söndag 7 Jan 2007, 15:35

For the first time in memory, only one rap album - T.I.'s, "King" - cracked the list of the top 20 best-selling CDs in 2006.
This is a significant drop for a genre that in recent years, could, if nothing else, count on acts like Kanye West, 50 Cent and OutKast to move units at a multiplatinum pace.
Partnering with consumers' seeming apathy toward the year's new hip-hop releases is a trend in local clubs that should, at least slightly, concern any up-and-coming rappers: Dance music is making a comeback, and it's doing it with tracks devoid of MCs.
So, if what's on deck for the mainstream truly lies in the clubs, it would seem the future is far brighter for, say, the Brazilian Girls than it is for the Diplomats. No wonder Nas chose to title his latest CD "Hip Hop Is Dead."
Of course, that's why too simple a conclusion.
Some of the best hip-hop releases of 2006 show exactly why hip-hop is not dead but is instead going through contractions as the music embraces the maturity its original followers have been begging for since Nas' debut 12 years ago.
Here are some of the bests and worsts of hip-hop 2006.
Best sign the music's on the move: Rhymefest's "More" video.
Directed by local hip-hop documentarian and filmmaker Konee Rok, this video is easily one of the year's best, capturing the frenetic pace of the Chicago-reared MC's push as he crisscrosses the country promoting the release of the under-appreciated "Blue Collar" and attempting to elevate the game of hip-hop. If you haven't seen it, visit koneerok.com.
Worst sign how far we've slipped, baby: Ludacris' "Money Maker" video.
If so many of the images in hip-hop hadn't already tried to push feminism back 40 years, one in this video would have done it by itself. A scantily clad, well-fed botty shaker poofs into a wad of fluttering cash. Fell free to steal this if you're a college student taking an "images of women in media" class next semester.
Best sign Wu-Tang is, still forever: Ghostface Killah's "Fishscale."
If anyone had told you Ghostface would be the member of Wu-Tang to have the most influetnial career, you'd have accused them of stealing a sack from Method Man. But with "Fishscale," easily one of top three releases of the year, Ghostface has solidified himself as the master of incisive social commentary woven into addictive stream of conscious flows punctuated with wicked humor.
Worst song for posture: Jibbs' "Chain Hang Low."
Somewhere Jibbs is receiving a check from some unaccredited, surreptitious chiropractic organization. He's single-handedly created a generation of young males who slouch deeply as they walk so their 12-inch chains "wobble to the flo." Sigh.
Best efforst by a rodent: Molemen's "Killing Fields."
Combining dark rhytmes with some of the underground's most able rhyme-spitters, this collection captures the grittiness that made groups like Gang Starr and Black Moon classic.
Second best effort by a rodent: Gnarls Barkley's "St. Elsewhere."
Anyone really think Danger Mouse would get bigger than he was in the wake of "The Grey Album" controversy.
Best sign things just might be OK: Lupe Fiasco's "Food and Liquor."
"Kick. Push. Coast." The best of 2006. Let's hope Lupe glides into a new era of hip-hop where substance submerges glitz.
This article was originally written for the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday, December 29, 2006 by David Jakubiak. I did not write this, I just thought that this had to be shared with Last.fm because it is a really good article IMO.