DJ Shadow, the legendary turntablist and self-described "37-year-old technophobe" seems to think cash rules everything around us when it comes to music. (This is at the beginning of a long rant about how the Internet is terrible. And yes, this rant takes place on the Internet.)
Time for a little straight talk, from one reasonably intelligent human being to YOU, the reasonably intelligent reader. As distasteful as it may sound, the fact is that so many of our heroes: Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, The Beatles, whoever you care to name; generated much of their best art in return for financial compensation. If you take away the compensation, guess what...the art stops. For example, how many young rap artists are grinding away these days in New York, trying to get a deal? Not too many, certainly compared to the '80s and '90s. There's no allure, no pot at the end of the rainbow. People have been asking for years now, "Where's the next Nas, the next Jay-Z?" Be prepared to keep waiting...and for music, overall, to keep sucking. Why? Because only bottom-of-the-barrel, embarrassing pop tripe generates enough income to feed the machine. Anything unproven or risky? Nobody's going to bankroll that kind of 'experiment.'
I don't know how many young rappers are trying to get a deal in New York these days, to be honest, but where's the data? And the last time I watched rap videos on the TV it sure seemed like there was at least the illusion of allure, if one finds money, jewelry and the attention of supple-bodied women alluring.
