Has Hip Hop Died?
Dead or Alive….
The question about whether Hip Hop is dead or alive has been passed around from decade to decade. Some critics say that it ended when the 80's-90's did, while others say that its not dead it has just evolved. But, the real question is who is right ?
Ultimately, we wouldn't know the answer to the big question if we never bring up when “real” hip hop occurred? Critic Ansley Anderson, vaguely states her opinion in “When Did Hip Hop Stop Making Sense,” saying, “Okay, is it just me or has the whole genre of hip-hop and rappers themselves completely gone off the deep end? Let’s be real, the 90’s were the golden age. We had rappers like Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. that would not only spin a beat that you could get lost in, but their lyrics actually meant something.” Also, along with Ms. Anderson, blogger MauludiSaDiQ states in “What The Hell is Real Hip Hop?”, “ when people yammer about what “real” Hip-Hop is they are only talking about one element of the culture. They are not talking about rocking (commonly called breakdancing), or graffiti (who would even link that anymore), DJing (who even uses a DJ to really, well, DJ) and certainly they are not talking about knowledge.” I agree with both Ms. Anderson and blogger Mauludsadiq that music was very real in the 90’s and not so mainstream but does that mean that there are still no “real” music. Jakego answers this question in, “On My Way To Rice Street” as he argues that, although, the music is very vulgar and seems as if it is very mainstream, there are some rappers who still tell there stories. Jakego states, “Just like NWA, they created a new style that has changed the way that artists rap. When gangsta rap was created, it was heavily criticized for the controversies it created. Trap stirs up trouble due to the glorification of selling drugs: just like NWA was scrutinized for rapping about murder and police brutality. Some call it lazy, but a lot of music is really creative and tells a story of struggles if you take the time to listen to the lyrics.” By comparing, the NWA to today’s trap music I would say that there has to be some similarities to the realness in what they want to be shown to people all over.
Inevitably speaking I think that Hip Hop is very much alive, I understand that Hip Hop seemed more real in the 80’s and 90’s because, that's the origins of where the culture started. But, if things were to stay the same throughout time then where would the diversity and authenticity of ones own music rise from?
