Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Happy Tuesday!
It's hard to believe that it's been 13 years since Biggie's death. I remember it like it was yesterday...time really does fly. I was listening to the radio this morning and the HOT 97 talent had a 15 year old male and female call in for some "Biggie Trivia." They wanted to know if these youngn's knew about the Notorious B.I.G. - arguably the greatest to ever do it.
They didn't know his real name was Christopher Wallace. They didn't know the name of his crew - Junior Mafia. They couldn't name the titles of his albums. It was sad.
The 15 year old boy's father was trying to help him by whispering the answers in the background. The boy said something about Biggie being "old school."
Then it hit me like a ton of bricks - when did MY music become "old school?" When did Biggie become (to a 15 year old) "my dad's music"?
I could see if they didn't know anything about Big Daddy Kane, or Kwame. But Biggie?? He was "old school" to them. Erik B and Rakim, Rob Base, EPMD...THEY might be considered old school...but BIGGIE?? How many years has to go by before something is considered old school?
I didn't think 13 years was that long ago. And if Biggie were alive today, he'd be killin' these young cats, just like Jigga. So does that mean Tribe Called Quest is old school now? The Fugees? Black Sheep? De La Soul?
I can remember vividly dancing to MC Lyte and The Beastie Boys in the 80's, with my asymmetrical haircut and acid wash jeans. THAT to me is old school.
But I can also distinctly remember going to see Tribe and De La Soul in college. We piled up a few car-loads of peeps to Colgate to go watch them perform in a gym. White kids and black kids in a mosh pit (I lie to you not)...and it was one of the hottest concerts I've ever been to in my LIFE!
THAT memory doesn't seem that old to me...but I guess maybe it is. Maybe it's because I still feel like I'm 27 (in my head), so the 90's don't seem that far removed to me. But alas, it's 2010, and that was over 15 years ago.
All these memories of my high school and college days were coming back to me in rapid succession as I listened to the Biggie tribute this morning...and now his songs are considered "Classics."
Again I ask, when did I get old...and how is MY music now considered "old school?" Ain't this about a b*tch!?
RIP Big
-b
20 comments:
First Byatches !!!
FB
DAMN DAMN DAMN YOU FB!!!
Damn my blackberry cuz it's taking forever to download...
And damn you to hell FB!!!!!!!!!!!! lmao
Anywho... BIGGIE IS THE MAN...Dead or alive he is the MAN!!!! His talent is UNDENIABLE.. HOW THE HELL COULD SOMEONE WALK THIS EARTH & NOT KNOW HIS REAL NAME IS CHRISTOPHER WALLACE????
This is what's wrong with youth today... They just dumb! lmao
And if Biggie is "old school" does that mean Jigga is old school tooo???Nas?? etc etc Or is poor Biggie just considered old cause he couldn't make any music in the past 13 years??? That is just straight up buffonary???
We've become a society where "The Stanky Leg" is the ISH we gotta hear on the radio...
INSTEAD of real lyrics... Who Shot Ya? BEOTCHES!!!
We became old school the moment radio stations started targeting the younger market...then again they always have.
The messed up part is that this lil boy was 2 when Biggie died. NOW WE ALL KNOW HOW NEGROES DO IN DA HOOD....
$10 says when that boy was 2 he didn't know his ABC's OR how to count but he could probably sing every song on Life After Death.... DAMN SHAME....
Yea brooke our music is OLD SCHOOL to these young bucks. That's because today's music sucks, Lil Wayne, gucci mane, treysongz young jeezy, I mean these so called rappers are so WHACK. They all sound the same to me, using auto tunes all the time. And Lil Wayne thinks he's the Greatest rapper of all time.. come on son he can't be serious. Maybe he can think about how to be more humble and put out better music while he's at Rikers.Hip Hop music fell off 10 years ago. I don't even listen to radio anymore. These young kids think our music is Old School because they don't know what real music is.It's kinda sad when you think about it.
Lil Wayne...oh lawwwdddd you don't need any other sign of the world going to hell than LIL WAYNE. He looks ewwwy and he makes weird noises and has no flow whatsoever. What is the appeal, I don't get it!
Great topic. I think the answer as to when your music became old school can be traced to the first moment you turned the radio onto Hot 97 and said "a lot of this music is trash and I don't see these kids appeal in more than half of these artist!"
