what's the deal with hip-hop?

i tell you, i've been a fan since "parents just don't understand". nas said it's dead. was he being sarcastic? i've read books on its history and own dvds on its culture. but what's the deal with hip-hop these days? admittedly my fanhood has waned - the last rap album i bought was probably talib's "the beatiful struggle" so i could be out of touch (understatement).

when people say it's dead, it implies that it was a victim of death. it died. but maybe it's the one doing the killing. instead of victim, maybe it's actually the assailant.

case in point: nicky minaj. her video with lil wayne "roger that" was on youtube's home page and i checked it out based on the title of the song. i thought it was funny because here in hawaii, "rajadat" is local slang for... whatever "roger that" means. anyway the song wasn't funny and her verse actually made me sad. sad for little girls bobbing their heads to the beat thinking this fictional bravado is how it really is. that behaving this way is acceptable or worse still, successful. it signified a new era of lowness in an (arguably) already low meduim of expression. if lil kim flipped the script on men in the game, this new chick flipped it back and twisted it then choked it out.

consider the envelope pushed. degeneration on. this new hip-hop is alive and well... and on a killing spree.