DJ Smallz caught up with DJ Toomp to get his opinion on whether hip-hop is dead or not, the overall health of hip-hop, and the different regional styles and attitudes that have contributed to the change, growth, and longevity of the music.
143 thoughts on “DJ Toomp: Is Hip-Hop Dead? Changes & Growth In Music”
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Hip hop is dead on major labels. i just dont see majors signed PURE rappers anymore. they have to have something else to offer the label other than rapping. I think Drake set the standards for how labels see hip hop nowadays. cause now Alantic records isnt going to look at this rapper and say ” yo he flows dope” they gonna say does he sing too? does he have like a crossover vibe? Drake Kid Cudi kanye west B.O.B. all these guys arent Pure rappers (well kanye WAS one). they can blend into different genres. and thats what labels want. they dont wanr rappers they want ARtISTS. hip hop as a culture is alive. just look at beyonce jay-z or even katy perry with that california bullshit. but RAP? nah nigga dat shit is dead lmao
Well said Mr. Hugo! I agree almost totally! Where I differ is the RAP part. I feel some of that is still alive, but close to life support, lol! There are some dope azz rappers on the Underground hip hop circuit keeping real like back in the day! Other than that bruh, I’m with you on your statement! Well said!
Very well said ^^^^
No doubt! co-sign..
toomp good game well said. a producer who told you his real age and did not have to lie about it 2 fit in, nuff respect for that 1. hip hop started indie and is now going back 2 indie, the 360 deal is modern day slavery and only a complete fool would sign their life away for a record deal, the internet is the only way 2 go, this generation will never now how it feels to go 2 a record store and pick up a new cd something tangible. man i could go on and on, thankz crate kings…
Exactly! Were living in a time where you can take your own career into your hands and make whatever music that you want and still have a fanbase (big or small or in between). I’m not the type to complain about the state of hip hop, I was in the past but when you stop and think about it. It’s pointless because it’s not like people are really forced to listen to the radio with shackles on n shit. I think we are in a second avant garde stage (first stage being the golden age era). The new generation will never know a lot of things just like I’ll never know what it was like to drive up to a gas station and have a gas attendant pump my gas and squeegee my windshield for me.
peace
Great comment too bruh! There are some gas stations left like that though! There is one not far from where I live! I live in NC 30 miles north of Charlotte. It’s a two car service bay Exxon with a “full service” island & a “self serve” one! They do full repairs & state inspections on most cars. My grandmother, 83 who still drives, (probably better than a lot of us, lol) goes there all the time because she doesn’t have to get out of her car. They put however much gas you want in the car, check the oil, & yes they do squeegee the windshield! I just wanted to let (you &) it be known the old school gas stations still exist! Oh, & it has the bell that goes “ding ding” too so the attendant come out for you!
LMAOOO! you have no idea how envious I am bro. Damn the little bell that goes “Ding ding”…ah shit. game over.
hip hop used to be that shit that got the party going the 16trips with a nice sample and tempo around 94bpms got people in the clubs but now if that shit is anything less than 120bpm you are out of the loop and why sample anymore for a couple hundred buck you can have softsynths for days and days and basically you can have every instrument in the history of music be original. Samples caused people to be lazy and not progress as an art form everybody in the world knows how to chop a sample and the speed at which music goes you better be 6 to ten months ahead of the curve when you start working on an album by the time its mastered and in the people hands you might be on top of things. If people arent buying music then you better make music that people want to come out and see and sell some merch. I say fck putting a physical copy in a store you can sit your ass on the couch and dl for 5dollas if you want to support the artist but guess what you cant dl a tshirt. You might not hear me on the radio but i bet you will find me on hype machine with a link to my bandcamp page.
Blah blah blah…..
WHAT LOL well sampling doesn’t make you it’s how u sample that makes you lazy who cares about the bpm and all the sounds that you use to drown out the artist so you can only hear the beat its all about you creativity if you dont have that then your just another cut and paste ass producer
“Samples caused people to be lazy and not progress as an art form everybody in the world knows how to chop a sample”
*Looks for Ed Lover and his Cmon son sign*
Everybody knows how to chop a sample but not everyone can do it good otherwise there’d be new cats that are killin the game with sampled based music and we wouldnt have to rely on bringin the greats back like NO ID or Bink to show everyone how to do this shit. If anything, the use of Software is causing people to be lazy because chopping a sample actually takes some work and a lot of patience and a lot of listening to actual good music. NOW Im not gonna turn this into a sampling vs. “composition” debate because god knows we dont need one but…. yeah ..wheres Ed Lover?
