Many people say that hip hop is dead. The genre has changed a little in my opinion but at it’s foundation has it changed or just the delivery? I was blessed to grow up in an environment where I was exposed to much of the music that is sampled and referenced in today’s R&B and hip hop community. The quality of music in the early 80’s and 90’s   was phenomenal in my opinion. I also grew up on the music of the 60’s and 70’s  due to family parties and gatherings.  My early memories of hip hop were break dancing on cardboard boxes, giant radios, beat boxing, loud colors, etc. I remember 2 things from the hip hop I grew up on, it told a message and a story. There were also anthems included in the hip hop I grew up on as well as exclamations of people being the greatest.  I once again had the opportunity to attend another Jungle Events at Subterranean this time the event was a mixtape launch RAY ILLA and SPUD COTTON.  The Jungle does a good job of warming up the crowd with good music. They played Biggie, Mobb Deep featuring Lil Kim and a few of the other notable acts in hip hop.  The vibe was chill of course things don’t start exactly on time but that’s part of the routine. The opening act  LB Tarantino  did a great job of warming up the stage.  The crowd was so so as always. I’m not sure about other places but my observation in Chicago is that artists tend to get more support in other cities.  I have heard that it’s easier to launch your career in places like NY or ATL  I’m not sure why that is but artist like Kanye, Da Brat and a few others have had to leave Chicago to really blow up.  A luke warm crowd did not stop one of the feature artist RAY ILLA from doing his thing. He brought a lot of energy to the stage, had crowd participation and showcased some of his previous material as well as new tracks from his new mixtape “Supa Ugly Grind 2” One of my favorites so far from the project is the track called “Inspiration” I definitely would blast the song.  In a nutshell I enjoyed myself. One thing that I have not seen at a Jungle event yet is an array of female artist and I’m not sure why. Hopefully some time in the future I will get the opportunity to hear a few female acts. I personally am rooting for hip hop!  My suggestion for any artist is to get good at telling a story! This generation so needs good stories. We’ve heard a lot of stories detailing slinging dope, hard times, partying endlessly  and killing rivals but it’s time for a new message.  It is my hope that up and coming artist will take the pulse of the community and create work that will take us to the next stage of hip hop.