My friends, we have all officially become our parents! I cannot wait to hear the type of music my daughter will listen to. I hope that she is an "old soul"
Floyd
I have no issue with our music being old school. When I was younger, I listened to "old school" stuff like Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, etc. - cuz good music is good music. So yes - Redman, Wu-Tang, De La Soul, Black Moon, Biggie, 2pac, Classic Jigga, Nas - it's all considered old school now. But the difference is - when we were younger, our music was good, as was old school. Nowadays, with the corporate and ignorant interests controlling much of music (not just Hip Hop), the good stuff is spaced out. Is there good Hip Hop? Sure. Mos Def, Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, The Roots, Jay-Z, Nad, Ludacris, T.I., Outkast, Common - there's PLENTY if you really have your ear to the music. But if you're just listening to the agenda-ridden radio stations and video shows, then you won't see or hear it. Now, you gotta go seek the good ish out.
I'm completely at ease with being old school. I don't listen to the garbage that the kids like nowadays - and I won't conform. My Pandora stations play all the dope ish - old and new - anyway.
@ Flyod. You hit on the nose my brother.. WE HAVE BECOME OUR PARENTS..... YIKES I thought I'd never see the day. I even find myself saying things my mom would say.
@ rameer
I agree with you as well. I listened to my parents old school music as well. But their music was hot to me, full of soul, flavor and great lyrics.Today's music, not so much
@ Stephanie - our parents music WAS hot! I rocked with all their stuff - even my grandparents stuff (they were on the Jazz tip). But a lot of the mainstream stuff that gets pushed today is just CRAP. Even the decent stuff gets made out to be great when it is really just average - Beyonce's last album? T-Pain? All just average fair that if released in our heyday, would get lost in the shuffle.
Such is life.
Music today is garbage. Music from the 90's was the best era ever as far as hiphop is concerned, and I agree wholeheartedly with what Rameer said. You gotta seek it out now. Can't believe it's been 13 years already since Biggie left us, music just wasn't the same after his death.
Rameer to play Devil's advocate.
The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders are probably two of the dopest albums ever, along with Illmatic and a host of others. In my experience, I remember the elders commenting on the Roots "Organix" and "Do you want more???" saying that music has gone to shit....fast forward 16 to 20 years later and what do you have??? Most of us in our early to mid 30's saying that the music is subpar or just plain trash! You are correct...such is life!
FB
I have Sophia listening to your playlist Brookey....
She's dancing... SHe's gonna know good music & her alphabet! lol
Music ain't the only thing that went to hell! TV is too!!!! Sitcoms have been replaced with reality tv!!! ie: jersey shore,the bachelor etc etc etc
These kids don't know nothing about no: Cosby show, a different world, different strokes, threes company, etc, etc
I can't believe I'm just seeing THIS blog! Nice work B.
I watched Notorious for the 8th/9th time the other day, and just like older folks clowned us for what we listened to, the cycle continues.
Our music was garbage too at some point for those who came before us. That's just how it works. Biggie is timeless, but then again, all good things are.
Here's an experiment: Put on Biggie's "One more chance" (remix) when you've got a few friends over, and watch the room stop when that first beat hits people's ears. Timeless.
Now, let's talk about the other side of this. Ladies and gentlemen, we look at it historically, but we had our crap too. For every Soulja Boy these days, we had Too $hort. He was garbage, but we loved it, cuz WE loved it.
Hammer? Ice T? Luke? Two Live Crew? Terrible - We loved it, but come on kids...TERRible.
LOL, yep, we shook azzes to a bunch of stuff, but it was what it was...
Dmoe
TOCHE, DE MOE, TOCHE
True dat, DMoe, true dat!
Biggie is old school to 15 yr olds because they were 2 when he died. And I don't know if their parents (who would possibly be our age or a bit older) are really passing down Biggie's music to their kids. I don't know if I want my 12 yr old cousins shouting GIMME DA LOOT, GIMME DA LOOT or I'M F'N YOU TONIGHT!
Face it. We're old.
(And I'm okay with that)
I understand DMoe's point, but 'Too $hort n dem' were the exception, not the rule. That was an era where true hip hop artists ran this town. Now the sheriff is Lil Wayne - again, what is the appeal????
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