Then too, we must not forget that what started this culture we call hip hop is what? SAMPLING!! If it wasn’t for sampling, we wouldn’t even have hip hop! What’s lazy is the new lazy azz “new kids” on the block that rhyme like they’re talking to the person next to them. Which is actually what they are doing, & it makes no damn sense what they are talking about either! All those made up azz words they use, lol! It’s a joke! Like Toomp said, business wise, maybe yes, sign’em up, but for me on the love of TRUE hip hop, how it all started, hell naw! At least back in the day, & now if you listen to underground, the rhyming still tells a story. Sampling takes skill & you have to know your equipment too. Everybody can’t chop up a sample & become the new Premo, Large Pro, or Pete Rock. You have to learn that sh*t!
yeah and why did they sample ? because they didnt have access to studios or instruments now with a midi track and some soft synths you got everything you need. I cut my teeth on an mp and a lot of my understanding of chord progresions etc came from choping samples but listen to vinyl appreciate the high end but make your on contribution.
Blessed is he who can do both sampling/chop
and composing..
HIP HOP WAS NEVER DEAD TO ME ITS JUST SOME MUSIC OUT THERE HAS NO SUBSTANCE. I LISTENED TO WHOODINI’S ONE LOVE EVEN BACK THEN THEY SAID THAT WAS A LOVE SONG IT WAS A POP SONG BUT THEY RAPPED ON IT . 4 BAR HOOK 4 BAR HOOK NOW IT CHORUSES , YELLING , TOO MUCH YELLING , HI HATS AND SYNTHS, THE BEAT DRIVES THE ENTIRE SONG, WHERE’S THE LYRICISM GONE ? NIGGAS TELL ME YO TRAXX I CANT RAP ON THAT BEAT IM LIKW WHY . THEY SAY TWO ARMS WONT COME OUT OF THE SPEAKERS AND GRAB A PAD AND START WRITING lol EXCUSE THE CAPS
Why say excuse the caps…..when you write like that all the time?????lol
tony is you keyboard broken or what.
leave me alone hater
This guy and other trash music makers like him is why hip hop is dead. That south movement is Hip Pop how is this clown gonna say writing rhymes is not important? Real hip hop is lyrics and dope beats not money motivated nursery rhymes they get no respect.
Singing is not hip hop that’s rnb or pop. Your gonna let a suit tell you what hip hop is? drake lil wayne any other club music maker is not hip hop it’s rnb and pop packaged music just like boy bands for teeny boppers.
*facepalm*
what a contradictory fool,
he doesn’t mind the music changing(albeit for the worse IMO)
but he complains about the technology changing.
f@cking double standards
addendum
just saw the video for Gucci time feat Swizz, go watch it if you need confirmation on thestate of hiphop.
And if I ever run into Gucci, Swizz or any other one of those punk ass perps,
especially that flocka punk, it’s gonna be a john lennon situation
word is bond
Toomp. A few Ill advised comment coming out of …. Em and kanye are from the Mid west. Tech N9ne is from the Midwest. Also Imagine earth wind and fire doing a rap album in 1980… WOW. would not be cool. Marvin gaye made a disco album . It was cool but that Raw is what works 50 years later. Not some marketed business minded crap. Imaging every artist makign a didco song to survive. We would ether the Temptations disco album.
Check out “Ring my tellephone” by Johny Guitar Watson . A very old song but ahead of time rapping for a funk/blues cat!
ll cool j had a song called i need love . if you over 30 and you never went to the hood skating rink or a hook movie theater and didnt push up on a shorty when that joint came on your a liar ! i don’t mind a little r&b in music. father mc. 3xdope . they all had a little r&b in thier music i have no problem with that. i like crunk too. i respected outcast , googie mobb and master p. this isn’t about north or south. we are past the civil war people , dont even go there . i just can’t get past the stanky leg song or the pretty boy swag . thats trash music !that is music that i will never enjoy because i know its garbadge.
