By Landon Antonetti

Since its conception in the mid to late ‘70s, hip-hop has been a torch passed from region to region in the United States. New York lit the torch and held onto it until the late ‘90s, fighting a brief battle with California over its possession, which led to the tragic deaths of two of hip-hop’s brightest stars. In early 2000 hip-hop saw itself in a limbo; no particular region held the torch for too long. New York was still a hotbed for talent, while artists like Nelly, Three 6 Mafia and Kentucky’s own Nappy Roots were doing their best to grab the torch for the Midwest.

Today, the South, once a quiet giant, controls the torch. For better or for worse, the South has changed the image, sound, and business ends of hip-hop, raking in millions for record companies across the nation. With their lease on hip-hop almost up, many are speculating where the torch will go in the next few years. Hip-hop purists say that New York is reclaiming hip-hop in an all-out crusade to transform the lost genre back to what it once was. Still, others argue the state of California will finally hold the flame once and for all, proving that they are not to be messed with. However, a few are still pulling for the underdog in this story, Detroit.

Detroit is a city rich in history. It’s been the center of U.S. automotive production for years. It’s the home of Berry Gordy Jr.’s Motown Records, and as of late, a breeding ground for some of hip-hops most talented producers, MCs and DJs.

Over the last 10 years there has been a steady flow of talented hip-hop artists emerging from the Motor City. Big names like Eminem and Kid Rock call Detroit home, as well as a cornucopia of other artists hidden from the limelight. Slum Village and Royce Da 5’9 have been waving “The D” flag since the early ‘90s, while artists like Black Milk, Guilty Simpson and Fat Ray are just starting to gain momentum in the game and are on a crash course to acquire hip-hop’s barely burning torch.

“Detroit is on the rise big time and once we get where we’re supposed to be we’ll hold it for a while,” said prophesized Detroit hip-hop veteran Trick Trick. “We’ve got a lot of artists out of Detroit now. And we all work together … The thing about Detroit is we don’t mind sharing.”

With 2009 just around the corner, a fitting New Year’s resolution for the holders of the hip-hop torch would be to share. With all this talk of change floating around lately it would be an immense breath of fresh air to see the current hip-hop powerhouses relinquish the torch to hip-hop’s neglected stepchild, Detroit. If you’re one of the many skeptics floating out there, look at it this way, the hip-hop passing of the torch can be viewed much like a presidential election: If things don’t work out with the new powers that be, there’s always another chance to get it right in a few years, keeping the flow of creativity in the game circulating and ever changing.

Landon Antonetti is a journalism junior, and production manager for WRFL.