EHS Students Prefer Old-School Rap, Survey Finds

A new survey shows that Eastside students are almost equally split in their rap preferences. 54.8 % of students surveyed prefer the old school classic rap, while 45.2% prefer the new school trendy rap.

Old school rap continues to be popular because the artists actually speak up in the lyrics about problems and situations that go on in the real world. Examples of such songs include Tupac Shakur’s “Brenda’s Got A Baby” and Biggie Smalls’ “Suicidal Thoughts.”

“I prefer old school rap better because it talks about lots of things that the listeners could relate to,” says Eastside student Gabriel Lopez. “The lyrics aren’t just meaningful. They’re clever and have some funny punchlines.”

New school rap is mostly hype music that’s played at parties and clubs. They have catchy beats, but the lyrics often focus on the rapper’s lavish lifestyles, including the girls they get and the cars they drive. New artists like “Lil Pump” and “SixNine” can pretty much spit any combination of words over a good beat and call it rap.

However, not all of this generation’s artists fit in that new style. Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Childish Gambino, and Chance the Rapper continue the old-school tradition of quality lyrics that connect to the real world.

Eastside student Axel Gomez enjoys making music himself. He says, “I love listening to old school rappers like Eminem and Biggie Smalls, but I prefer new school music because it’s more unique. It’s not just like hip hop used to be, which is a good thing. It’s being changed up.”