One of these days I’ll actually finish writing my pieces on Wale’s “The Plan” and Joe Budden’s “Who Killed Hip-Hop”. But not what I’m writing about today.
You know when you have one of those moments when you suddenly realize the passing of time? Like you realize that it’s been years since you’ve spoken to your ex or that you’ve got a reunion around the corner? Well I had one of those moments earlier this week.
I was listening to an instrumental version of Cypress Hill’s self-titled debut and I was struck by how awesome it sounded. I remember when the album dropped and how dope it sounded back then. Those were definitely beats that you’d bump.
But hearing it again, now, in this day and age, it was kind of sobering. I mean, just the audacity of the samples was stunning. Blatantly sampling “Duke of Earl” for “Hand on the Pump” was so revolutionary back in 1991. And yet almost twenty years later we’ve come full circle where blatantly flipping something so recognizable would feel equally revolutionary.
I was talking to my friend about my rediscovered awe for that era and commented, “They don’t make beats like that anymore,” to which he countered, “Muggs doesn’t even make beats like that anymore.”
And the more that I think about it the more I really do miss that era. And I’m not just saying it because it was my “golden age” of hip-hop. Cypress Hill has a vibe and a feel to it. It’s not just a collection of songs—it’s an album.
It’s rare that albums are made anymore. And when they are made, it’s still usually with an assortment of producers, which decreases the consistency of the final product. I love Ghostface, but I’m not really clamoring for an instrumental version of Big Doe Rehab.
I guess I should be happy that I’ve got my memories and that I can experience these albums, but it’s kind of a hollow happiness. I may have my quality material to fall back on during the lean times, but I feel sorry for the kids coming up now. When they look back at what they listened to they’ll probably be mortified. At least they should be.
But I’m not pointing fingers or assigning blame. I don’t want to be that old dude who’s always complaining about “back in my day.” So instead I’ll be that old dude who just enjoyed listening to old jazz 45’s, only in my case they’re DJ Muggs and Diamond D instrumentals.
