“The media does play a big role in destroying the hip-hop culture movement, but many of you in the hip-hop community are the biggest enemies of hip-hop and you will be the ones who will help the enemies of hip-hop to destroy it, or to bring it back underground, because of your ignorance of knowledge of hip-hop. This has started the difference between "old school" and "new school". 

To myself there is only one school and that's the learning, evolving, going through the different phases or cycles school of hip-hop. That is the real hip-hop school. A lot of you in the world of hip-hop better start looking at the problems in your own backyard as well as the world, because while you are enjoying yourselves etc. there are many plots being sprung to destroy hip-hop in the world”. ~ Afrika Bambaataa

Generation gap has always existed & will always be, it ain’t a surprise that hip-hop is facing this problem. Usually thought thrives on conflict, but this time the conflict is so “ungrounded” that no thought can thrive on it. All they do is nothing but criticizing each other. And what's really interesting is that they don’t criticize the content…if you look closely, you'll see that they are talking about the form; when hip-hop is about the substance. As a matter of fact, I can’t even say that the beef is between old school & new school cuz there's no such a movement as new school. Old school is a unity, when new school is a bunch of people trying to do themselves. So, in fact, the old school artists criticize the industry. I would rather call this beef “old school vs. the music industry” aka “pioneers vs. the people who messed up the culture”. Anyway, it surprises me that pioneers talk about the form, when the substance suffers the most. In my book, old school represents the deep lyrical content, rebellious nature & new school represents mastered sound, world's recognition. So why are we talking about “skinny jeans”…like for real?!!! 

Hip-hop pioneers have priceless experience of going “from nothing to something”. They started the culture & the game from the scratch. They didn’t need major labels & media to gain respect and make a difference. There are a lot of interesting “moves” contemporary artists can learn from the old school colleagues in order to be free to create real music without being industry's “puppets”. So called “new school” generation is good at making money. Now imagine what it would be if they collaboed w/ each other… Will “new school” generation listen to the old school? Just like I already said, the “new school” movement isn't homogeneous: we have a mainstream movement & an indie/underground movement. Mainstream artists have already tasted so called “good life” and I’m not sure if they are ready to stop the “clownery” they participate in, to make a difference. In order to change the game, a person must go through thick (the way to the top) and thin (being on the top) & unfortunately not a lot of people proved that they can handle the “thin” part. Indie & underground artists would definitely learn from the hip-hop pioneers, but the old school people gotta be ready to stop all this mockery & work together as a fam. Otherwise, all these inner beefs will lead to self-destruction & the next generation will have to reconstitute the culture from the beginning. So if y'all wanna be loud & make noise, go ‘head! …but your ACTIONS are supposed to be loud & not only your mouth…do something!

Take a look at what an indie artist Floco Torres has to say on this issue. I cosign his p.o.v.…almost completely.