Rather see the above links in your inbox or feed reader?
Subscribe to our Links for hand-picked items from around the web
How G-Unit Saved Hip-Hop (no, seriously) · by Hashim Warren
G-Unit is easily the most hated on group in rap music, but what most fans don’t realize is that 50 Cent’s crew saved hip-hop from a fate worse then death at least once, and probably twice.
Think back to 2003 when Eminem and and Nelly were the top selling artists in all of American music. Those two were a huge improvement over their Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer forerunners, however their popularity put real hip-hop (yes, there is such a thing as “real hip-hop” ) in danger of becoming too accessible to the masses.
Enter 50 Cent and G-Unit. All of a sudden hip-hop became dangerous again. Parents, politicians, and preachers spoke out against G-Unit’s music and warned about it’s effect on America. Talk shows called in hip-hop bloggers to explain this crisis of violence in the music that was spilling out in the street.
Record labels lost interest in finding the next Eminem and Nelly (sorry Bubba Sparxxx and Chingy), and looked for the next former crack dealer who could go platinum (sorry Young Jeezy haters).
No longer was hip-hop in danger in taking a Jazz-style dive into mediocrity and irrelevance. People forget that a Jazz club used to be a dangerous place, tucked away on the seedy part of town, where only the Black people lived. Now Jazz clubs are featured in city travel brochures as attractions. Back then mothers locked up their daughters, for fear that a Thelonius Monk would get them pregnant, killed, or hooked on H. If G-Unit didn’t save hip-hop, we’d be 5 years away from the son of some billionaire building a hip-hop graveyard conservatory next to Lincoln Center, word to James Murdoch.
Now, the first time G-Unit saved hip-hop was before any of them were even signed to deals. G-Unit invented, perfected, and still lead the way on mixtape albums, a creation that revitalized the hip-hop underground, giving indie artists an uncensored voice without the record label middle men. Before G-Unit made full length mixtape albums popular, DJ’s had to beg, barter, and steal random tracks from rappers and piece them together as a mix. No one would imagine an artist giving away 2 dozen songs for free. But that’s what 50 did, and he instilled the same work ethic and benevolence into G-Unit.
This was huge for our music culture. Some of the most exciting work from rappers have been on mixtapes. Jadakiss’ mixtape with Green lantern was arguably better then his own album. Ghostface’s series with J-Love featured unclearable gems that are part of his best songs. The Clipse, Juelz Santana, Lil Wayne are established artists who have second careers through mixtape albums. And Papoose and Grafh are unsigned artists who have made a name for themselves through the G-Unit creation. Even Jay-Z released a mixtape album for free with the sale of his Reebok shoe (the first truly promotional use only mixtape).
The mixtape album is hip-hop’s buffer from the corporate influence in hip-hop and the mainstream pressure. It’s where a rapper can speak directly to fans and not have to wait for anyone’s approval or budget, or worry that FOX News will blast them the next day for what they said. They can rhyme over beats they can’t afford, collab with artists they shouldn’t be working with, and spotlight crew members we otherwise wouldn’t care about.
Thank you, G-Unit. Hip-hop wouldn’t be the same without you guys.
***********************
Guest blogger Hashim Warren may not have invented hip-hop blogging but he was the first I know of to ride the phenomenon all the way to a 401k plan. That’s the new new jack hustle! You can check Hashim at Hip-Hop blogs or at any major urban media website (except for the one that’s constantly dissing him).
Comments for "How G-Unit Saved Hip-Hop (no, seriously)"
i’d only amend this piece to say “saved rap music”. he did nothing for b-girls, aerosol artists, etc! but this is my “purist” sense talking.
— cherryl Jul 13, 01:18 PM
I’m going to let some other people counter Hashim’s argument first before I give it a go if still needed.
So, step right in “some other people”.
— Rafi Jul 13, 02:20 PM
It’ll be a joyous day when the 4 elements hip hop “purist” nonsense, as well as the “real hip hop” garbage is buried forever—Thanks a lot KRS!
Hashim, the problem with this logic is that G Unit is as accessible to the masses as any “non-threatening” artist. In fact, only Eminem (for obvious reasons), Kast, and Jay are as popular. 50 may represent the “dangerous” black stereotype that politicians and pundits can’t stop demonizing, but for that very reason, fans from all backgrounds love him and his cronies. 50 has been on the cover of GQ, has his clothing and Vitamin water thing, and is looking to partner with Apple. His mainstream popularity will last much longer than that of the BEPs, whose immense success will shrivel once clueless middle-aged white people realize that black people do not like their music.
But 50 certainly upped the mixtape game, though I have a feeling that the popularity of mixtapes is fleeting.
— eauhellzgnaw Jul 13, 02:26 PM
thanks Cherryl for clearing up the confusion. 50 Cent is a minstrel show. He might as well put on blackface and white gloves. His rap music is what is killing Hip-Hop along with Nelly and along with Eminem. 50 is the caricature of the hyper agressive Black male that everybody is afraid of in a primal sense because they understand that one day retributution is at hand. 50 Cent doesn’t want equality or his dignity he just wants money. Suburban parents know this and they would rather buy a 50 Cent album for little Bobby and little Susie than a Poor Righteous Teachers or X-Clan album. If Hip-Hop were still a culture then 50 Cent would be a vulture feeding on the carcass.
— Billy Sunday Jul 14, 10:58 AM
Dallaspenn.com is the truth, man. I peep it daily. However, I can’t tell if you’re being serious here, so I apologize if you were joking.
“50 Cent is a minstrel show. He might as well put on blackface and white gloves.”
