions, Insane Clown Posse and all of Psychopathic Records, Esham the Unholy and all of Gothom Overcore Records. This blend of Hip Hop is the darker/evil side which is too much for the mainstream to handle. That's why it's so underground. The closest person mainstream to be a wannabe Horrorcore artist is Eminem but if you compare him to any of the artists I have listed above you will quickly hear the difference and much different they are.
For mainstream Hip Hop, that's the most popular of it all. Some of the following arists became very successful once they started the mainstream stage, Dmx, Jay-Z, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, and many many others. These are the type of groups you would hear on the radio or see on music channels like MTV and/or BET. Eminem became very successful with his first full-length album when he released the video and single for "My Name Is.." in 1998. But not many people know this but way before the Marshall Mathers LP and the Slim Shady LP there was a little white rapper claiming to be from Detriot who couldn't get an success no matter how hard he tried. While being underground he released to EP's Infinite which was his first release and The Slim Shady EP which is what started to get him out of the underground scene and up to mainstream status. Also many people do not know this by Kid Rock the popular rock artist started off rapping underground much like Eminem did when he started off. Kid Rock released many independent albums before 1998 when he released the single "I Am the Bullgod" which was just the beginning of his superstar status. Back then he was rapping now a days he's rocking, the hip hop culture changes between many people all depending on what they want to achieve in live.
Now onto the arists...
First off I am going to talk about Psychopathic Records. This is the most successful underground label. They have been around since 1991 when ICP and manager Alex Abbiss formed the label. They met at Alex's old record store he used to own. They walked in and asked him if he would sell some of their tapes, he agreed and since then they formed ann alliance. But when this label was made ICP consisted of 4 people. Now they only consist of 2, Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J. They dropped the other two members shortly before their first album and the beginning of the Dark Carnival, the infamous first joker's card the Carnival of Carnage. Since the success of ICP, Psychopathic Records has signed many artists including Myzery, Project Born, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Twiztid, Vampiro, and Lavel. But at the moment only ICP, Twiztid, Vampiro, and Lavel are left on the label. Now in 2001 ICP is getting ready to release their sixth full length album and final joker's card while Twiztid is gaining huge success, and Vampiro awaits the release of his first album entitled Thrill Kill. Also coming out this year on Psychopathic Records is Dark Lotus' first album Tales From the Lotus Pod. Dark Lotus consists of ICP, Twiztid, and Vampiro.
Now onto Dmx. Dmx is an artist many people are quite aware of. Since his debut album in 1998 It's Dark and Hell Is Hot he has released 2 other albums Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of my Blood and his latest release ...And Then There Was X. Now Ruff Ryders fans are awaiting his new album due out soon. Ruff Ryders is his record label. On this label is Eve, Drag-On, The Lox, and a few others. Like many labels this one doesn't carry that many artists yet but it is growing in status every minute. When you hear the name Ruff Ryders you think of Dmx and vice versa. So this label is making it big. Also the Ruff Ryders have released two albums with many special guests like Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Scarface and many others. The Lox and Eve have also released albums on Ruff Ryders. These albums have also made it big.
Back in 1995 there was a little white boy named Eminem who was practically unknown. Then in 1998 when this boy found Dr.Dre and was signed to Aftermath Records he blew up. Since the first release on Aftermath Dr.Dre Presents Aftermath this label is small but has huge status. Like with Eminem's two full length albums the Slim Shady LP and the Marshall Mathers LP and Dr.Dre's comeback album Chronic 2001. These three albums have made it up the charts like nothing with such hits as "Forgot About Dre", "My Name Is", "Real Slim Shady", "The Way I Am", and "Dre 2001." Much controversy has surrounded this label because of the way these artists sound and act. Also how Dre left his life long label Death Row which is a no no in the eyes of executive producer Suge Knight who is finishing his jail sentece as we speak. Well many people are against Eminem because the things he raps about bothers people. Also because of his big mouth, he recently ran into a fellow white rapper named Everlast at a public mall in Detriot. Eminem started off ranking on Everlast. To fight back Everlast made a diss song against Eminem. Shortly afterwards Eminem hit back with a diss of his own only this really pissed Everlast off. Because of this song Everlast became so angry with Eminem that when he saw him in public he attacked him and beat him up. Eminem starts with the wrong people. When he first started off dissing ICP the revolution began. He attacked an employee of Psychopathic Records with an unloaded gun in a public area which he his going to trial for in April. They also have released many diss songs against each other. Eminem has put out "Ken Kaniff 2" and "Marshall Mathers." ICP has put out "Slim Anus", "Ain't Nuttin' But a Bxtch Thang", "Please Don't Hate Me" and a few others. Many people know that Eminem cannot diss people very well because everytime he tries someone comes up with something so much better against him. Even if your an Eminem fan, most people think that the disses against him are better than his own.
You cannot relate undergound hip hop to mainstream hip hop, there's no way. I mean sure you could say that you like one better than the other, but if you were going to compare someone like Esham to Dmx, it would be impossible because they're both different kinds of hip hop. Dmx being mainstream and Esham being underground. I mean maybe 4 years ago when Dmx was underground you could say who's better him or Esham. But that's only because the were both from the same genre of hip hop. Now since they're not you can't comepare, you can just say you like him better than him or something like that.
Hip hop is related to our everyday lives very much. I know that it's a very big part of my life. But me personally I am more on the undergound side than the mainstream side. But everyone has they're opinons and is entitled to them. Hip hop is everywere, in books, magazines, clothing, lifestyle, speech, and even school. For instance in clothing and the way people dress, most of the time you can look at someone and get a very good guess on what kind of music they like. This isn't always true though, but most of the time it is. Like say someone wears a Marilyn Manson shirt and dresses like a skater, you'll assume that he or she listens to rock music. But the truth could be that he or she could like a open range of music from Marilyn Manson to Jay-Z. See with me I dress differently than most white people, but that doesn't mean I am trying to be something else. Like most people look at me and think i'm trying to be something i'm not. But the way I feel is that people should be able to wear, look, or dress however they want to. I mean just because one person wears it doesn't mean others can't. But that's my opinon.
In magazines for example "The Source," this magazine is about hip hop entirely. Mostly mainstream but once in a while you'll catch some underground stuff in there also. This affects all the readers who look and read these magazines. Like one minute you could like Eminem but then you read something that offends you in a magazine and you get a totally different opinon on him. That's normal. Many people see artists in different ways, like you could like Eminem's muisc but could hate him for the way he is. That's ok it just shows you how people think.
In closing I would just like to say that hip hop is all around you, where ever you go it's there. So look at yourself and your surroundings, hip hop is and always will be right there with you. I hope you learned something from what i've shared with you all.
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