How MTV Classic Can Do For Hip-Hop What VH1 Did For Classic Rock

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A few weeks ago when the internet and hip-hop heads were enraged by Rich Homie Quan having the audacity to flub a Notorious B.I.G. verse, Questlove took us all to task and said it was our fault. By “our” he meant the collective hip-hop body of fans who consider themselves well-versed in every single verse considered to be the greatest in the history of the game. He’s half right. He didn’t want to find fault with radio or media programmers, but on the real, they’re a part of this too. As one of the youngest forms of popular music, hip-hop has never really been about looking in the rearview mirror. But with MTV Classic now a thing, it’s possible that it can do for hip-hop what VH1 did for Rock in the ’80s and ’90s.

A couple of months ago, I was in a store and while the manager and I were talking, a┬áyoung cat who worked there pleaded with him to change the music playing over the speakers. He said that it was “too old school” for him and he couldn’t get with it. The song in question was “N****s in Paris.”

Five years may not seem like a long time, but in hip-hop, time is calculated in dog years. Those five years may as well be 35 — meaning at least one generation of people will not only question what song is playing when they hear the Jay-Z and Kanye West staple, but have no appreciation for it. Anything from┬áWatch the Throne is just as important to the fabric of the culture as “Timmy Turner, ” although, the less said about “Lift Off” the better. But I digress…

It’s always bugged me out that there are radio stations for “classic” alternatives to Rock, Jazz, Gospel, and R&B. Those genres are predicated┬áon the idea that there’s something worth preserving.┬áThose of us no longer dependent on terrestrial radio and who┬áfeel like satellite or streaming is the way to go often ignore the cost for entry and the fact that not everyone can pay that or even want to.

I’m also aware of the YouTube factor, but as a teacher friend of mine told me recently, not all kids can use a tool just because you put it in their hands. Sitting someone in front of a computer screen or throwing them links to a collection of Death Row or Boot Camp Clik videos may not have the desired effect because of the lack of context.

When I hear Led Zeppelin or Hendrix on a classic Rock station,┬áthey’re often supplemented with information as to why this artist is important or how they’re still influencing what’s hot today. It’s not enough to feed someone a balanced diet — as Quest would put it — when there should be an explanation of the nutritional value a particular┬áTupac song provides. That’s what VH1 used to be for Rock. When new artists cropped up on MTV, older artists would be shifted to VH1. It kept them in the media and sowed the seeds for current classic Rock stations.

Which brings us to MTV Classic: As of now, the channel is in its infancy and provides a collection of music videos and programming from the channel’s heyday. You know, the one that hip-hop was integral to once they decided that black people wouldn’t scare white people in Iowa. But I’m not talking about just airing videos and calling it a day. Instead, show┬ámusic videos, ┬áair vintage interviews, provide facts, and showcase artists that extend beyond the usual suspects. Dedicate an hour or two to Yo! MTV Raps┬árather than airing such MTV staples as…Ghostbusters and┬áPlanes, Trains, and┬áAutomobiles.

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Quest is right when he says something as simple as “La Di Da Di” can be forgotten these days, and there are a million songs you can say that about. As the years go by, there will be a million more. It’s our job as lovers of the genre, purveyors of culture, and as consumers to ensure that doesn’t happen. Maybe MTV Classic isn’t the full answer, but it’s at least half of it and that’s a lot more than what we have now. Don’t be upset at Rich Homie Quan and cats like him when they don’t know. Be mad at the system that says it’s cool if they don’t.

How MTV Classic Can Do For Hip-Hop What VH1 Did For Classic Rock : UPROXX

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