3. YG- My Krayzie Life (84,000)
2. ScHoolboy Q- Oxymoron (207,000)
1. Rick Ross- Mastermind (275,000)
I will put up something similar at the end of the second quarter.
Showing posts with label hip hop music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hip hop music. Show all posts
Top 3 Highest Selling Rap Albums of 2014 So Far
We just ended the first quarter of 2014, and I want to put the top 3 highest selling rap albums of the year so far. We are done with the first quarter of the year, and I just felt i should do this. Below are the top selling rap albums of 2014 so far. All the albums mentioned were released this year.
3. YG- My Krayzie Life (84,000)
2. ScHoolboy Q- Oxymoron (207,000)
1. Rick Ross- Mastermind (275,000)
I will put up something similar at the end of the second quarter.
3. YG- My Krayzie Life (84,000)
2. ScHoolboy Q- Oxymoron (207,000)
1. Rick Ross- Mastermind (275,000)
I will put up something similar at the end of the second quarter.
Barack Obama Says He Gets Embarassed While Listening to Jay-Z and Nas With His Daughters Around
It is common knowledge that the U.S president, Barack Obama listens to Hip Hop. And it has been noted by inside sources that He has songs from Ludacris, to Jay-Z, and Nas on his Ipod. In a recent interview, he admitted to being embarrassed anytime he has to listen to songs from Jay-Z and Nas while his daughters are with him...plainly because of the rapper's constant use of heavy language in their songs. This is what he had to say about Hip Hop music- "It's culturally incisive and politically vital. It speaks truth to
power. It's the last bona fide innovation in pop music. I just wish it
wasn't so damned...vulgar..."
I guess i agree with him. Actually, in my teans, i used to be a "goody-two-shoe" kind of guy, but i was so in love with the wordplay in rap music, that i couldn't but listen to it. So, i would learn all the lyrics, and rap along, but i would sensor out all the parts with vulgar words with pauses...And it became an unconscious act. I still do it till this day. If i am with my fellow rap enthusiast, and i am rapping to a song, and i feel i have to rap every word, to stress the passion the rapper put into it, i actually have to make it a conscious act.
Read what Obama had to say about listening to Hip Hop around his daughters-
"You know, we actually don't constrain what she listens to," President Obama said referring to daughter Malia.
"We expect her to show some good judgment. She listens to my iPod and
has gotten hip to stuff that was made well before she was born like
Motown, jazz, classic rock. There's a whole bunch of stuff that she's
picking up on. We actually share tastes in hip-hop and rap music but we
don't listen to it together, because some of the language in there would
embarrass me--at least while I'm listening to it with her. Folks like
Jay-Z, Nas, we both like them, but when it comes on and I'm sitting with
her and Sasha, then I fast-forward because it would make me blush....
It's interesting, both Malia and Sasha, they're very much up on pop
culture, but what I'm pleased to see is that they're interested in
making culture too." (Glamour)
I guess i agree with him. Actually, in my teans, i used to be a "goody-two-shoe" kind of guy, but i was so in love with the wordplay in rap music, that i couldn't but listen to it. So, i would learn all the lyrics, and rap along, but i would sensor out all the parts with vulgar words with pauses...And it became an unconscious act. I still do it till this day. If i am with my fellow rap enthusiast, and i am rapping to a song, and i feel i have to rap every word, to stress the passion the rapper put into it, i actually have to make it a conscious act.
Read what Obama had to say about listening to Hip Hop around his daughters-
"You know, we actually don't constrain what she listens to," President Obama said referring to daughter Malia.
"We expect her to show some good judgment. She listens to my iPod and
has gotten hip to stuff that was made well before she was born like
Motown, jazz, classic rock. There's a whole bunch of stuff that she's
picking up on. We actually share tastes in hip-hop and rap music but we
don't listen to it together, because some of the language in there would
embarrass me--at least while I'm listening to it with her. Folks like
Jay-Z, Nas, we both like them, but when it comes on and I'm sitting with
her and Sasha, then I fast-forward because it would make me blush....
It's interesting, both Malia and Sasha, they're very much up on pop
culture, but what I'm pleased to see is that they're interested in
making culture too." (Glamour) The Influence of Hip Hop Music on The Black Community
Hip Hop music and the people involved in it have received a lot of bashing in the past, and they continue to receive it, and will continue to get blamed for every bad thing that happens in the society. The question is if rappers should be blamed for all the ills of the society. Music of all sorts greatly influence the people that listen to it. Music motivates, uplifts, entertains; and since hip hop is just another genre of music, it does the same. Now, talking about its influence on the black community; I would recognise the positive more than the negative.
I would like to focus on the positive, then we can now observe the negative, that is if it really can be considered negative. There are a diverse number of rappers out there, and all of them seem to carter for their particular niche well enough. You have the gangsta rappers, you have the ones that kick knowledge, you have the ones that make music for the ladies, and you also have the politically inclined rappers. There are many other niches, but I think this can serve as a major classification.
