Has DJ Premier Fallen Off?
Now before all the purists get bent out of shape, I’ll be clear and direct. I love Primo. He is hip-hop. But in reading the review of Rakim Allah’s new album over at Nappy Afro and not seeing Primo’s name in the production credits, it made me wonder: why aren’t we seeing (well, hearing) more Premier beats?
The list of albums that have come out without even one DJ Premier beat is staggering: Jay’s Blueprint 3, 50′s Before I Self Destruct, and even new cats like Kid Cudi and Wale. No production from Premier.
And for the life of me, I can’t understand why. I listen to a joint like “Shut Your Bloodclot Mouth” and its clear that Primo can still drop heat like any cat behind the boards right now. Sure, we’ve seen some real fresh directions from dudes like Kanye or even Swizz, but Premier still stand on his own.
And its not like dude is hard to work with – by all accounts he’s a laid back, read dude. When Jay is pushing 40 and he still has a #1 album, you can’t say its as easy as ageism.
So, what gives? I’m puzzled. Perplexed, even.
I feel the exact same way. Like with any artform, you’re only as good as your latest work. Like you said, Primo can still hold it down on the boards when you check production value, but today his stuff isn’t trendy.
With the way that hip hop is growing in this current market, it seems to be turning into which kid on the block can get the newest sounds and catchy lyrics.
If kids can easily download the hottest single within 12 seconds along with the fact that things are constantly being served to them thru within a mouse click, what is going to make them appreciate some classic sounds? Todays generation seems to consume more than they give back and they seem to be chasing all the new sounds/catchy pop stuff, probably making Primo less relevant to their world.
Who knows what’s in store for the next generation of music.