The status of hip hop and its direction.

Is hip hop in a good state right now..NO! Let's go thru the regions and see- The east coast is in a state of disaray, with Jay-Z planning his comebacc with songs with Beyonce and Rick Ross(which had mediocre verses but thats my opinion) and 50 on a little hiatus its up in the air. The new Busta Rhymes album is okay if you like recycled shit-Most of the songs on his album were already songs before they made it onto 'The Big Bang". Check 'Been thru the storm' the roots version and "In the ghetto" was a motown remix project. The whole dipset movement has fizzeled thanks to average beats and subpar lyrics-no dis to 40 cal and Hell Rell while D-block hasnt put out a project in over two years. Last but not least the greatest hype of the year....Papoose, I will put up my house that this kid wont go gold. The songs Ive heard hasnt impress me at all and with his CEO(Busta) now at 250,000 records sold after eleven weeks is not gonna cut it. Papoose has potential with the right pairings but I guarantee a leak will happen. New York still has its stronghold on the game with Immortal Technique and Im waiting for the new Nas and The Roots just dropped which is already helmed a classic! Now we go down south, this region is on fire right now and has been for the last couple of years. Acts like T.I., Young Jeezy lead the trap movement and Ludacris is hands down the hitman while Lil Jon and Mr. Collipark set the trends in the clubs. You also have a flip side of who's better Dem Franchise Boys or D4l-Yeah right!!! In the south it is a thin line between selling records and being wack and some dont know where the line is drawn. Outkast have always been trendsetters in fashion and music even with the movie and soundtrack "Idlewild". Ugk and Scarface are down south legends and with new acts Chamillionaire and Mike Jones will keep the Texas sound fresh. Groups like The Middle fingaz, The G.R.I.T. Boys and the legendary Screwed Up Click will turn the heat up a lot. The down side is the 2nd grade lyrics by some groups Ive already named and if you make a dance doesnt make the song a hit!! But these mindless radio stations play the shit all day long-so if you didnt know you are being programmed for the BS. And last but not least, we have the West Coast. The Game did well with his multi platinum album but with out 50 what will he do? The name dropping is played, and now I think he's beefing with the south(imagine that) and Nigo from Bathing Ape fame. He's now with geffen and off of G-Unit so that can be a blessing or a curse. The great Snoop D-O double G is slowly turning into a character and not a rapper, making mediocre albums and he sounds like he's freestyling every song making the songs redundant. The sound of the West needs tuning cant sample "Atomic dog" Forever but they will. The Dogg Pound's "Cali Iz Active" was impressive but lacked in record sales, E-40 killed the game and put him back in the upper echelon of hip hop teamin with Lil Jon, while the hardest album came from the mighty Ice Cube showing while he is really the king of the West Coast!!! Hip Hop is alive and well but with all the leaks from the internet has record companies and the artist in shambles and the independent game is flourishing giving lesser known artist the resource to shine and get paid!!(Koch is a mutha) 07 has the potential to be a big year for the art...so stay tuned