Where Have All The Rappers Gone????

It is 2010 and the world of hip hop has changed dramatically. Gone are the times where real talent got you a deal. Now, it's all about the image. Although image has always been important, talent is what gave you staying power. Artists like Method Man and Ice Cube had the thug appeal and skills to match. Now, we are forced to be "entertained" by the genius that is Soulja Boy. Now, to his credit, he is a smart businessman. What other 16 year-old has made the money that he has made by promoting himself, and using the internet to his advantage?
Real hip hop is what I long for though. I would love to go back to the days when Hip hop was rap. Where Kurtis Blow was telling us that "the IRS says they want to chat and you can't explain why you claimed your cat, that those are the breaks" or every girl wanted to be at "the bus stop sucking on a lollipop with bamboo earrings (of course at least two pair)". A time when people could go out and watch a Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick or a Run DMC show with the biggest concern being whether or not someone is going to have the same outfit as yours.
Change is inevitable. Change is constant. Those are well known facts. This article is not to hate on anyone. It is to let the young heads know that there is a lot more to rap about than guns, drugs, bitches, hos, and money. We can't move forward in anyone's eyes until we break the mold. At the end of the day, we are still Niggers. When other races and cultures hear the music that "defines" us and they hear nothing but how much money we have and sipping and spitting champagne (in a recession), they could care less about how educated you are out of the studio.
There is a lot to say about how far we as a community have come. We have a black president! We still have so far to go. Two year-old should not know every word to "Wetter", they should be watching Sesame Street learning the word and number of the day. The message here is this: let's do better. Let's make 2010 a new beginning. It starts with one person: you. Are you ready to accept the challenge??