On June 9, 2012, Hip Hop turned another corner. This night, an incident with far reaching implications, stained the memories of many Hiphoppas in a way they will never forget. Some moments in Hip Hop are looked on with fondness even if they seem harsh to the general public. It was an epic moment when Tupac released Hit em Up, or when Snoop was finally heard on the Deep Cover soundtrack, or when Eminem dropped the 8 Mile movie. Some of us old heads even remember when Sugar Hill Records put out Rapper’s Delight, or Run DMC premiering the video for King of Rock. And yes, when Canibus challenged LL Cool J with 2nd Round K.O., something in Hip Hop changed forever. It is a feeling that is not quite tangible, yet it’s distinctly, there. It’s hard to say exactly how hip-hop music changed specifically. Yet there was definitely something different in how everyday Hiphoppas felt about the culture after they witnessed each event.
There are other events which live in infamy among Hiphoppas. Ones we all wished had not taken place at all. Situations like the death of notable icons of the music, often come too soon it seems. Other times, artist in particular, by embarrassing themselves, in turn put a bad light on the culture we would rather not be shown. Lil Kim’s plastic surgery comes to mind. Even DMX’s wild antics and Kanye West’s outbursts sometimes bring too much overall scrutiny to the culture. Those situations are more personal however, and Hiphoppas have tended to distance themselves from the behavior of any individual artist, saying it doesn’t reflect on the larger culture significantly. There is a case to make that these individual personality flaws are symptomatic of the same pervasive psychology in Hiphoppas in general. After all, these artists don’t exist in a vacuum. Their actions are indeed a reflection of the society they have been socialized in. If people choose not to acknowledge these warning signs, that is understandable. No one likes to expose their own flaws for the World to see. Hiphoppas experienced similar feeling about watching the Canibus vs Dizaster rap battle hosted by King of the Dot.
Kurt Nice
Kurt Nice aka Kurtiss Jackson is a behind the scenes pioneer in the Hip Hop Kulture, creating the first nationally distributed video mix tape series, Shades of Hip Hop, in the late 1990s. Since touring the country with the Stop the Violence Movement and the Temple of Hip Hop as KRS-ONE’s National Marketing Director, Kurt Nice has been a constant commentator on conscious Hip Hop and its relevance to the new rap music of today, through radio and cable appearances. contact Kurt at info@hiphoplives.net
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Kurt Nice aka Kurtiss Jackson is a behind the scenes pioneer in the Hip Hop Kulture, creating the first nationally distributed video mix tape series, Shades of Hip Hop, in the late 1990s. Since touring the country with the Stop the Violence Movement and the Temple of Hip Hop as KRS-ONE's National Marketing Director, Kurt Nice has been a constant commentator on conscious Hip Hop and its relevance to the new rap music of today, through radio and cable appearances. contact Kurt at info@hiphoplives.net