True, but rap was a minstrel show even when it was good. Flav?
“His rap music is what is killing Hip-Hop along with Nelly and along with Eminem.”
I’m not gonna act like I don’t loathe their music, but the artists are only responsible for a small part of the problem. The fans are primarily to blame cause they support this garbage. The music companies, radio, TV are also responsible for squeezing almost all creativity out of the mainstream.
“Suburban parents know this and they would rather buy a 50 Cent album for little Bobby and little Susie than a Poor Righteous Teachers or X-Clan album.”
Do most white parents (or black ones) even know who PRT and X Clan are? Do parents still buy albums for their kids?
— eauhellzgnaw Jul 14, 12:25 PM
50 doesn’t make rap dangerous again. Rap appeared dangerous to the mainstream when it was outside the mainstream. People feared it when they didn’t understand it. Now that the industry and the media have become the subject of everyone’s attention, it’s easy for anyone to understand. Just another money-grab, what’s not to understand.
The thug motif that 50 uses isn’t really a threat. Compare 15 years ago, the threat of organized action that P.E. was preaching to the nihilism of NWA. Even if both ended up being all talk, at least PE’s rhetoric made sure to point its heaters the other way. The only thing really scary about NWA to white America was that your kids were shouting their swear words and playing their music. But now that this is widely accepted as normal youth music there’s no real danger to it.
There’s no real violence, just the empty artifacts of violence shrouding what is really selling 50, which is a hyper-sexual appeal. And yes that is to both his male and female fans. This guy is marketed / markets himself like he himself is a big, beautiful weapon. Look on with envy, look on with lust, he’ll even bait you into thinking you may get “just a touch”.
What’s the danger in another sex object? The only danger is to the perceptions of the people being marketed to.
— Rafi Jul 14, 02:05 PM
i agree, g-unit did breathe new life into da rap game.
— T-Cool Jul 17, 12:27 PM
50 cent is a gimmick, merely another prop, puppet in the Interscope regime. Warren you are completely off base with this piece. It’s so lopsided that I do not even know where to begin. The one quote that accurately sums up fifty is his undying reverence for George Bush. Ever wonder what the ‘G’ stands for in G unit. I’m willing to argue George as in George Bush. 50 is a gaffe. He’s an actor. Definitely. He’s been starring in 50’s Farce. A world in which he envisages Jimmy Iovine as his puppet master. True Story. Ask anybody
— RD Jul 17, 10:15 PM
gunit saving hiphop lol. this has toi be the most ignorant article ive ever heard. 50 is the most commercial rapper out. and the rest of gunit aint did nothing that u will remember a year from now. damn dat a week from now. the object of hiphop isnt to make people scared but it is to let them know whats going on in the streets and all rappers out are doing that whether it be talkin bout da club, streets or whatever. every section of hiphop is ifluenced by the hood. luda, outkast,lil john, ti, lil wayne, kanye,36, and many other artists are holding it down before then during his stint and now. 50 does know how to make money the rest of them cats just trying to live of the gunit name though. if they was real they would do da same shit da game did.
— bmort Jul 18, 01:41 AM
Yes, 50 definately changed the game in a few ways. Saying he saved HipHop is a bit extra as many will argue that what he promotes negatively affects black people. I am not going to dispute that point. As far as mixtapes are concerned I’d have to say that nobody does it better than gunit on somebody elses beat. Lyrically 50 is not that crazy but he says really believable witty shit that will bring a smirk to a haters grill. He seems 2 be str8 business man that has knows what his next 3 moves will be (and in my estimate by 2012 will be the first hiphop billionaire). Read the old King interview where he discusses buying the global trademark for Gunit and concentrating on tshirts (low production costs). He wound up outsellin puff, jay and russell. The video game went platinum. The catalog is growing at an enormous rate and the intrinsic value of that is to this decade what rockafella was to the 90’s. He didn’t change HipHop, he changed the game
— rakimfan Jul 18, 05:30 AM
Yes, 50 definately changed the game in a few ways. Saying he saved HipHop is a bit extra as many will argue that what he promotes negatively affects black people. I am not going to dispute that point. As far as mixtapes are concerned I’d have to say that nobody does it better than gunit on somebody elses beat. Lyrically 50 is not that crazy but he says really believable witty shit that will bring a smirk to a haters grill. He seems 2 be str8 business man that has knows what his next 3 moves will be (and in my estimate by 2012 will be the first hiphop billionaire). Read the old King interview where he discusses buying the global trademark for Gunit and concentrating on tshirts (low production costs). He wound up outsellin puff, jay and russell. The video game went platinum. The catalog is growing at an enormous rate and the intrinsic value of that is to this decade what rockafella was to the 90’s. He didn’t change HipHop, he changed the game
WHAT!
5-0 & Gay-Unit didn’t change the game, they fucked it up even further then any other rapper in years.
2Pac, Biggie and the rest of the dead rappers are rolling in their graves.
I Despise 50 Cunt & Gay-Unit, Game did the right to leave those clowny bastards.
50 & G-Unit changed the game and save hip-hop alright, they changed it for the worst.
and G-Unit will never last as long as rocafella.
Look what this bastard (50) did to mobb deep.
— Afi K. James Jul 25, 12:41 AM
Rivmixx.com are running a wicked VIP competition. To win 2 VIP tickets to see Lloyd Banks performing at Indigo2 on July 17th in London and to MEET AND GREET THE G-UNIT RAPPER BACKSTAGE follow this link…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4chHBO_RTA
Support on the night comes from UK heavyweights, Sway, Bashy and Wretch 32.
— alexd Jun 23, 11:30 AM