A few of hip hop’s finest!!!!!!

Much like record industry, the magazine and print industry has suffered a major blow because of the internet and its accessiblity to information.  As soon as news happens, its on the internet.  Two of hip hop’s most “respected” magazines also seem to have lost their place in the hip hop world.  The most recent covers of XXL magazine have featured Soulja Boy, Gucci Mane, Shawty Lo and OJ Da Juice and the following issue featured Fabolous and The Dream.  Now I don’t want to take a shot at any particular artist but if these are the people chosen to represent our culture for two months in a row, hip hop has definitely lost its way.  I can’t say that I am a fan of any of the artists featured, although I have listened to enough music from each one to be able to comment.  The fact that one of the only hip hop magazine’s continues to flood the public eye with artists who provide relatively no creativity, vision or passion for the culture is a shame.  I know it’s not fair to make the assumptions but let’s be real.  Fabolous is a label puppet.  He manages to stay relevant not do to his own talents but because he caters to the current state of hip hop.  When Nate Dogg was hot, Fabolous was on a track with Nate.  When The Neptunes were hot, Fabolous got tracks from them and now that The Dream is hot, Fabolous is using The Dream’s limelight to stay relevant.  It is a shame because Fab is no slouch on the mic.  He just really has no voice.  He says the same thing, the same way on every song.  He does whatever the label tells him to do.  These other artist don’t need to be addressed.  Their music is what it is.  XXL should be ashamed of themselves for continuously perpetuating how the rest of the world views hip hop.  If cats like The Roots, Blu, Wale, Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco and Pharoahe Monch were consistently on the covers of magazines, MAYBE hip hop would not be viewed in such a negative light.  I mean Gucci Mane makes some of the most ridiculous(I mean ridiculously bad) music I have heard in recent years.  Is this how we want people to view the music and the culture?  This if my official challenge to XXL and The Source to grow some balls and help change how hip hop is portrayed in the mainstream.  You have the platform so now it is time to use it because if Fabolous, The Dream, Soulja Boy and Gucci Mane are hip hop on a higher level, I must be confused.