Damn, I was about to say the same thing about Toomp’s comment about the Midwest. Ohio? St. Louis not even a state, fam. Nigga, didn’t you work on Kanye’s hottest album, three damn songs on ‘Graduation’?? You think the nigga from Jersey Shore cus Yeezy dress like The Situation? I was loving your shit, now I’m like “Fuck that Bamma!”
Other than that, the nigga was speaking the truth.
Its gonna be just like rock music they got different genres inside of there own music death metal, classic rock, alternative ,thats whats happen to hip hop . The only way Hip Hop would die is if we let it die!!!!!! Of Course a major Label is going to treat it like business and postitute it.
HIP HOP IS NOT DEAD,NOR IS IT ON LIFE SUPPORT! There is still good hip hop out there,you have to search for it. Don`t look for radio,MTVor BET to show it to you. You have to look out for it yourself. it`s not about production,mc`s,dj`s etc. It`s about us as individuals looking for the good music. It`s out there and not getting recognition. Plus,a lot of us are getting older,so the stuff that`s out in the mainstream is not appealing to us. And really,it`s not supposed to be. it`s for the youth. But there is Hip Hop out there for every hip hop fan. We gotta stop saying”It`s not what it used to be” and start looking for the stuff that we like. Plain and simple.
Oh yeah,”It`s 2010. If you still hear wack music,It`s your own fault”- Phonte Coleman
so true
AGREED MOST DEFINATELY!!!!
Hip Hop isn’t dead. There just isn’t any diversity in what gets pushed and shoved down our throats via mainstream media. Whatever brand or flavor of the music you prefer believe me… it’s out here in ABUNDANCE.
As a real Hip Hop head, 35 years old and an M.c. and Producer who has released work commercially, it’s sad to see what has happened to this thing of ours. No disrespect against Toomp but, it hurts me to watch someone who really knows what time it is defend the sh!t they pass off as Hip Hop these days. I know things evolve and change but, not always for the better. This being a prime example. I grew up with kids that were nice respectable children that turned out to be complete sociopaths as adults. The stuff that’s happening now is some sort of sub genre that stemmed from Hip Hop. Which is cool but, it’s not Hip Hop. The universe is about balance. Technology gave us speed and convenience but, what did we give up? Hip Hop always wanted acceptance and validation but, at what cost? You would be foolish to think that “they” can’t get rid of this thing of ours (Hip Hop). I mean it’s happening right before our eyes and hears. Other genres of music has disappeared over the years why not Hip Hop?, Let’s not be naive. Hip Hop used to be a private club just for the chosen few, now anybody can walk through the door. Let’s have some self respect for this thing of ours. It’s just the cycle, it’s time to rebuild. We have to take it back to the way we started this art form. Now that we know where it can go, let’s set some standards and rebuild this thing of ours. One Love…. Mic Rizzee
I agree to a point. Every music used to be a private club,but for the music to grow,you have to let people in. the same gripes we have with hip hop is the same gripes that rock has,or jazz has,or the blues also. There is still hip hop out there,it hasn`t died. There are still some standards that some of the artists live by. We can`t just keep this thing to ourselves and not expect it to have some flaws. Things grow,but the origin is still there.
Just beautiful MyManMyMello! Very well said!
Thank you Sinosure. It’s something i feel very passionate about. Bless up fam…
the hip hop b boy days are over . forget about it , its done ! get a copy of fruity loops a fake chain and snap your fingers fuck it lol
ok i first off want to say where the fuck does wakka flakka come into a hiphop conversation. who cares what he says. second fuck cd’s these days either im buying wax or il download it unless i know the money im spending is going to support the artist. im not buying a cd to support hmv and all the big name record companies. THIRD…HIPHOP IS NOT DEAD. all yall that think hiphop is dead are some dumb kids. shit started underground and its been underground. the united states is run by capitalists. hiphop is about the music not the money. for everyone who cant put 2 and 2 together hiphop is underground because all the real heads do it for the love not the money.
