Hip-Hop: Where Do We Go from Here?

With this ever-changing music industry, it is relatively hard to predict what the next big thing will be or what genre will dominate the airwaves next. I am an avid listener of both R&B and Hip-Hop and I have noticed a few changes over the past few years. My main concern is about the state of hip-hop and if it can be revived.

In the world of Hip-Hop, there has to be a healthy balance of “conscious rap” and “club rap” (however you would like to categorize them is up to you). A lot of the music dominating the airwaves are the sounds of the YMCMB clique (Lil’ Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Drake) and other rappers, Future, Rocko, 2 Chainz, and Trinidad James just to name a few. I like to listen to all of these artists, but I am also concerned about the content the songs speak about—or the lack of.

Rap originated in the early 1970s in South Bronx and this was during a time where artists like Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow, Afrikka Bambaataa, The Sugarhill Gang, and Run DMC spoke about simpler subjects and the lyrics actually told a story. Throughout the remainder of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, lyricists and rap groups such as Salt-n-Pepa, NWA, LL Cool J, UGK, Outkast, Jay-Z, and Snoop emerged and changed the more simple subjects of rap to more complex and controversial issues including drugs, crime, and sex. During the golden age of rap, artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, Gang Starr, Brand Nubians, and De La Soul, used jazz influences as the backdrop for their Afrocentric and innovative rhyming styles.

Not to discredit their talents, I just believe there are things that rappers can rap about besides having money, women, cars, jewelry, and drugs. Newer artists like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Wale, Drake, B.o.B., and Lupe Fiasco give you accounts of their life through the lost art of storytelling.

How could hip-hop evolve from a time where we were respected as kings and queens and now every other word is B**** this and B**** that? Overall, I would really like to hear music that tells stories, not just random words put together over a nice beat. I am hopeful that the new wave of rappers will influence the others and serve as mentors to upcoming MCs to give a breath of fresh air to a stagnant and monotonous genre called hip-hop.