I'm scanning the diminished aisles of the local music store last weekend, only to find mixed results, depending on your genre of choice. Rock music is doing all right, which is to say, there's still stuff out there worth checking out, if you're willing to look for it. Already in 2007, there have been quality new releases from the likes of the White Stripes, the Shins, Modest Mouse, Wilco, Velvet Revolver and the reunited Smashing Pumpkins, amongst others. These artists don't make nearly what they used to as far as album sales are concerned, but lest we forget, every new disc is reason enough to go on tour, which is still a pretty sizeable cash cow for most musicians. New releases are expected before the year is out as well from the likes of Radiohead, Counting Crows and Bruce Springsteen.
But swing the audio browser over to the hip hop aisles and things aren't looking so good. New releases last year from Outkast, the Roots, Jay-Z (shoulda stayed retired) and Nas offered reason for slight optimism for rap/R & B-over-beats, but it certainly hasn't carried over to 2007. Outside of Lil Wayne, where oh where has the production from the marquee names gone? That Fugees reunion? Yeah, right. Lauryn Hill? Muy loco. D'Angelo. MIA. Eminem? Hiatus. Biggie, Tupac? Still six feet under.
Maybe Nas was right, after all. I guess hip hop is dead.
-JAB
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