Proof that hip-hop is dead?

"Wristbands available only while supplies last"
"Wristbands available only while supplies last"

Last Thursday saw an in-store signing session with rapper Rick Ross at Best Buy in New York. That's nothing new - they do a meet and greet most weeks - except Rick's should be filed under 'this is just embarrassing'…

The sight of an empty queue system is pretty sad, especially as people have a tendency to join a queue even if they have no idea what's at the other end (or is that just in England?). Get Up Stand Up's picture timeline might say more about failing music shops than the popularity of Rick Ross, but still… ouch.

Rick ross

Rick ross

Rick ross

Rick ross

According to Eminem, however, hip-hop is back on the up: "For a good three to four years, it wasn't in a good place," Eminem told his radio station Shade 45 (via Planet Sound). "All anybody really cared about was having a dope beat. There was no substance. It seems to be coming back with Lil Wayne, TI and Kanye."

Tom Porter worked on MusicRadar from its mid-2007 launch date to 2011, covering a range of music and music making topics, across features, gear news, reviews, interviews and more. A regular NAMM-goer back in the day, Tom now resides permanently in Los Angeles, where he's doing rather well at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).