All these niches treat the music as an art; so, whether they are trying to make people feel good, or educating people on their political rights, or educating young black men on how to live good lives, they all are making a living one way or the other. There is a great influx of people from the streets making that transition to rapping. This, I see as a great positive of hip hop music. Hip Hop music continues to create an avenue for young black men to make a living without being illegal about it.
You have rap moguls like Sean "Diddy" Combs, Russell Simmons, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, J.D...these black men started from the streets, and used hip hop music as an avenue to achieve greatness. Now, you have them being idols and models that the young people of today can look up to and say- "I want to be rich and successful, but i don't have to go through with the drug game, cos i know i can do it with music." I see this as a positive influence.
The negative that is blamed on rappers is the influence that their lyrics might have on young listeners who don't know any better. Well, the way I see it is that kids will gravitate to anything that feeds a desire in them. What i mean is that the kid is already who he is, lyrics don't really make people do what they do. They do what they do because that is who they are, and the work really falls back on the parents and how they raise their kids. Rappers tell stories of the community they live in; so, if they are talking about sex, or gang banging and selling drugs, it might not really be that that is what they do all day, that might just be a way they depict what they see all day. Why don't movie directors like Quentin Tarantino get blamed for the violence of the society? If you have watched any of his movies, you would know that they show more violence and blood than any rapper can depict with words. I think visuals have more effects on humans than words.
And, as I said earlier, there are different rappers in the industry, with their different niches. A Talib Kweli who is more conscious with his rap can't be tagged along with a young Chief Keef who is the direct opposite. As I said, the work lies with the parents, and also on the community itself, and not just hip hop music. I remember back when I was in high school, I listened to a lot of Puffy and Mase music; they were really feel good music. And if you ask me what influence they had on me, i would say they made me want to look good, and have and enjoy the good things of life. I really don't think this is a negative influence.
All those years, i was just listening for entertaiment. But then, one day when I was 18, i was sitting in the living room just listening to the radio, and a song came on that just changed everything for me. I had always loved writing stories, and the song i heard that day was Nas's Undying Love off his I Am album. The way he depicted that story was just so vivid. And then, after that, the same year, I heard New World, and the way he educated me on the future of humanity without being a bore, I knew i had to listen to more of his music. This illustration is just to stress on the point i made earlier; kids will gravitate more towards what they already are, than being influenced by whatever is one the radio. The hip hop music they listen to only make them more of who they already are.
I would like to focus on the positive, then we can now observe the negative, that is if it really can be considered negative. There are a diverse number of rappers out there, and all of them seem to carter for their particular niche well enough. You have the gangsta rappers, you have the ones that kick knowledge, you have the ones that make music for the ladies, and you also have the politically inclined rappers. There are many other niches, but I think this can serve as a major classification.
All these niches treat the music as an art; so, whether they are trying to make people feel good, or educating people on their political rights, or educating young black men on how to live good lives, they all are making a living one way or the other. There is a great influx of people from the streets making that transition to rapping. This, I see as a great positive of hip hop music. Hip Hop music continues to create an avenue for young black men to make a living without being illegal about it.
You have rap moguls like Sean "Diddy" Combs, Russell Simmons, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, J.D...these black men started from the streets, and used hip hop music as an avenue to achieve greatness. Now, you have them being idols and models that the young people of today can look up to and say- "I want to be rich and successful, but i don't have to go through with the drug game, cos i know i can do it with music." I see this as a positive influence.
The negative that is blamed on rappers is the influence that their lyrics might have on young listeners who don't know any better. Well, the way I see it is that kids will gravitate to anything that feeds a desire in them. What i mean is that the kid is already who he is, lyrics don't really make people do what they do. They do what they do because that is who they are, and the work really falls back on the parents and how they raise their kids. Rappers tell stories of the community they live in; so, if they are talking about sex, or gang banging and selling drugs, it might not really be that that is what they do all day, that might just be a way they depict what they see all day. Why don't movie directors like Quentin Tarantino get blamed for the violence of the society? If you have watched any of his movies, you would know that they show more violence and blood than any rapper can depict with words. I think visuals have more effects on humans than words.
And, as I said earlier, there are different rappers in the industry, with their different niches. A Talib Kweli who is more conscious with his rap can't be tagged along with a young Chief Keef who is the direct opposite. As I said, the work lies with the parents, and also on the community itself, and not just hip hop music. I remember back when I was in high school, I listened to a lot of Puffy and Mase music; they were really feel good music. And if you ask me what influence they had on me, i would say they made me want to look good, and have and enjoy the good things of life. I really don't think this is a negative influence.
All those years, i was just listening for entertaiment. But then, one day when I was 18, i was sitting in the living room just listening to the radio, and a song came on that just changed everything for me. I had always loved writing stories, and the song i heard that day was Nas's Undying Love off his I Am album. The way he depicted that story was just so vivid. And then, after that, the same year, I heard New World, and the way he educated me on the future of humanity without being a bore, I knew i had to listen to more of his music. This illustration is just to stress on the point i made earlier; kids will gravitate more towards what they already are, than being influenced by whatever is one the radio. The hip hop music they listen to only make them more of who they already are.
