too much is expected of rappers and the rap industry.
Before i continue i will state that I STOPPED LISTENING TO RAP IN 2008.
Remember the music industry is about money. Its not just the rappers but also the execs that sign these rappers and allow them to release what is coming out lately. I don't know if any of you are aware, but one of the hottest pure hip hop artists, Lupe Fiasco, has his album released blocked by his label because there is no "commercial track to release as a single." He is getting penalized for making Hip hop rooted in the pure form because the record execs don't think it'll sell (even though both of his first 2 albums went Gold). countless other artists have a high level of rhyming but get no chance by record companies for the same reason (the case that pissed me off the most was Little Brother). These artists then go independent and get no radio spins and rare time on bet/mtv.
I cannot excuse the content of many a popular rapper's material of late, but I will say that it does deeper than the artists.
And that Hard in the Paint slams, I have the instrumental for demoing and its quite nice