I know this site hasn’t been updated very often over the last few years. There are a lot of different reasons why. UndergroundHip-Hop.net was created 10 years ago, when (1) I had a lot more free time, (2) I was deep in my hip-hop fanaticism, and (3) the music industry was not doing as bad as it is today. As I evolved as an individual, my musical tastes evolved alongside. I stopped listening to underground hip-hop very much.  So why revive this site now?

Distance is a good thing when it comes to evaluating any piece of art. Like two lovers being reunited after a long absence, I have a new found perspective and appreciation for a wider variety of hip-hop.

But there’s a more important reason for choosing now to resurrect this site. The music industry is fucked. Record labels are making less and less money every year while the execs can’t recognize the one simple fact that talented, unique musicians are the way to success. Pirating had a lot to do with it also. Free music on p2p and torrents are one of the top reasons why anybody bothers to get an internet connection in the first place. Plus, the 9/11 paranoia combined with the RAVE Act came down hard on concert attendance. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that most professional musicians have another job.

Most of the world is experiencing an economic recession right now, and that means the big labels are less willing to take a risk on a new underground hip-hop artist. Less risk from the labels means more of the same songs on the radio and MTV. With the recent merging of the satellite radio stations XM and Sirius, their playlists are now starting to look more like traditional radio. Except you have to pay for it.

Artists and labels have come and disappeared, with few holding strong. Hip-hop will never go out of style. Hundreds of new people are coming online everyday, all around the world. They’re hungry to find good hip-hop. Or they’re hungry to be heard. And we all want to eat.