Hip Hop Music; Bridging the Gap Between Races
Hip Hop music went from fun music, to politically conscious music, to gangsta music, back to fun music. A lot of negative things have been said about the quality of hip hop music, and how it affects the youths in the society. Young people would now rather want to be like the biggest rapper out than to have their own identity; they would rather listen to what Jay-Z says about life than to listen to their parents advise on life.
I recognise this, and I would say it could be one of the negative parts of hip hop culture depending on the rapper being listened to, but I chose to focus more on the good that hip hop has done. I know there would always be people that would bring to light the wrong notion of the black people that rappers put in their songs, so I might as well leave those people to do their job while I do mine.
The reason why I am writing this is because of the wrong conception that a lot of people have over a recent event in hip hop culture. Jay-Z and Kanye West are on a Watch The Throne tour, and there friend Gwyneth Paltrow (a white actress) was with them while they were in Paris. And while they were in Paris, performing their hit song, Niggas In Paris, she got over excited about the reaction of the crowd, and tweeted this words- "Niggas In Paris for real", with a picture of herself dancing on stage. A lot of people, bloggers, hip hop reporters and some rappers have bashed her endlessly on the use of the "N" word.
Personally, what I see is the beginning of what I feel black people in America have always wanted- Equality. I think someone like Gwyneth Paltrow and other younger generation of white people that love to be a part of the hip hop culture no-longer see Negroes as black people, but just as people like them and the rest of the white people out there. What I am saying is that Hip Hop music has been able to bridge that gap between the races, to the point where you have white rappers, Black rappers Asian rappers, Hispanic rappers; Hispanic listeners, Black listeners, white listeners, and Asian listeners. Now, you have a lot of white people at hip hop shows and concerts, and they look up to this rappers. They don't just like the music, they like and respect the musicians.
I think this is a great development. Although this is just a social thing, it will definitely transcend to other spheres of life. And, one step at a time, the dinosaur age of white people that can't stand black people will fade out, and this new generation would take over, and we will just be one happy planet...One Human Race.
I think Michael Jackson would have achieved this early in the 80s, but he went and turned himself white. And, if you look at Bob Marley, he was on the same track. He made politically conscious music, and even attacked the whites with his lyrics, but his songs were so melodious that everyone, regardless of race just vibed to it. But, with Hip Hop being a big medium, the effect is much more noticeable. I have watched rapper Game's live concerts in Norway and New Zealand, and seen 90% white people in the audience, rapping a long to every word of his songs. I think, regardless of what negative image people paint hip hop, they have done more in erasing racial tension and building equality than any million man march or protest has done. I believe in getting positive with positive, not getting positive with negative...u dig?
I recognise this, and I would say it could be one of the negative parts of hip hop culture depending on the rapper being listened to, but I chose to focus more on the good that hip hop has done. I know there would always be people that would bring to light the wrong notion of the black people that rappers put in their songs, so I might as well leave those people to do their job while I do mine.
The reason why I am writing this is because of the wrong conception that a lot of people have over a recent event in hip hop culture. Jay-Z and Kanye West are on a Watch The Throne tour, and there friend Gwyneth Paltrow (a white actress) was with them while they were in Paris. And while they were in Paris, performing their hit song, Niggas In Paris, she got over excited about the reaction of the crowd, and tweeted this words- "Niggas In Paris for real", with a picture of herself dancing on stage. A lot of people, bloggers, hip hop reporters and some rappers have bashed her endlessly on the use of the "N" word.
Personally, what I see is the beginning of what I feel black people in America have always wanted- Equality. I think someone like Gwyneth Paltrow and other younger generation of white people that love to be a part of the hip hop culture no-longer see Negroes as black people, but just as people like them and the rest of the white people out there. What I am saying is that Hip Hop music has been able to bridge that gap between the races, to the point where you have white rappers, Black rappers Asian rappers, Hispanic rappers; Hispanic listeners, Black listeners, white listeners, and Asian listeners. Now, you have a lot of white people at hip hop shows and concerts, and they look up to this rappers. They don't just like the music, they like and respect the musicians.
I think this is a great development. Although this is just a social thing, it will definitely transcend to other spheres of life. And, one step at a time, the dinosaur age of white people that can't stand black people will fade out, and this new generation would take over, and we will just be one happy planet...One Human Race.
I think Michael Jackson would have achieved this early in the 80s, but he went and turned himself white. And, if you look at Bob Marley, he was on the same track. He made politically conscious music, and even attacked the whites with his lyrics, but his songs were so melodious that everyone, regardless of race just vibed to it. But, with Hip Hop being a big medium, the effect is much more noticeable. I have watched rapper Game's live concerts in Norway and New Zealand, and seen 90% white people in the audience, rapping a long to every word of his songs. I think, regardless of what negative image people paint hip hop, they have done more in erasing racial tension and building equality than any million man march or protest has done. I believe in getting positive with positive, not getting positive with negative...u dig?
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