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Over the past couple of weeks I’ve beeing thinking a lot about how irrelevant NYC Hip-Hop has become.  Granted some of the biggest hip-hop stars are from NYC (i.e. Jay-Z, Diddy, 50 Cent, & Nas).  However, name one big hip-hop act to come out of NYC since 2005?  Not had a single that got radio play.  But became a prominent player in the hip-hop game?

So who is going to make NYC relevant again?  Cory Gunz just inked a deal with Southern based Young Money/Cash Money.  I like the kid but how is NYC going to be brought back by a kid signed to a label that was started in New Orleans?  Mickey Factz finally got singed to Jive/Battery but that signing is about a year late, and the “hipster/scenster” rap seems to be over hyped, and definitely isn’t selling.  Plus Mickey Factz saving NYC hip hop? C’mon son.  There is a lot of buzz around Cam’s new Protege, Vado.  Kid is super nice.  The new Boss Of All Bosses 2.5 tape is absolute fire.  That being said he is making the type of music that rap nerds such as myself love, but I don’t see him changing the landscape of the rap game.

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The way I’m talking about “saving” NYC is part of the problem.  NYC doesn’t need a new artist.  NYC needs a new sound.  We don’t need one artist always killing radio.  We need all the songs on radio to sound like NYC records.  We need people to react to songs like “that’s that NY ish” not “that’s that new track from an artist who happens to be from NYC”.  It needs to be bigger than one person, which in the ego-centric city of NYC can be hard to do.

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How does NYC get to the forefront of hip-hop relevancy again?  Now that’s a question I don’t have the answer to.  However, I feel like it should start with the production.  I feel like the lyrics can’t be as gritty as they once were based on how the city has evolved.  The drugs and violence have gotten a lot less prevalent, the only downside of a phenomena like that is that rap music becomes a little less cool.  So to counter that lack of grittiness in the lyrics, I feel like that NYC grit needs to come from the production. NYC needs to be a little more proactive as opposed to reactive.

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I’m not saying Dub Step is the solution, but I think it’s a good example.  Take this “Saxon” reference track Nicki Minaj did for Rihanna, It’s pretty much dub step.  For another example check out this “Nobody Move!” off Trouble Andrew’s Trouble Gang mixtape.  Once again I’m not saying this is the solution, but I think it’s a decent suggestion.  The fact of the matter is that for this new sound to be created it has to happen organically.  Some f*ck boy blogger isn’t going to save NYC hip-hop.  That responsibility lies on the next generation of artists in NYC.  So NYC I’m waiting…

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