Monday, 16 February 2009
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Currently
Evolution
By Boyz II Men
see relatedA Very Detailed and Comprehensive History of Hiphop Music
Last weekend I was at the bar drinking beer and watching a college basketball game with all of the other derelicts who regularly hang out at this bar on Saturday nights. The tilt was one of the most exciting games of the year, and the bar erupted in cheers when the contest was won by a desperate three-point shot at the buzzer. The guy next to me put his hand up for a high-five. I high-fived him, but not for the reason he thought. I was elated for a different reason, and that reason was that the bar audio system had just finished playing Avril Lavigne’s Complicated and Taylor Swift’s Love Story back to back. I have no redeeming qualities.
Those who know me today are often shocked to know that my favorite genre of music is hiphop, and those who knew me from 10 years ago are often surprised that I have Michelle Branch’s Hotel Paper LP on repeat on my iPod. I’ll be the first to acknowledge that my playlist has changed dramatically over the years. However, I’ve never attempted to explain why.
I will attempt that right now.
In the 1990s the popularity of hiphop music was exponentially rising even though many people still refused to recognize it as a legitimate musical genre. I listened to hiphop in the 90s for the same reason that everyone listened to hiphop in the 90s: It was good. In the mid 1990s, hiphop was predominantly driven by two distinct styles of rapping. One style (group #1) focused on grim storytelling from the streets and extreme braggadocios. Among the early pioneers of this style were KRS-One, Slick Rick, and N.W.A. in the 1980s, and Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, and Cypress Hill in the 1990s. The second style (group #2) of rapping stressed creative rhyming and innovative rhyming schemes. Among the early practitioners of this style were KRS-One (again), Def Jef, and Special Ed in the 1980s, and Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and the Mountain Brothers in the 1990s. During the 1990s, each style suffered a devastating death(s), which, ironically, springboarded each style into the late 90s and 2000s. Group #1 lost 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G., which effectively catapulted the career of Jay-Z. The present day manifestation of this style is seen in rappers such as the Dilated Peoples, Kanye West, and Soulja Boy (among others). Group #2 endured the loss of Big Punisher. (Unlike 2Pac and Biggie Smalls, the reason why Big Punisher’s death is not perceived as significant is because he died of morbid obesity and not gunshot wounds.) This style can currently be heard in artists such as Blue Scholars, the Pacifics, and K’Naan (among others). In the history of rap, the only artist to combine these two styles in any progressive capacity and be marketably successful was Eminem. Ever since his “retirement” in 2005 there has been no advancement in rap music.* This is why rap music is good. And this is why rap music is bad. This is why no one considers the Beastie Boys rap anymore (even though they are). This is why Lil’ Wayne behaves like a maniac (even though he is). This is why old school hiphop fans like to listen to Foo Fighters and Audioslave now (even if they don’t know who they are). This is why I like to listen to music I’ve never heard before (even though you might not think it’s music).
And this is why I high-five strangers whenever I’m drunk and hear music I like, even though they have no idea why.
*Eminem is releasing a new album this year.
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Comments (9)
I'm not sure if we're still beefin', but you're cool with me.
Especially being a hip hop head, and all.
You seriously like the verbal diarrhea that is Taylor Swift's "Love Story"??
We cannot be friends. :(
The Score by the Fugees. I love that album.
Eh. I would never presume to say such things about hip hop although I probably have similar levels of knowledge about it as you. Hip hop for people like us (well educated members of the middle or upper class) is music. Hip hop for some people is lifestyle. The music is one aspect of these people's cultural identity when they have little else they can claim as their own. If you only listen to the music and you don't buy into the ethos (or were born into it), then you don't have a right to judge it. It serves a community that you don't belong to. I don't like hip hop music anymore, but I know that I have no right to make proclamations about its quality. All I can say is that the music is no longer coded in cultural terms that resonate with me.
@TheMandarinKing - You're an idiot. Don't assume that you have "similar levels of knowledge" about hiphop as I do.
Hiphop to me is more than just music. It's a lifestyle, culture, and mentality that has nothing to do with socioeconomic class or educational background. I can comment about hiphop culture because I've been a hiphopper my whole life.
In any case, this post was about hiphop music, specifically rap (not including turntablism), and not hiphop culture in general.
The change in the music is a reflection of the changes in hip hop culture. Hip hop began as something poor Black kids in Brooklyn did to forget/escape the burden of poverty and systemic powerlessness, if only for a few bars at a time. I don't know what you mean by having been a "hip hopper" all your life, but for me, who grew up impoverished (but not Black, obviously), hip hop was a means to seize power, over my own identity, to form a fantasy of myself as rappers formed power fantasies in their songs. That is where much of youth culture of all races (and I suspect your own experience) intersects with hip hop, because all youth experience powerlessness, and frustration with that powerlessness.
However, hip hop is no longer about powerlessness, at least not in the same way. The real shift in hip hop is not in "quality" as you claim, but in fundamental values. Ever since hip hop has reached mainstream success in the late 90s, the music was no longer just a fantasy of power and money, but an avenue and a source of hope (however unlikely or unrealistic) to gain it for many Black, and some White youths. The "lifestyle, culture, and mentality" that you say is hiphop is intimately tied to socioeconomics. Though there was a kind of innocent purity to the music before it went mainstream, the real power in modern hip hop, like anything else, is its ability to generate dollars. Whenever anything is exposed to the possibilities of the open market, it becomes fundamentally altered. The hip hop of today is wise to the market. It is minstrelsy with a focus group. Of course, there are still plenty of rappers around that make what you would call "good" hip hop, like Mos Def and other guys in the underground. However, since hip hop has gained footing in the mainstream, the acts that gain the most attention are the ones who know how to play the market properly, and to turn out product that gives the White kids (and Asian, and the middle class Black kids) something to dance to. This is a good thing. Whereas hip hop was merely fantasy for escape before, it is now a real market with real weight behind it. The change in hip hop that you lament is really a shedding of the naivete of the past and a recognition of the potential of the music as product.
To be honest, I was really surprised by your response. From your entries, it seemed like you were much too sophisticated (and cynical) to make these cringeworthy "I am hip hop" statements. For the first time, I am actually disappointed by your response.
@TheMandarinKing - You really are an idiot aren't you?
First of all, your dissertation about what hiphop is wasn't necessary. I'm fairly sure that YOU are not going to tell me anything about hiphop that I don't already know. So you can calm down with your lengthy explanations. I'm not impressed.
Second, I never said anywhere in this post that I don't like hiphop music anymore. You assume to know what I consider to be "good hiphop music" even though I never stated what my personal tastes were. Where the fuck did I ever say that I like Mos Def?
Oh, and you're disappointed by my response? OH NO! I hope that means you'll stop reading.
By the way, I am Hiphop. Maybe someday you'll understand why people say that.
Looks like I've really touched a soft spot.
K'naan is fire, and where would you put Lupe Fiasco or Wale....