Is the Death of Autotune imminent?

Last night was a defining moment in Hip-Hop as Jay-Z declared in his new record The Death of Autotune. The record has already generated a lot of buzz and has yet to be heard by the entire Hip-Hop community. Sean Carter has been dubbed the unofficial Barack of Hip-Hop, so when he motions for something to cease, it should right? Not so fast. It appears that some of the Hip-Hop faithful have challenged Jay's authority on this record, saying that it's garbage and that Jay is dissing artists that make their living off of ringtone raps and autotune sound. Is it really a diss or is it a challenge to these artists to do something more creative than to piggyback off of the previous man's success? I mean we all know as Hip-Hop fans that paying homage shows that you respect the grind of another artist and have a love for his craft, which is why you hear so many lines repeated in Hip-Hop. However, there is a difference in paying homage and being, to quote Ghostface, a shark nigga (a.k.a. Biter). I mean, let's call it for what it is. You can't cover shit in chocolate and call it candy, it's still shit, just in a different package. I reminisce on the days where Hip-Hop was pure and you could tell artists apart. If Leaders of the New School was on, you didn't get them confused with EPMD. Now you can turn on the radio and here the same song three times in a row sung by three different artists (ref. GS Boys - Stanky Leg, Hurricane Chris - She Fine, and whoever made that Ricky Bobby track). Jay is basically stating that artists aren't showing true talent anymore for the sake of trying to sell what's hot at the time. Whatever happened to trying to make a timeless album in Hip-Hop? There are a few artists who still make good albums but classics are few and far between these days. Honestly, I see a rash of backlash coming for Jay-Z over this track, although I personally loved it and not just for the fact that it's a new Jay-Z track. He actually is saying something that is being talked about in Hip-Hop blogs and is the buzz in Hip-Hop already. But trust that all the autotuned diss tracks and cookie cutter rappers will be taking popshots at Jay and rest assured that when the Blueprint 3 drops that he will address these artists with a few "I heard you talking but I can't see you" metaphors. All I can hope for as a Hip-Hop fan is that some artist hears this track for what it is, takes Jay-Z up on the challenge and creates a masterpiece that will undeniably redefine Hip-Hop. {Bring Back Classic Albums}