Too Many Rappers

Too Many Rappers: A New Hip-Hop Column
By Nathan G. O'Brien on Scene Point Blank

Well, here we are, a whole month into the New Year, and as usual January was spent catching up on all the music I slept on last year.  Normally the first part of the year is slow when it comes to new stuff, but hip-hop, with its ever-increasing abundance of releases, is not like other forms of music.  Long gone are the days of a rapper releasing an album every other year, or at the most, once a year—nowadays, it’s not uncommon for an artist to drop multiple mixtapes, a collaboration (or two,) and a lengthy retail album, all within the span of 12 months.  Keeping up with it takes a little more than just an unrelenting love of the art form; it takes ridiculous, stupefied, dare I say ill-advised dedication.  And even then it’s impossible to catch it all.  The simple fact...and I don't have any problem calling this a fact...is that there are just too many rappers.  Being a lifelong fan of rappers, and a weirdo completionist to boot, this little fact really frustrates the shit out of me.  But still, I plow ahead, doing my best to rack up as much of it as I can.  ...Read the rest of Nathan's gigantic new hip-hop column Too Many Rappers on Scene Point Blank.