This is a significant drop for a genre that in recent years, could, if nothing else, count on acts like Kanye West, 50 Cent and OutKast to move units at a multiplatinum pace.

Partnering with consumers' seeming apathy toward the year's new hip-hop releases is a trend in local clubs that should, at least slightly, concern any up-and-coming rappers: Dance music is making a monster comeback, and it's doing it with tracks devoid of MCs.

So, if what's on deck for the mainstream truly lies in the clubs, it would seem the future is far brighter for, say, the Brazilian Girls than it is for the Diplomats. No wonder Nas chose to title his latest CD "Hip Hop Is Dead."

Of course, that's way too simple a conclusion.
Some of the best hip-hop releases of 2006 show exactly why hip-hop is not dead but is instead going through contractions as the music embraces the maturity its original followers have been begging for since Nas' debut 12 years ago.
Here are some of the bests and worsts of hip-hop in 2006.

Best sign the music's on the move: Rhymefest's "More" video.
Directed by local hip-hop documentarian and filmmaker Konee Rok, this video is easily one of the year's best, capturing the frenetic pace of the Chicago-reared MC's push as he crisscrosses the country promoting the release of the under-appreciated "Blue Collar" and attempting to elevate the game of hip-hop.

Worst sign how far we've slipped, baby: Ludacris' "Money Maker" video.
If so many of the images in hip-hop hadn't already tried to push feminism back 40 years, one in this video would have done it by itself. A scantily clad, well-fed booty shaker poofs into a wad ttering cash. Feel free to steal this if you're a college student taking an "images of women in media" class next semester.

Source: http://www.msn.com
POSTED BY DAVID JAKUBIAK


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