Pete Rock believes that Hip Hop's monetization has taken away from the craft he cultivated, pointing out that it now determines the music artists make.
This is a point I wish more people understood. People say rap glorifies this street stuff (and it does) and that is why there is so much street violence in some places. But art doesn’t create reality, it reflects it. People make art about what they know and what they see, so of course they rap about it.
There are exceptions, dudes who didn’t grow up in that life rapping about it, but that is again a reflection of their life. These are guys who were big in to Hip Hop who created art mirroring what they grew up with, which is rap about a violent life style. They are also the exception, not the rule I feel.
This is a point I wish more people understood. People say rap glorifies this street stuff (and it does) and that is why there is so much street violence in some places. But art doesn’t create reality, it reflects it. People make art about what they know and what they see, so of course they rap about it.
There are exceptions, dudes who didn’t grow up in that life rapping about it, but that is again a reflection of their life. These are guys who were big in to Hip Hop who created art mirroring what they grew up with, which is rap about a violent life style. They are also the exception, not the rule I feel.