Devolution of hip-hop

Josh Kim, A&E Editor|February 18, 2020

Hip-hop is arguably the most popular genre among the last two generations of teens. Since its inception in the Bronx in the 1970’s, hip-hop has evolved drastically.

In the lead up to a DJ’s appearance, MC’s, or masters of ceremonies, would find ways to pump up the crowd. MC’s would get creative in the way they introduced DJ’s with witty wordplay and rhyming, hence giving birth to the idea of rap. As rapping became more popular, MC’s would eventually have lengthy verses that had producers looking for ways to record their performances.

The first hip-hop track was recorded and put out in 1979 by The Sugarhill Gang, a group comprised of  MC’s. Their song, “Rapper’s Delight,” paved the way for thousands of artists, making rappers the new face of hip-hop.

Since then, hip-hop has gone through two phases. Leading up until the 2000s, rap had a heavy emphasis on lyrics and storytelling regarding African American culture. Artists like Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., Ice Cube and many others forefronted music charts weaving stories about their upbringing and life as a gangster. The flow and rhyming in these songs seriously showed how talented these artists were, and older hip-hop fans regard rap during this time as “classics.”

Hip-hop has certainly fallen from grace since then. While times have certainly changed, hip-hop has collectively taken a turn for the worse. The phase we currently are in lacks lyrical talent, offering minimal song content.

“Mumble rap,” which makes up most of the hip-hop genre now, relies on catchy beats and, in return, pointless lyrics. Almost every contemporary rap song is focused on making money, doing drugs and objectifying women. While this certainly existed in the “golden age” of hip-hop as well, it wasn’t to this extent. Artists like Lil Pump and YoungBoy Never Broke Again have no lyrical talent at all, with their songs only talking about their “ice” and “racks.”

Despite the major degradation in talent in hip-hop, there are still artists with genuine talent–Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$ and A$AP Rocky, to name a few. However, the scarcity of good artists in comparison to those with little talent is alarming. They can’t make up for the amount of trash that has surfaced. Hip-hop legends have spoken on the issue as well, agreeing that for the most part rap has degenerated.

As a result, there is an ongoing battle between the new and old generation of hip-hop. Constantly stating that “rap isn’t what it used to be,” allows the new generation of artists to ignore this criticism. Calling the old generation “oldheads,” they continue to go about doing what they do best: creating subpar lyrics. At the end of the day, these so called “rappers” will eventually fall off but new ones will rise to take their place. The future doesn’t seem bright for hip-hop.