Poll: Will fourth-quarter hip-hop "raise the bar?"

Interesting thought. With forthcoming releases this quarter from the likes of Kanye West, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Eminem, Jay-Z, and who knows, maybe Dr. Dre, do you think these releases will raise the bar in hip-hop regarding acceptable standards in music as far as song quality, lyricism, etc.?

Lately, hip-hop has, arguably, been in a slump -- not just in sales, but in overall quality. "Hip hop is dead" has been the buzzword lately (well, at least before "swagger"), and I personally feel like "artists" are getting by with less and less impressive music. It seems like no one wants to write lyrics anymore, which is fine until it actually sounds like that's the case!

Regardless, this quarter should bring out the releases of popular artists known more for their song content and their song quality. I, for one, have high expectations and look forward to some great music. I'm sure I'm in a fairly isolated group on this one, but I don't care, I've been feeling what I've heard from Kanye's "808's and Heartbreak" so far (minus the auto-tune overdose).

Anyway, what do you think? Will these forthcoming release be the "change we need" in hip-hop, or will these highly-touted artists give us just enough to get by?

Feel free to comment and/or hit the poll on the right.

N. Talekt
http://www.soundclick.com/ntalekt