About the Review Ratings At Lyrics First

I’d like to explain about the rating system on this blog. The admins of this site have been listening to rap/hip-hop music for over a decade. We have listened to thousands and thousands of albums and mixtapes from the full range of hip-hop artists. You can trust that we have the experience to review these tapes and albums. We also understand the differences in all the genres of hip-hop. So, each rating we give for any mixtape/album is with respect to that specific tape’s/album’s genre/category of music it falls within. There is no one category of hip-hop that is the “realest” form of hip-hop. That is a mistake that many listeners/artists make. Hip-hop is diverse animal and should be treated as such. There is no one place of its origin. There have been artists producing music from each category of hip-hop since the mid-late 80’s. However, the popularity of these groups of music grew at very different rates. To me, this is the main reason for the difference of opinion.

-Bleys

Goal of this Blog

Hip-hop has become one of the most mixed up forms of music in history. It began full of substance and meaning, but has now transformed into the meaningless monster of mainstream greed. It is easy to see why this could happen. In the beginning of hip-hop, like anything else, there was no money to be made. Artists made music in order to express themselves. Artists like Rakim, LL Cool J, KRS-One, Queen Latifah, Kool G Rap, and many other pioneers brought originality and self expression to their music. Somewhere along the line people began to realize that money could be made with this type of music. What really generated profit for hip-hop artists? The popularity of their singles. But, why were singles like “Momma Said Knock You Out,” “Around the Way Girl,” “Unity,” and “Paid in Full” so popular? They had mass appeal, meaning people outside the industry of hip-hop could listen to that single and enjoy it. This is all that needs to be understood. Anyone who can make a single with mass appeal can have a hit record that makes money. There are many different types of mass appeal. The current and most popular method is to make a song with a heavy bass beat and a simple catchy hook. These songs are easy to understand, catchy, and appeal to a wide audience. Records like “Laffy Taffy” and “Crank Dat (Souljah Boy)” prove this to be true. It seems like the trend of artists grossly oversimplify their song concepts has proven over and over to be the easiest way for artists to make money without needing to have an ounce of substance within their music. Now that this type of music is dominating the radio there is no way to stop it. This trend will continue for a long time and continues to give hip-hop music a bad reputation. Most artists will have a decision to make. If they have any type of microphone talent, they can choose to sell out for mass appeal or stay true to themselves as artists. I am starting this blog in an effort to preserve the second option. I don’t want to listen to the garbage on the radio. I want to hear real hip-hop music. This blog is going to be a hip-hop filter. All that will be let through the filter is talented artists with skill, originality, substance. I hope you all enjoy it.