Karma in Hip hop

As my first „underground“ hip hop experience I’ll always remember a Lone Catalysts show I went to out here in Germany. I used to write lyrics and rap back then myself and I remember like it was yesterday (although its about 9 years ago now), how much I got inspired by their show, the scenery and also the other heads I saw in the place. I sat down near the stage and wrote in my books of rhymes. I still have that book to this day, it doesn’t look as good as then but it sure does bring back the memories..

Out here in Germany I haven’t had moments of inspiration like that often, and I didn’t really feel as touched until this one night in Detroit. A local artist, Blake Eerie, had approached me about interviewing him. After all the interviews I had done before, I felt like I didn’t want to keep doing them in the typical way interviews are done. If I was going to take time out to do this, it had to be something special, something to inspire others. So we talked and decided to invite a few more local artists and have a conference style interview about the state of Detroit Hip Hop.

We weren’t aware of the gratitude until we actually got to the spot that night. By 9pm about 30 artists had shown up. And every single one of them was amazed by what we had done.

We sat down and talked, passionately. Talked about what was going wrong, what needed to be done in order to make it better.

I have always loved Detroit hip hop. I always saw the incredible talent in this city. Yet, it didn’t occur to me why Detroit never got the recognition it deserves. I wanted to get to the bottom of this and possibly find a solution.

That night, I saw it. I saw the inspiration in everyone’s faces, including my own. I saw the excitement, the will to do something. Even desperation. We all left that night, wanting to change Detroit, wanting to change Hip Hop.

And then…I went back to Germany. With all these ideas in my head. But as with everything, you cant do things by yourself. Especially not when you’re thousands of miles away.

I put my trust in the others to hold it down. To help me fulfil this dream that we all have.

But reality hit me. Unanswered E-mails. Uncompleted tasks. No responses. Less people at the following conferences. And I got discouraged. I still am. It’s only been three months, and I know I should be patient and give it time. But what people need to realise is that I am in Germany. I can’t come to the conferences. I can’t hit u up on your phone and tell you what to do. I can’t see the outcome. I can’t stay in touch if you aren’t willing to respond to me.

I sent out emails, asking for simple things, nothing that would’ve taken longer than 15 minutes of someone’s time. No response. I got very frustrated with the situation. People need to understand that I cannot be part of the project, which I co-founded, when nobody is willing to include me.

I got mad too. At a point I felt like, fuck this! Why should I take out time of my day, besides the job I have and other obligations, and try to do something to help YOU, do something that wont benefit me at all. Something I do solely for the love of hip hop. Why should I, when you cant even send me an email?

Then I started to think. And something occurred to me. I had always heard so much great music, and supporting it through my mixtape series “Digital undaground”, which wasn’t popular music or getting too many platforms to be heard on. I never understood how these incredibly talented artists didn’t have the success they should have. I think I got an answer now. And don’t get me wrong; this doesn’t apply to all artists, but to lots of them.

You can have the greatest product in the world, but if it doesn’t get heard, if you don’t work for it to be heard, then nobody will care about it.

Nowadays, with the over saturation of the hip hop market, nobody is going to LOOK for talent. When there are hundreds of talented cats out there, why should they come looking for you?

So the only ones to succeed will be the ones who dedicate their lives to it. The ones who stay up hrs longer than they should, just to make sure one more person will hear their music.

I’m sorry to say but most artists are just too lazy. I understand that ppl have jobs and lives and families to support. So do I. But I know that there are times when you lay on your couch and watch TV, times when you go out without networking. Times when you WASTE time. When you could be on your grind. In the end, only the hard working ones will be on top. If you don’t like to put in work, you might as well stop now. Going to the studio and recording isn’t enough anymore.

People don’t even realise all the opportunities they have in our modern age. The internet is your door to the whole world. And while you are reading this, you could make someone a fan of your work RIGHT NOW. When someone is willing to help you out and support you, you should take that chance and not let it go because you’re too lazy to reply to an email. And when a person that did something to help you asks you for a favour, you should do what you can to help them out because you never know what it might do for you in the future. Karma..

I’m frustrated. But I’m not bitter. And I haven’t given up on hip hop, Detroit, nor our project. I never will. But know that, if you’re not there now, you cant come when we got this up and running. Only the ones who help build will be standing on top in the end.

But this is not just about the artists I dealt with, not only about the artists I put on my mixtapes and who couldn’t even put one link on their page. This is to every artist, and to every person who has goals and wants to make something of their life. In order to reach any goal, you will have to put in work. And when you think you have put in enough work, put a lil more in. Because while you’re asleep, there’s somebody else working overtime to make their dreams come true. Like I am right now.

I still love ya’ll artists for giving me music that makes my head nod. And I would love to see ya’ll on top. And I will always offer a hand. So if you’re real about it, take it.

- Wanja Lange

Digital Undaground Vol 2 Download

Download DIGITAL UNDAGROUND VOL 2 here:

http://www.4shared.com/file/55374335/a9f5834a/Digital_Undaground_Vol_2.html

Digital Undaground Vol 1 Download

Download DIGITAL UNDAGROUND VOL 1 here:

http://www.4shared.com/file/41466084/8dc92140/Digital_Undaground_Vol_1.html

Digital Undaground Vol 3 Download

Download Digital Undaground Vol 3 here:

http://www.4shared.com/file/77024492/53ff036c/Digital_Undaground_Vol_3.html


(Sorry for the reroute..myspace made it hard for us to post this link..)

