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Ringtones Killed NYC Hip-Hop

Southern rap out-blasts urban beats

By Victoria Floethe, Newser User

Posted Oct 20, 2008 12:53 PM CDT

(Newser) – Once the king-maker of neighborhood phenoms, New York no longer spawns hip-hop's best, and the rise of ringtones is the culprit, writes Matthew Mundy in the New York Press. Because Big Apple beats are less pop-friendly than their Southern counterparts, they're not making it to teenagers' cell phones. "Hip-hop is now dance music. Clever rhymes are cool commercially, but they’re not what sells records these days," author Nelson George explains.

But a little unity would go a long way in terms of regaining market share, Mundy writes, and it's time for New York rappers to put aside petty rivalries and join efforts. But fans could use a wake-up call, too. "If the lyrics are too complicated to sound good belching out of a cell phone, maybe it’s a good thing," he writes. "That rap is best when you have to push rewind a couple of times to catch that tricky metaphor, unpack that sharp double entendre."

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (2)]

In this March 2, 1988 file photo the rap group Run DMC poses at the 31st annual Grammy Awards in New York City. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan,File)

For the week ending Sept. 27, only two of the top 10 hip-hop albums on the charts are from NY artists (LL Cool J and Nas). (Getty Images)

Saigon, one of New York's finest hip-hop stars. (Getty Images)

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As Jay-Z once rapped, New Yorkers used to 'Argue all day about who’s the best MC: Biggie, Jay-Z or Nas.' Today they’re more likely to argue whether Lil’ Wayne, TI or Kanye West takes the crown. - Matthew Mundy

“The number of people in America who talk like New Yorkers is really small. The number of people in America who talk with some sort of twang is really large… [And] people like to see their lives reflected [in their music].” - Touré

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Ringtones Killed NYC Hip-Hop