Reminiscence and New Beginnings
Hip hop is dead. This cynical view seems to be shared by many passionate listeners these days. Fed up and tired of the lackluster performances put forth by current artists, these same fans can almost always be heard crying for the days of the Golden Age, or late 80’s to 90’s, of hip hop to spring its revival.
GZA of the famous Wu Tang Clan shares this growing belief of hip hop’s drastic downward spiral. In his article, “The Lost Art of Lyricism,” GZA, or Grice, argues that today’s rap is lacking intellectual, clever lyrics. While many people look at modern rap as lacking in meaning, to Grice, “It’s all about the lyrics.” Telling of the famous rapper, Rakim, Grice boasts, “He rolled with a bunch of hardcore street dudes, but he never talked about running up in the club and blasting dudes. He was beyond that. He spoke about his lyrical skills.” Although many would argue that hip hop is about telling a story, GZA contends that an issue of far greater importance is just HOW that story is told (hopefully, with witty, metaphorical lyrics).
Ryan Finkenbinder, My fellow classmate, would mostly agree with Grice when discussing the talent, or lack thereof, in today’s rap. However, their cause driving the mutual distaste is where the ideological track splits. Ryan proclaims in his article, “J Cole: The Rebirth of Hip Hop,” that the number one aspect missing in rap today is the lack of deep meaning in its songs. When discussing his disappointment in modern artists, Ryan sheds light on how “most hip hop artists (today) glorify selling drugs, and other things that naturally come along with it, such as the usual, women, guns, money.” The belief that rappers have a social responsibility to use their fame for the betterment of society is one strongly held by Ryan. When discussing some of the all-time greats of Hip Hop, Ryan argues, “What set these artists apart was their courage to speak about things they truly believed in.” According to Ryan, the courage to speak of what is truly important seems to demonstrate the vast gap between recent artists and the best in the industry.
In true rebellious fashion, Medium blogger and self-proclaimed hip hop head, Jordan Roberts-Ball, represents the complete opposite side of the spectrum in this anti-modern hip hop movement. In his writing of “The New Age of Hip-Hop,” Ball embodies a belief of great optimism for the future of hip hop. Ball states, “When Fetty Wap has 4 hits on the Billboard 100, and “with my woes!” is the most recognized line of 2015, it’s become apparent that the general fanbase of hip-hop is steering in a new direction.” Ball Recognizes that the present day hip hop fan is constantly evolving, and with it the genre as a whole. And while people like Grice and Ryan would argue that this change brings shame to a once great genre of music, Ball believes it to be a step forward in becoming a more inclusive, positive industry. Ball addresses this belief when he states, “Whether you like Thundercat jazz instrumentals and soulful lyrics from Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, or hard-hitting Metro Boomin’ trap bangers with Future crooning about his drug use on Dirty Sprite 2, there is something for everyone in the new age.” If one were to believe the bold assumptions of Ball in his contentious article, that person would find that this new era of hip hop is just the beginning of rap’s new Golden Age.
