Hip-Hop is Dead; Are Mixtapes to blaim?

Aight, I have been thinking, first off Nas came up with a good idead for a LP. But I don't think Nas is nessesarily talking about candy ass bubble gum pop / hip-hop saturated all over the radio. I don't think Nas is referencing the South's rise to the top. I guess I can't really talk about what he means, but here is why I think Hip-Hop isn't as fun as it once was, not dead, by far not dead, but being hurt bigtime.

The Mixtape killed Hip-Hop, or is killing, hurting whatever you call it.

Not the leaking of album tracks per se, cause that has always been a form of Hip-Hop, the bootleggers, getting to hear parts of albums on mixtapes was always ill. Like when you'd hear a new Biggie track or Nas joint, or NORE joint bac in the day on Clue tape, a few freestyles here and there, but nothin' crazy. Now everyone is a DJ, everyone is a mixtape DJ's, DJ's who never even touched a turntable making "mixtapes" or every artist, every new artist it seems has to release a "mixtape" which is wack to me honestly.

Yeah, I like to hear some ill hip-hop, I like to here a mufucka tear up a industry beat everyonce and a while, but let's be real, ain't too many people rippin' tapes like in the 90's, I mean really, Fab in his prime, Joe Budden & Cassidy in there prime just rippin' mixtapes, and Lil Wayne is rippin' them and has been for years, but I'm sayin everyone is releasing mixtapes, I mean rappers have like 15 mixtapes before a album, and I understand they just tryna grind, but shit Papoose ain't did ONE LP, dude got 78.2 mixtapes on the streets. I mean whatever happened to making music, and saving the tracks for the albums and shit.

This is why mufuckas ain't excited for Papoose, or any other artist who has like 59 mixtapes out, cause you feel like, man I heard that mufucka on 890 songs already, and he just aight, I mean shit there is no anticipation for these mufuckas anymore, I mean mufuckas in the streets might wanna hear that new freestyle or whatever, but these mufuckas are over-saturating the market.

Mixtapes are being overdone, everyone's doing it, it's kinda sad, cause very rarely now will Hip-Hop run into a new release, or a new artist to release a highly-anticipated album. Nowadays artists want to start off as a mogul, you have to establish yourself in the industry before you can model clothing lines, start clothing lines, get a label (I mean you might get a label, but if you are the only artist on your label that anyone has remotely heard of, you aren't really a label). Mixtapes worked for 50 Cent, and a few other select artists, but just because it worked for 50 Cent that doesn't mean it will work for you. 50 Cent also had Dr. Dre & Eminem behind him as well, so please realize, if you are a artist out there, the mixtape will not solidify your spot in hip-hop.

Make songs, complete songs. Learn how to write songs, hooks, pick good beats, don't just rap with your boys, surround yourself with good talent. Mixtapes are a good vehicle, but they are being overly-used, and are in turn only destroying slowly our genre of music. Don't follow 50's footsteps, you aren't 50, no one is but him.

This is not directly aimed at anyone, just something that was on my mind. I know where you coming from Nas, cause at times I can agree with your new album title.