HIp Hop is thriving Part 1

Since it's Birth,hip hop has been dogged by Predictions of its impending death. From the early days, when critics dismissed it as a passing fad, to the long and exhausting wars over gangsta rap, to the current moment in which many decry its creative staleness, the most consistent thread in its short history has been this narrative of decline.

But the rumors of hip hop's death have always been greatly exaggerated. In fact, for the past three decades, hip hop culture has steadily extended it's reach into every sector of our lives, becoming a nearly ubiquitous presence on the global cultural landscape. Even the biggest moments of "crisis" for hip hop, such as when Nas released his controversial "Hip Hop is dead" album in 2006, have marked some of the art form's biggest moments of growth.