Lotsa interesting points mentioned in this discussion. My two cents: I think this sense of music "turning negative" is a by-product of us getting older and realizing that things just aren't like they were when we were coming up. Like it or not, we're already starting to yearn for the "good old days."
That said, the issues surrounding contemporary music are numerous. One has to do with the lack of diversity being offered through mainstream outlets, which is basically all that young kids have exposure to. Speaking in terms of rap, back in the day we would see videos from Too Short, Geto Boys or NWA, but they'd also play Boogie Down Productions, X Clan and Queen Latifah. It seems like many labels, radio, and tv have decided to put all their energies on the most commercially successful stuff, which is usually highly sexual, materialistic and/or violent.
Now why is that the stuff that dominates the airwaves? I think we as consumers have to look at ourselves in terms of questioning why "conscious" artists always seem to fall off. It's always been my belief that even during rap's Golden Age, most of those artists were going gold at best. To move it to today, how many of us own records by the Coup (who have sold only 15,000 copies of their most recent album), Antibalas, the new KRS One, Dead Prez or Femi Kuti? De La Soul just lost their record deal, and I think plenty of us would call them one of our favorite acts during the early 90s. I think a lot of people say they want "meaningful" music, but don't buy it when it's available. And if we don't buy it, who's supposed to counter the stuff our younger family members are listening to?
Most people buy music as background music (work, doing chores) or for riding, relaxing or partying to. Therefore, they just want something that sounds good. And I will concede that Ja Rule, Mystikal and most southern bounce have blazing beats that are perfect for dancing. Until people decide that lyrics are more important than beats (or "conscious" artists decide to put as much emphasis on their beats/hooks as their words), artists with dope production will always be more popular.
Or, it could be as simple as something a friend once told me: the music is negative because we're living negative lifestyles/values.
--- B.Graff www.allthingsdeep.com
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