SNYtunes: Where’s the Beef?

There may be a lull of new music on the site, but there is an even bigger lull in a particular genre that has existed ever since thesixtyone was first conceived. That genre is hip-hop. I am in the minority as both a hip-hop artist and as a hip-hop fan. I came to this site on January 3rd along with some thousand or so digg.com users looking for great unsigned music. While my heart has its roots in many genres, including Alternative, Pop and Rock, it is rap that has always demanded and received my full attention thanks to the brilliant word play, in-your-face subject matter and addicting rhythms.

As a former Digg.com fanatic I found myself constantly voicing my defense of rap against the biased and misinformed community. I figured on a music site like this, things would be different. While I have seen no vocal hate against rap on thesixtyone, it is all too apparent that this is not a community that respects it much as an art form. On my first day here the only rap song in sight was an average track by an artist named WALE. You’ve no doubt heard his song W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.. The only thought that came to mind was “is this really the best the site has to offer?”.

While I have come across a handful of talented rap artists since my first day, I still have the same question lingering in my mind. Is this the best we have to offer as a music community? I find myself in disbelief when these talented rap artists remain under-bumped in comparison to even the dregs of other genres. Are we so trapped in our favorite genres that we can’t see beyond their familiar borders? Why are the hip-hop uploads so rare? Why is the most popular genre in the world the least popular on our site? Where’s the beef?