I remember when Mos Def & Pharoahe Monch dropped their debut solo albums on Rawkus back in Oct of 1999. I had just purchased my first set of Next turntables after saving up for about a month and some change and at that time I was heavy into the entire Rawkus movement. Needless to say I had to have those records, only problem was I had to ditch school to get them. I went to high school in Culver City and Fat Beats (the old N. Vermont location) was about an hour and a half bus ride away so during lunch I just shook and made the journey. It was raining heavily that month and I remember getting to Fat Beats completely soaked and I believe J Rocc was down there that day. It was my first trip to the legendary hip hop store and I was kinda amazed to see the guy responsible for one of the greatest hip hop mixtapes (Soundbombing 2) in there spinning. Anyway, I bought both Internal Affairs & Black On Both Sides and jetted out trying to catch the next bus. I remember catching a transfer somewhere near Melrose and I got stopped by the cops right down the street from Fairfax High. I told them the entire story and they couldn’t believe that a kid would ditch school, travel in the rain via bus from Culver City for some records so they handcuffed me and took me to Fairfax High, which they believed I was really from. Once they found out that I didn’t go there and heard that I was actually from Culver the police officer smiled and said, “Damn kid, you REALLY love hip hop!”. I still got in trouble but it was worth it…

I got word that the iconic store known as Fat Beats will be going out of business and all I could think was damn, maybe hip hop is done. And I hate to sound pessimistic and negative, and I also don’t wanna sound like I’m hating on the present day “hip hop” but it definitely seems as if the spirit of it is rapidly dying. We got too much freedom with the influence of the internet and as a result took the little things for granted and those little things turned out to weigh a ton. We now have rappers that don’t write, DJ’s that don’t dig for records, dancers that don’t really dance and today’s graff artists are graphic designers. Our art form has been simplified and the once noted quote from 20/20’s first look at hip hop back in the 80’s, “Anyone can do it!” is seeming all too real. I suppose the argument would be, “Out with the old, in with the new! If you can’t adapt to the times then you don’t belong!” or the ever so popular, “Hip hop changes phases and this is just the cycle!” But if you truly look at the abnormal change within hip hop that took place after the internet then look at the natural changes before it your argument, while still valid, doesn’t negate its abnormality. That’s like me cutting down a forest and giving a speech to the wildlife that they gotta adapt while explaining that the world goes through changes. I say all of this to ask, did technology ruin hip hop? When was the last time you were honestly excited from hip hop music? Seems like nothing is shocking anymore as a direct result of the freedom we got via the internet. Albums get downloaded, video premieres are less appreciated and even the greatest rappers of our time have the hardest time getting their music appreciated. Now don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a positive to having the internet as we all know…it’s a double edge sword, but it’s safe to say that hip hop has lost a bit of its excitement. Ahh, I’m rambling….I’ll just say that I miss the natural progression of things and I’ll miss the excitement of feeling like I need to travel an hour and a half on a bus in the rain to purchase some music. R.I.P Fat Beats LA & NYC.

My first/last purchase at Fat Beats NYC…glad I at least got to see where it started.