The Death Of Bling; Recession Humbling Hip-Hop

February 11, 2009 8:02 p.m. EST

Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - Lil' Wayne showed up to the 51st Annual Grammy Awards nominated for eight Grammys, boisterous and entertaining as ever.

However, one thing was noticeably missing.

Wayne, once proprietor of 10-pound gold chains and heavy, gleaming diamond rings, wore a t-shirt with just a modest necklace during his performance.

He wasn't the only hip-hop artists to express a more modest image. Big Boi of Outkast wore just two silver chains, while rappers Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and LL Cool J opted to don suits with no heavy chains draped over their collars at all.

Has the recession that has crippled the country made its way into the shiniest of all music genres?

Producers like Timbaland and Lil' Jon are lucky if they receive even half of what they used to command for their signature beats.

Meanwhile, the once mighty figures that dominated hip-hop sales have sank. Compared to 2007, rap album sales declined nearly 20 percent in 2008 according to a recent report from the Nielsen Co.

Hip-hop's popularity declined in proportion to other genres and the average fan would rather obtain his favorite songs from the Internet rather than purchasing an entire album from a record store.

"Why buy an entire album with some songs I don't even like when I could just download the ones I do like for free?", said one fan. " I only buy a rapper's album if I am absolutely in love with his music".

In addition to their income decreasing, rappers are becoming more conscience of the times.

Young Jeezy's aptly-titled "The Recession" is an economic treatise that provides a perfect example. The election of Barak Obama as President has also played a part in artists moving towards activism.

During hip-hop's climb to the top of the charts in the 90's, artists continually spoke of their wealth and shiny chains.

It used to be that if a rapper wanted to sell records, he had to brag of his bling and superiority to other rappers.

The success of rappers like Kanye West, whose music is more introspective and poetic, may have made some rappers seek a different path.

In "All Falls Down" off Kanye's debut album "The College Dropout", West speaks about his insecurities instead of his wealth.

He starts his second verse with, "Man I promise, I'm so self-conscience/That's why you always see me with at least one of my watches.......Then I spent 400 bucks on this/just to be like 'N**** you ain't up on this'......It seems we living the American dream/the people highest up got the lowest self-esteem/the prettiest people do the ugliest things/for the road to riches and diamond rings."

Not every hip-hop artists has taken to modesty. Miami's Rick Ross has enjoyed success while boasting in his music that his money comes in so fast, his accountant doesn't have time to count to it.

However, the bragging and boasting that was once the only way to hip-hop fame is no longer the standard.

Hip-hop is instead becoming America's most recent version of the blues, which was born out of poverty during the Great Depression.

If the Grammys and the success of artists like Jeezy and West are a sign of the times, expect the culture to move towards the end of the "bling era."