alright now heres THE REAL ISSUE. why does everyone need to say guicci mane and lil wayne and all that shit is not hiphop. WE ALL KNOW ITS NOT. shits turned into broken telephone or something.
bob – “well it sort of sounds like hiphop”
John – “i guess it is hiphop if it sounds like”
if WE as a community stop giving a shit about all that music then we can progress the shit we that we know as actual hiphop. for years the media has been stuffing shit down our throats and calling it whatever they want. if your a robot then ul follow. GUICCI MANE AND ALL THAT SHIT ARE ADVERTISEMENTS NOT MUSIC. they advertise clothes, alcohol, cars ect. and companies cleverly disguise it as “hiphop”. ud be a tool to think they dont get paid to advertise these brand. your all a bunch of sheep following each other asking wether hiphop is dead or debating about what hiphop is or isnt. its not like theres a thin line between hiphop and what u hear on the radio. WE ALL KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. so about everyone gets on their MPC, SP, ROLAND, LAPTOP or what ever the fuck you use and do work. im so sick and tired of this “is hiphop dead” shit.
Love your comments too Klassik.One! I’m with you! Hiphop definitely is NOT dead! It’s just on an underground railroad, that’s all! Peeps need to get on that train & ride it!
DJ toomp and cats like him is what’s wrong with hip hop. Toomp know’s better. He’s scared to say anything about that trash music coming out of atl because he doesn’t want lose his spot or those checks. DJ Toomp is what real hip hop heads call a sucker.
Wow these industry heads have all of you Bamboozled. Hip hop as a whole is better than its been in 15years. What are you basing your life off of album sales? With that consideration MC Hammer was one of the greatest rappers of all times easily beating out Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, and Rakim.
The power to mold hip hop into what you want it to become is finally here. We have reached the golden age of hip hop, it is upon us now, the question is how will you grasp it.
Soulja Boy (Hate Him or Love Him) became a Millionaire with a cracked version of Fruity Loops and a lot of drive and motivation. He is living every bloggers on here’s dream and he didn’t do it at the Hit Factory in NY, or LA Reids place in ATL he did it at his momma house on the computer. If thats not Hip Hop what is?
We are at a time when all music is assessable and easy to create. You have computers filled with every synthesizer at the push of a button, rack mounts for days that work in any order and everytime with the push of a button. There is no recalls you can save the presets. I can cut, mix and master my album in my bedroom @ studio quality (with the proper skill set)
Thinking about what I was doing 10yrs ago to try to make music as a posed to now that is truly amazing.
Do you not understand how easy this has become just in the last 10yrs let alone 20!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Right now you have a large amount of Dinosaurs in this industry that have been out to lunch for the last 20yrs and are finally waking up to realize time has passed them by. The record industry’s business plan is now failing and they do not know how to construct a new one.
So your opportunity is now!!! Take the time to create. Make the great music all of you claim is missing now and make it for yourself not for sound scan. Embrace the change. Evolve!!
And remember…….
Hip Hop is based on a head bob.
Pop is based on album sales.
Will someone please explain what makes something “REAL”
Just cause its not BOOM BAP or 90’s NYC/LA and it came from the south I don’t think makes it fake.
hiphops been better then its been within the last 15 years….seriously your argument is…. because we have computers and auto chop and every kid can make tracks in his bed room now because its just a push of a button. this seriously has got to be a joke. WHATS TRUELY AMAZING is that you dont have to be creative anymore and actually put time into your craft to make music quality music.
Soulja Boy is THE ISSUE with what the fuck is wrong with music today. dedication? drive? the “crank dat” beat sounds like it took a whole of 10minutes to make. and lyrics….self explanatory. just because some kid got picked up by a label because of a catchy song and made lots of cash has NOTHING to do with QUALITY of music. him becoming extremely popular is what i call lucky. as for him making lots of cake, thats called marketing. so much for setting some sort of standard.
