I interviewed Chuck D years ago for a school newspaper and he said

"Having regrets about hip-hop not doing what you want it to do is like Aunt Jemima having regrets about how she can't get any money off pancakes. We have to make sure that when we create, we can control or be able to control it from a business aspect."

I think it's important to remember what society we live in (capitalist) and who runs things, including the music we listen to. A combination of music industry strategy, payola, and MTV (media) has silenced what was once a strong representation of socio-political content in rap music. When I was a kid, I could hear Eric B. & Rakim on the radio even if only for a couple of hours on Friday night. College radio stations always played the alternative, "conscious" rap music. However, the story of what killed conscious rap is the similar to what killed jazz and r&b (nowadays r&b sounds more and more like pop). Companies only care about the bottom line and they have the eyes and ears of the masses. They push music that won't upset the status quo too much.

>Many ancient theologies and philosophies speak of something
>having to die in order to live again. One such myth is the
>story of the Phoenix that burns itself into ashes every 500
>years only to be reborn again.

I hope that in the rebirth it will not be retro. I want to hear something new.