No, they would have got told to do it because it was already being done and already popular. It's because it was selling big so of course anyone from a major label is going to want as much gangster shit as possible if it sells. It's not done to undermine black culture or even to just promote a lifestyle. It's because it sells.test recordings wrote:^ didn't you read any of the links for interviews posted? 90s rappers got told to make stuff about violence, hoes and illegal drugs. They're promoting a lifestyle by having so much media attention on them being rich doing that shit.
Op is questioning why there isn't more positive material being played.
Same would have happened with bands in the 90s when Nirvarna blew up. Suddenly the parameter for what is selling big in guitar bands is completely different to the 80s. Anyone from Seattle or with a grungy sound is going to get pushed in case they can make big money like Nirvana. I'm sure plenty bands were told to sound more like or dress more like grunge. Same with punk before that too.
Also as Magma said. Kendrick Lamar is absolutely huge at the moment and his last album was pretty much a concept album about growing up in Compton with an underlying message by the end of the album about the negative aspects of getting involved in all the gang and drugs shit. He has a huge crossover appeal. He had mainstream success because his music was current sounding, its production is of a standard of a new huge popular record, it's catchy as fuck and it's identifiable. The messages in it exist still within the frame of the story telling that is exciting for those not from his background and identifiable to those who are.
A lot of you guys are acting like it's the radio's fault that people don't want to listen to a load of shit with beats that sound like they're from the 90s with the production quality of being made in someone's bedroom with someone preaching over the top about how to be a good member of society. That's just not what people want. Stop acting like hip hop is some supreme art form that is just being ruined by some white conspiracy.
Besides all that you're forgetting there is a time and place for everything. When you're at the club you want catchy bass heavy energetic music about all of that shallow stuff. Most people (including me) are just gonna want some dumb shit about getting fucked up and sex when they're out in a club where things like that are on likely to be on their mind. I can't imagine anything worse than having a whole night listening to immortal technique ramble on about the Illuminati while I'm busy drinking and socializing. Ever play beer pong to juicy j mixtapes at a party? Definitely a better vibe than if someone just played Aesop Rock the whole time. There is music for every situation and hip hop isn't somehow "above" that.
Then consider that again the average person is likely to always be in that frame of mind and not care about "the art" of it. All pop music is shallow as fuck. Guetta for example has terrible lyrics. Popular rock music isn't going to have the biting sarcastic social commentary that Jello Biafra's lyrics in Dead Kennedys had or the 20 minute epics you'd find on a King Crimson album. Get real people, popular music is in general on a pretty base level. The criminal aspect of popular rap music is just there because it actually reflects a lot of problems within the part of American society those rappers come from and then also sells to those middle class kids who want to hear something exciting and rebellious compared to their everyday lives.