and yo you better not be calling some of my favorite producers “dinosaurs” because they use older gear. sp1200s(heads even use sp12s ), mpc60s, asr10s. ect ect ect. they grew up on that shit and learned how to use the machines better then 99% of people. premos still on an s950 and mpc60ii and no one can fuck with his shit. please try and argue that with me. all this “dinosaur” gear has its own feel and sound. unlike your computer. heres a thought why dont we all just make love to fake vaginas. theyre more easily accessible, their cheaper to get with and can vibrate at…the push of a button hahahaaha. OH WAIT because the real thing stands the test of time TO THIS DAY. your computer is never going to sound like the REAL gear its trying to emulate.
your going to compare 1990-1999 to present day. the amount of quality hiphop then compared to now…u gotta be kidding me. just because you can sample a song chop the whole song into zones and then re arrange with trial and error to create a sequence doesnt make u good. by doing that you have completely cheated the whole system of sample based music. hiphop is based on a head bob….you sure ur on the same side of the field as us. hiphop is a culture and lifestyle buddy do your homework. little brother came from the south. no one discredits their work.
FUCK ALL THE FAKERS
REAL RECOGNIZE REAL
drum machines are accessible electronic versions of real drums- at the push of a button. why not say drum machine users should use real drums? with all do respect bro
NOT A BAD IDEA GIVIN THE ACCOUNT THAT SOME OF HIPHOPS BEAT SMITHS DONT QUANTITIZE TO GET A MORE HUMANIZED NON MECHNICLE FEEL FROM THE MPC/SP1200 ETC I WOULDNT TAKE THAT IDEA OFF THE TABLE IT COULD POSSIBLY WORK REAL TALK..
RIGHTEOUS ONE, that was eloquent nuff said.
Hip Hop as a whole is not dead……Hip Hop music is some what in a questionable state. I think the biggest concern that most people have when speaking on this topic is that “THE FEELING” is no longer there. When Hip Hop was being created it embodied passion, hunger, struggle, a burning desire to make something out of nothing, and this was primarily LOVE & Respect for it. It’s more than obvious that by Hip Hop turning in to a corporate commodity its been tainted. It’s commercialism has turned it in to more of a tool for generating income than a art form. nowadays sooo much of it is driven by a desire to make money, and thats one main reason why a lotta folks have jumped on the bandwaggon lately. It’s the new hustle. Technology has evened out the playing field with an inexpensive access to recording tools. The internet makes it possible to build and maintain a brand globally all from your bedroom with just a laptop. I can’t even lie….now is a great time to jump out there and do ya thing. There is really no need to go crazy chasing a deal when you can control your own career and potentially be more successful. The key here is to seriously learn how to do things PROFESSIONALLY. Learn how make GOOD MUSIC, learn how to record, learn how to MIX, learn BUSINESS PRINCIPLES of the industry. While I think that by folks getting out there and doing there thing is very HIP HOP, I also feel the major issues are the lack of QUALITY and Music being COMMERCIAL ABUSED solely for PROFIT.
The “Dinosaurs” might know MORE than you think they do. Never disrespect the elders in this shit.
Do you not understand how easy this has become just in the last 10yrs let alone 20!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
==================================================
I am tired of hearing about how “easy” it is to make music now… that’s NOT what music is all about.
It’s easier to do now then it was in the past so why is the music not as good?!?!?
Technology (newer and easier) does not translate into greater skill and better music.
JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE PRO TOOLS THAT DOESN’T MAKE YOU A PRO!
A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE AT HOME MAKING “BAD” MUSIC IN THEIR BEDROOM SHOULD BE PARTICIPATING AS FANS AND NOT ARTISTS!!!!
MUSIC IS NOT ABOUT BEING SIMPLE FAST AND EASY…IT’S ABOUT MAKING SOMETHING “WORTH” LISTENING TO!!!
Please Please Please learn to read before you reply!!!!!!!
NONE of you got it!!!! I don’t know if I am to complex the words are to confusing or what the major disconnect was but apparently your reading comprehension skills are lacking.
At no point did I take up for any of your snap and pop rappers, and at no point did I address any older producers. “Devils Pie” by one of them older producers happens to be my favorite song ever. The dinosaur comment was directed toward music business executives.
Here are 3 issues
1)Sample Laws have changed.
