by SABRINA PARKER

Since the birth of hip-hop more than 30 years ago, dozens of classic hip-hop songs have been recorded. So why are many of the greatest songs rarely heard?

While “I Used to Love H.E.R.” by Common or “Children’s Story” by Slick Rick will probably become artifacts in Smithsonian’s hip-hop exhibit, “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot enjoys immortality at parties across the nation. Of course, the difference between these songs is that Common and Slick Rick made incredible hip-hop songs and Sir Mix-A-Lot made an incredibly popular song.

It’s hard to deny a beat you have enjoyed countless times when it comes on. It subliminally says, “Hey, remember all the fun we had at the 8th grade dance? Do you think you can still hold one leg and jump over it? Dance with me!”

I hear it, too. It takes a lot of restraint to stop yourself from busting into the running man when MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This” comes on. The problem is that songs that beg you to dance this way are usually played out. Sometimes you have to fight the urge. (Warning: the more alcohol you consume, the harder it will be to pretend you don’t love a tired rap song.)

Observer photo by Mike Blake, REUTERS
M.C. Hammer still dances to his played out music, but you shouldn’t. Hammer is pictured here performing with dancers at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards in Miami.

If you see a friend losing herself to Tone Loc’s “Wild Thing” or “Good Vibrations” by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, try to distract her with a question or invite her to walk to the bathroom with you.

Consider this: the popular songs on the radio and video countdown shows such as MTV’s “Total Request Live” and BET’s “106 & Park” are a reflection of the taste of pre-teens who have time to call in or go online and vote. After age 25, when the ear becomes more refined it is clear to see that kids love stupid music. For proof, look no further than Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, where Soulja Boy’s “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy)” just sat at No. 1 for seven weeks. It’s safe to assume that the song you sweated your polka-dot shirt out to in middle school is indeed wack as well.

It’s a little hard to accept the fact that I’ll have to hear Chingy’s “Right Thurr” for years to come when I know there are better songs out there. Why waste three minutes of our lives listening to the same old song when we could have an unforgettable moment with a new song? Those “where were you when you first heard…” songs are few and far between these days. Some may say that’s because rap songs are not as good as they used to be, but I would argue that we just don’t hear the amazing new songs being made, because the airwaves are jammed with played-out top-40 tunes.

The popularity of hip-hop has reached a dangerous height. The music is being produced like Chicken McNuggets, with fake fillings, to please the masses. Meanwhile, real hip-hop fans are pushed to the Internet where they gripe on message boards and download mixtapes just to get a fix.