Hip Hop Is Alive - However Gangsta Rap Is Not Doing So Well

I have always had an affinity for gangsta rap. From my first bootleg of NWA's Straight Outta Compton to my current bad boy crush on the Game, I have always appreciated the 'direct' approach of gangsta rap. The imagery is sharp, vivid and concise while the melodies are primal, contemptuous and melodic in their bass undertones. However someone should tell the popular media that gangsta rap is 'dead' and while its existence makes for an excellent 'example' to those who do not heed popular society's warnings its presence within mainstream hip hop has diminished.

Coming from an oral tradition and culture, hip hop is always about the fluidity of transition and as such gangsta rap has morphed and moved on over the last decade plus. Its verbal vestiges can be found in cocaine rap, while its musical imprint can be found in the hyphy and screwed scenes.

But for whatever reason, popular media hasn't realized the big bad wolf - gangsta rap - is no longer around....