I just want to speak on behalf of Hip Hop, while everybody is questioning Hip Hops fate. I'm looking at "Hip- Hop Vs. America" and hearing all this talk about Hip Hop is dead, and I somewhat agree but then I start to debate with myself arguing that if Hip Hop is dead, then why is it still a billion dollar industry? All the fashion I see In the streets are tailer-made around Hip Hop, The actors in Hollywood to the sport figures in NBA and NFL reflect Hip Hop, The commercials from Chevy Impala, to Sprite, to Nextel has embraced Hip Hop. the recent negative attention we have gotten from use of words like "Nigga", "Bitch", "Hoe" and other socially offensive terms are still not a problem when you take into consideration that, any movie you watch whether at home or the box office, you may hear the same language. We have ratings on the front of all Cds that have adult content and they all reads " Parental Advisory, Explicit Content" which is no different than going to buy a DVD from Walmart with similar ratings "R" restricted. another point people overlook is the fact that music are lyrics, words put to bass lines and drum patterns, to sum it up, sound or Audio. movies on the other hand are images such as violence, sex, drugs, e.t.c. to sum it up also, sight or video. With that in mind which is worst... To see it, or to hear it? Now this is where all that gets deep... Freedom of speech It gives all of us the right to say whatever the fuck we want to say. (yeah, I said it) So why do I still see a double standard? If an actor or comedian say a bad word, then it's O.K., but when a Hip Hop artist use the same word, now he's a problem, or what some execs. might refer to as high risk. No one wants to deal with him. the choice of words in music and movies are not a major problem. I think that these complaints are pushed to the center of the spotlight so that the real problems in America's ghettos and urban communities can quietly sneak pass the radar, and that problem is..... Da' ECONOMY A lot of us consumers are still willing to go out to the music stores and support these artist, buy the new CD's when they come out. but then reality kicks in.. Rent, car note, insurance, child care, food, gas, power. where does the new Jay-Z CD fit in that list of expenses. that's where bootleggers and Limewire come in the picture. and that's where the album sales are going. But have no fear, there's a good side to everything... this decline in revenue is helping weed out the fakers in Hip Hop, If there's no money to be made, these hustlers will be forced to abandon our music, leaving it back to the true artists and those who love the art form, the culture, and the movement. So what, Hip Hop is in critical condition, It ain't dead. What don't kill it makes it stronger, and hopefully it will recover around the same time the economy picks up In closing I want to leave ya'll with a verse I just wrote... the music ain't dying, it's just the economy/ why buy CD's when poverty is in front of me/ I'm a real mc, so why let it bother me/ I'm gonna do it anyway, It's one of my hobbies/ now that the money making factor is fading/ let's see how many of them fakers start trading/ jumping out the rap game and back to the traps/ back to the the crack selling back to the gats/ but let me get back to topic of rap/ maybe the real artists can start all over from scratch/ back to the basics like 1's and 2's/ turntables and mics, even breaking crews/ back to krush Groove, I'm rolling with russ/ read the book "Do You", motivation for us/ In hip hop I trust, Love conquers all/ So If you love it like I love It, let's have a Hip Hoppers ball./ Mic Militia