All samples must be cleared and if its going to be on the radio (And that must be where your talking about cause your underground acts are killing right now as far as making money goes) Because of the success of late 90’s hip-hop I.E. the Bad Boy ERA the original owners of the music want to be compensated to the fullest. So it is just not cost effective to make a major label Paul’s Boutique/ Three Feet High and Rising in 2010
2)Children are getting dumber.
Lets be honest as much as we like to think we are important people most of your album buyers are just old enough to drive if that old yet. These kids are lazy and used to the internet world where everything is right here right now. So sitting down and deciphering rhymes is an after thought. The conscious MC makes us think to much to be enjoyable, and even sometimes wants us to be accountable for our actions. Now that’s just crazy.
Now one regarding my previous post
3)THE POWER IS NOW WHAT IS ACCESSIBLE.
I never once said we should accept Soljah Boy as a good rapper, accept him for what he is; however look into his “hustle” (for lack of a better word) He made it and maybe its not quality music however his job title that he is compensated very well for is rapper/producer. All I am saying is maybe there are some things you can take from him and build your own empire.
When all of your favorite rappers (90’s era) were on the come up they had to have an in, they had to have someone who was cool with someone. This is no longer the case. Studios are expensive, engineers are expensive, all of these things were unattainable (to the every day beat maker/MC) up until this point in time. Now we can make things happen on our own we don’t have to ghost write and producer to earn our shot. The suits were sitting in their Park Ave office getting rich off of our labors. Well now we can change that.
And for you hardware lovers
HOW DO YOU THINK DRUMMERS AND INSTRUMENT PLAYERS THINK OF YOU AND YOUR MPC OR WHATEVER IT IS YOUR IN LOVE WITH!!!!
HYPOCRITES ITS ALL COMPUTERS.
Yours is just becoming outdated sorry bout your luck.
Freedom is a MotherF@#ker if your to afraid to accept it.
Sorry if I offend
WAIT no I am not.
yeah it’s basically true. hardware and software obviously sound different but of course the debate to get into a nasty tone is funny when u have live musicians who don’t even use such hardware, maybe just amps/electric guitars and pedals and more nowadays but.. u see what i am saying? so i hear the last poster on that.
He talking about the M M, playing your tracks in the A room, & it getting recorded elsewhere, lol. he speaking the truth, alot of southern artists come out, but they all recycling the same negative, bullshit. but, u gotta be a business man. that why, when Outkast drop, they kill the game in the south. hot tracks with positive energy & messages.
Hip-Hop is not dead. It never left. It just got a few nice upgrades.
Hip Hop will never die, but it’s presence in the mainstream has lost its QA (quality assurance) department. For all the admirable and intelligent things Toomp said in this interview, the one thing that stood out to me is the contradiction in a bit of his logic. He said Hip Hop isn’t dead, but he would now sign an act he would have thought was garbage years ago because it was a good business move. Hip Hop always put lyrical skill and skilled producers on a pedestal as the creative drivers of its musical elements. For him to say he would sign folks who do not epitomize those attributes means he’s slapping lipstick on a pig and calling it Hip Hop. THe end result is that practice ultimately sucks the life out of what gets labeled hip hop. While he is saying Hip Hop isn’t dead, his actions as a businessman are contributing to killing it day by day.
And no one said true Hip Hop has to be boom-bap. I happen to be from the Boom bap era nad that is my preferred facet of Hip Hop that I like to listen to and create, but I can appreciate and accept true Hip Hop from the south, mid-west and west coast that stick to their flavor of Hip Hop. True hip hop is about something, and that something is not just money. The reason I personally to not accept the garbage I hear on the radio as true hip hop is because everything about it sounds like it was done for money, meaning it lacks feeling to me. Nothing about it makes me go “oh #$@#!” like I did the first time I heard Bring the Ruckus, the first time I heard “It’s a demo”, the first time I heard the entire Strictly Business album or the Jungle brothers, or PLanet Rock, Scorpio, The message, Spoonin w/ Spoony G, Just-ICE, DJ Quik, etc… Not because it’s south style beats, I’m not knocking that at all. I’m knocking the lack of soul in the lyric and music, the cookie cutter production and arrangements, the bandwagon processing (auto-tune).