I'm going to have to fall in the middle of the "hip hop is/isn't dying" issue. I think the growing influence (domination?) on culture and the way so many artists across the globe are incorporating it is proof of its continued potency.
On the other hand, rap has split into so many different segments that it's a matter of time before somebody starts describing one of the branches as something independent of hip-hop. I think that is part of the maturation that someone else spoke of. Also, the question of who or what is driving the direction of rap remains open to interpretation.
Additionally, I'm not sure if those of us who are in our late 20s and up will ever feel the same attachment to today's artists as we do about those from the golden age of the late 80s and early 90s. Times were different back then and there weren't as many commercial pressures on artists as there are now. So even though Jay-Z is an extremely gifted lyricist and Ludacris, Cash Money and Nelly all have blazing beats, the fact that they're blatant about their commercialism makes some people want to deny them their props.
--- B.Graff www.allthingsdeep.com
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