Buy The Music Or Shut The Fuck Up

I'm not gonna use this entry to get all preachy and denounce those who download music illegally.  I've done it in the past, and occasionally still do.  I'm not even 100% convinced on whether downloading music is ruining the music industry or not.  My biggest issue is when you browse these internet hip hop message boards and people go out of their way to talk shit about the music they just bootlegged.  Lets take the Blueprint 3 for example.  I said in my review that while there were a few songs I wasn't entirely crazy about, it was a very stellar album overall.  I throughly enjoyed listening to it.  But there are people on these boards talking about how 'Hov fell off and the album is sub par, yadda yadda yadda.  I get that music is subjective and people are entitled to their opinions.  But the idea of people collectively smashing something they got for free doesn't sit well with me. If you wake up on Christmas morning, and you get a gift from someone, that they paid for and gave to you just because, and you looked at it said "fuck this, this is garbage", wouldn't at least a little part of you on the inside feel like shit?  While clearly not the same situation, it's the same principal.  If people aren't gonna go out and support these artists, don't say shit when they drop an album.  Especially if you're gonna whine and bitch about hip hop being dead and wonder why fuckers like Gucci Mane and Soulja Boi are at the forefront of the industry.  Support the good music, leave the crappy shit on the shelves.  Keyword: SUPPORT.