In my opinion, the state of hip hop has experienced a dramatic change since its humble beginnings, when it was preparing to erupt in the mainstream, such as the days of Grandmaster Flash and early Run DMC, when hip hop was pure. As hip hop began to evolve, it was starting to become a part of popular culture and would soon become mainstream. Today, hip hop has lost its purity. It has now become a marketing strategy and has lost a great deal of substance, except for a rare few, who struggle to keep substance in their music. Artists today strive for a marketable and catchy hook, rather than deep lyrical verses, that use multiple rhymes and punch lines. Rap has become an elementary art form, and it’s also become a mockery compared to other forms of popular expression.
It’s sad to know that hip hop has the potential to be a respected form of expression, like how it once was in the past. Hip Hop, in its simplest form, has two major types. One is the song of protest, whether it’s Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” or “F…The Police” by N.W.A., the message of these types of songs is that things need to change. Today a song of protest is few and far between, most every song put out right now is about the same stuff all over again. Hip Hop today has become about being gangsters, drug use, material wealth, and degrading women. Don’t get me wrong, every now and then a rapper like Big L or Nas make a major impact, but they’re a rare breed.
Another form of Hip Hop is something I call “Feel Good Music”. The main purpose of this music is to have a good time or to joke around and just enjoy yourself. Songs like “Parents Just Don’t Understand” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith or “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang, were purely about having a good time or joking around. Nowadays, it’s all about getting “crunk” or “buck” or “hyphy”. These three words share something in common, it means to party to an extreme extent or to get intoxicated to where you’re acting foolish. Feel Good Music has become an extreme form of partying, dangerous by some standards.
Don’t get me wrong, I love hip hop, I have since I was a young child. But the path that hip hop is on right now will lead to the extinction of the art form. Rappers have forgotten about their roots and have become so focused on personal wealth and maintaining a gangster image. This has lead to the several steps that will bring the demise of hip hop, and it’s sad to say that but it’s true. Hip hop is no longer about lyrical styles or good beats, because everyone and every beat sounds the same, hip hop today is about how well you can be marketed. If you’re not able to be marketed then you’re a failure, even if you’re the likes of Mac Dre, Big L, Nas, or Jadakiss; whom many feel are some of the greatest artists to ever grace a microphone. Hip hop married corporate America, and sooner or later America will divorce and disown hip hop, just like it does to every fad.