I think that Chris Rock's comments are dead on. "It is what it is" as they say. One thing that could be a caveat deals with those artists that are still true to the musicianship and lyricism but they are not getting exposed. Between declining sales (especially in that hip hop genre), extreme bootlegging/downloading and retail outlets closing, the public isn't really buying this stuff anymore. The wise thing to do at this point would be to invest in real musicianship and progressive hip hop in conjunction with new alternative media to get the public interested again. Time to explore satellite radio and the internet more aggressively and maybe promote the concept of Black Rock, Progressive Hip Hop and Alternative Soul as the new and next wave of Black musical culture as a counter to the decline of commercial music. It makes sense and therefore no one will try this....sad.

He is so on the money with that statement that it hurts. The love of rap in particular and hiphop in general is GONE. I miss the old ways of the game but even in 96 97 there was more attention to the art than the money that could be made. Now its all about being some super rich hood.

Chris Rock is just making a point that many rappers are not focused on the art of making music and I agree. As far as mainstream rappers go very few are credible musicians or artists. Many rappers are very upfront about their relentless pursuit of money. For most, its not not about elevating an art form (screw that!) they want to get paid. They have willingly sold-out, and the music has suffered because of it.

I was just about to post about this quote from Chris Rock. I think he was on target but I'm sure he'll get criticism.

It's had to argue that many of today's R&B/hip hop artists seem more interested in the business of making music than the music itself.

Beyoncé is now hawking DirecTV to the tune of "Upgrade U". I admire her ability to turn anything into a paycheck. But it doesn't exactly make me respect her craft.