NEW ERA
Hip-hop is still going strong. It managed to survive the untimely deaths of rap kings such as Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac and shifted to a new focus: To let the world know that this music is a form of freestyle expression. But when the music took a backseat to the money, things got ugly. Although artists such as Jay-Z and Snoop gained commercial success while maintaining their street cred, hip-hop became a marketing product. Violence was on the rise, rappers got into trouble with the law--some innocent, some guilty. And some of the elite rappers left the game because things were not what they used to be. But on the flip side, hip-hop has dominated the charts for the past five years. Artists such as Puffy, Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes have entertained us with million-dollar videos. Rappers are becoming CEO's, starting clothing lines, owning film companies, and stepping up to defend the culture. And with dominating artists such as Nelly, Eminem, Lil' Kim, Dre, Outkast and many more putting it down, hip-hop is here for the long run. It's not just music, it's a way of life.
