THE RISE AND FALL OF MR. C.J. BROWNE

I recently pondered on my new social experiment and musical project to figure out how long I should test this out for. Starting a career as a MC/Band leader at the age of 28 may seem a little misguided. Am I trying to catch dreams from years past? or am I truly interested in leaving a mark on the musical world?

I've been working in and around music for quite a while and have always yearned for the stage. Hey I've even performed once or twice (and did quite well might I add). But in today's world of Hip Hop gone wrong, is there truly a place for the MC who just wants to perform and have a good time without the jewelry, cars, masagonistic lyrics, and mundane mesages. In order for us to figure that out, I think we must first delve into where Hip Hop is today, and who the leaders are.

And there lays the bigger question, DO WE HAVE LEADERS IN THE HIP HOP COMMUNITY?
WHO CAN WE LOOK TO TO VALADATE A GENERATION OF MUSGUIDED YOUTH? I personally feel I may be too old to really identify with the Twitteration (Twitter Generation) in entirety, but I can understand the plight of the neighborhoods they live in, the things they think about, and what they are going through on a daily basis. This all comes from being a young man of color. But will DRAKE lead a generation of young men to understand they need to still "FIGHT THE POWER" or will all of the girls he loves (who probably have not been tested) deter him from taking a strong stance on any issue that won't bring him publicity.

And while JAY Z is destroying autotune, and tries to lead the Hip Hop artist of today to the holy grale of genuine music, should we still hold him responsible for progressing a generation of lost souls. I mean lets be honest we've been lost since before Hip Hop. And most times we forget that music has always been a way to relay stories and anecdotes that could possibly one day lead us to freedom, concioulsy and unconciously.

But this does not answer the question, How old is too old to rap? Here is my personal answer.

As long as you are saying something viable, you can never be too old to express yourself. I still get chills while watching The Last Poets perform, or when Metallica hits the stage. In my eyes it is the same thing when it comes to Hip Hop, Jazz, Soul, Rock, or any genre of music. The problem we have in Hip Hop is that the content has not changed as the artists get older. They rhyme about the same things at 35 as they did at 21. But I find it is more of a personal imprisonment that keeps them in that place, maybe even moreso than a professional one. So to the MCs out there rap to your hearts content, but maybe you should take a look at your content. Change is growth. Maybe its time for us to grow up and put something on wax that will be timeless in content as well as character.

Just my 2 cents on my personal journey. Will I be rapping or touring with my band at 35? Who knows! LOL That's why this blog is called THE RISE AND FALL OF MR. C.J. BROWNE

Mr. Browne