Random Thoughts Pt 4: My beef with down south rap

My beef with down south rap is officially over! I´ve been spending too much time being mad at the south. That just causes way too much negative energy.. so it has to stop.. I´ve been thinking a lot and I decided that down south rap isn't as bad as I have made it sound lately. Yes the lyrics make no sense. But hell, Hip hop is supposed to be an open minded culture and it is about celebration as well as speaking the truth. There´s space for everyone in Hiphop so lets stop all the hate across the coasts. I like to party too, and I have to say I enjoy a good beat to dance to when I´m at a club. So down south music, I thank u for that. (ok, that wasn't so hard)
Believe it or not but there was a time where I would listen to a 3-6 mafia record without my conscience poking me…I used to not put so much thought into it.. Until the big hype came. And I´ve always been the kind of person to push any kind of hype from me.. If the masses love it, I don't want it anymore.. I know that's a very silly, and also close minded way of thinking, but I wanna be real with ya´ll.. I mean, that's how I always felt, because I didn't wanna be part of the mainstream crowd. So when the hype came..i ran.. Now, thinking about it, it makes me feel dumb. If you like something, you like it no matter if the ppl around u do. I´ve made the experience that that's how a lot of underground hiphop fans are. Like this constant discussion about who turned mainstream or sold out. Yes, there are ppl that changed for better sales, that didn't stay true to themselves. To me that's the negative mainstream artist, and I cant really respect that. But lets take somebody like Jay-Z, he has the talent, people just LOVE his music, that's why he sells a lot of records. Does that make him or his music bad? (I´ll just leave this an open question for you to think about)
Now back to the subject.. Down South Rap.. The dirty dirty.. I believe people down there love the music they make. It might not be deep or meaningful, but to them its all they have. Maybe that's reason enough to give them a chance. Nobody is gonna force you to listen to their rap. So why not just accept them, and their place in Hip Hop? It wont hurt. And it will save you a lot of negative energy. I know I´m building contradictions here, looking at my other blogs. But see, I´m just trying to bring peace to my world, my world where Hip Hop is the sun that keeps everything alive, the rain that quenches my thirst and makes trees grow…(yeah, I´m getting corny, I can tell I´ve been drinking wine..lol)
I don't wanna hate anymore. Why waste time with it? As long as I´m in these 4 walls I call my own I will play whatever I wanna play..and for the most part that's gonna be "conscious rap" and neo soul.. and when I feel like getting my dance on and party I´ll let the Djs at the clubs play some of that dirty dirty for me.. And I´ll enjoy both to the fullest. I got respect for ya´ll….its all love

Random Thoughts Pt 3: Hip Hop is...

Hiphop is not dead...How can you say hiphop is dead when an endless list of Mcs prove with every record they make that hiphops heart is still beating strong. MCs like Kweli, Mos Def, Common, Black Thought, Lupe, Brand Nubian, Slum Village..people like J.Dilla who keep Hiphop alive even though they r not with us physically anymore. I could go on and on naming people that make Rap worth listening to..Hiphop never had a come back. It was never gone. Hiphop is in the heart of every head that cant live his life without it. We keep hiphop alive. And if u say Hiphop is dead...Well, then that just means your love for it died. But at that same second a Hiphop Lover is born on the other side of the planet. So don't worry, it will never die. I will pass this love on to my children and hopefully my grandchildren, just like every other true head will do. Hiphop is not about color, where u from, or where u at. It doesn't ask for anything but passion & love.
Hiphop is like poetry. Even when its not heard or recognized, it will still be there. Because those that found and understood it will never let it go. And stop all this talk about New York Rap. New York Rap is as great as its always been. The only reason why its not on top (as far as sales) anymore is that the industry needs the change. Believe it or not but Down South music will not always be as successful as it is now. It wont, because there will be something different and more interesting to the consumer. And as I put my headphones back on, blasting Common, I can feel Hiphops presence, feel it running through my veins. Cant stop wont stop

Random Thoughts Pt 2: Me, Myself & Hip Hop Pt2

Music is the most influential art there is. It always has been. The type of music somebody listens to affects their way of dressing, talking, dancing and their outlook on the world. That's at least if that person is very dedicated to the art. I´ve heard there are people that don't care about it at all, but well, that's hard to believe ;-).
Music has way more influence on people and the community than other art forms. Of course that worries the government. Pop music cant do much harm, it is easy to control it and has no meaning lyrical wise. Most Pop songs are about love or celebration. You could compare them to an innocent sitcom that wont leave a mark on the viewers mind. A real Hiphop song instead is like a real life documentary or a touching movie. It tells a story, a truth. Something that will make the listener think, may even turn that person into a rebellion. Because that's what Hiphop has always been about. Giving those a public voice that didn't have one before. Is it surprising that you don't hear those truth – speaking songs on the radio? Why do u think they rather play those with titles like "Chicken Noodle Soup (with a soda on the side)"? And I´m not joking, I have seen that song´s video on TV. The Listener is not to be educated. Not to have an open ear to whats really going on in the world. We are supposed to believe the world is a safe place where we can party all the time and listen to sweet lullabys before we fall into a sleep that never brings nightmares. What could we need mind stimulating music for since the world is such a great place?
The president doesn't want his nation to hear MCs talk about him neglecting the people that never voted for him. So real talk is banned from the airwaves and they play "Laffy Taffy" to make people that are already against Hiphop think its totally brainless. They are brainwashing people into thinking Rap music can harm their children and turn them into criminals. Yes, maybe those songs on the radio about sex & violence are bad for children, I´m convinced they are. But children wouldn't be exposed to that kind of music if the media would play that soulful rap the heads love. Because they have something more fundamental to write about than visits in the candy store.
I am not saying there should be no more party songs in Hiphop or on the radio. Celebration is also an element of Hiphop. But if you play the party music, give "Food for thought" a chance too. Like almost everything in this world most radio and tv stations are corrupt. So its no surprise to me we´re in the situation we´re in. Which doesn't mean we should keep quiet about it.
No matter how hard they try to make it look bad….I still love H.E.R…always have..always will