Through the 1980's all the way to the mid 1990's, hip-hop was taking over the music industry. A platform of very diverse and talented artists began to come into place and influence the entire music industry. From coast to coast, they developed their own sound that fans adopted and became students, from listening to the different sounds and lyrics that the artists were releasing. It was the golden age, and lyrics were everything. How you placed words, how you rhymed, the message, the lyrics had a strangle hold on the game called Hip-Hop. However, with the death of two of the Hip-Hop kings of this era, Tupac Shukar and Notorious B.I.G, rap music got almost too big and it was more about having the most money, cars, women, and who could sell the most albums in a week, rather than having creative projects where lyrics were at the centerpiece of everything.
After a so called drought in hip-hop in the 2000's, lately, there has been different artists who have risen to the top of the hip-hop game and given our generation a taste of what the golden age of rap was about. In this era, there are an abundance of artists with different fan bases that go across the entire world. Therefore, there will be a range of who is the best rapper in the world. I am going to focus on three of my favorite hip-hop artists who I think have put the importance of lyrics back in hip-hop. Wale, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar have been the ring leaders of this new era of hip-hop, and have given life to hip-hop once again.
Wale has been around a long time, putting together multiple projects that have gone against the grain of what hip-hop turned into in the 2000's. He never really caught steam from his projects until about two years ago when he dropped his album "Ambition" which was filled with potent lyrics, but it still wasn't an album that people attached to because, at the time, people weren't looking for lyrics, they were looking for flash and materialistic lyrics in rap. He always was a man who stood up for what he believed in, as far as what he wanted to see how rap needed to be changed. He believed rapping was an art form that consisted of putting in a tremendous amount of hard work and desire to see it change in the world. His passion and unique style has separated him from the crowd of mainstream artists in his most recent project, "The Album About Nothing."
In this album, he provides listeners a lyrically complete project with relaxed beats that fit his style of rapping. However, there is something very interesting about this album that gives it the title of being a masterpiece. He incorporated Jerry Seinfeld who is talking about different life subjects, where Seinfeld adds some very insightful and humorous words that Wale proceeds to rap and incorporate his clever lyrics in the different topics discussed. Wale took something that is almost weird and different, and made it into a piece of art that has been widely accepted by the hip-hop world. Wale gives hip-hop its art form back and provides the opportunity to have listeners study and appreciate the lyrics he puts out.
J. Cole is another leader of the new golden age of hip-hop that has people raving about him from all across different genres. He gives us a fluid flow combined with powerful lyrics that can capture an entire rooms attention by the words he releases. With his latest album, "2014 Forest Hills Drive", he gave everyone a reason to believe that lyrics are back on top. "2014 Forest Hill's Drive" was the first hip-hop album to go platinum without a feature on it, which is a mighty feat for any artist in any genre to conquer. Cole speaks on multiple things that are going on in his life that we all can relate to somewhat, and he also speaks on world issues that are taking place. In his lyrics, he is speaking the truth and laying his heart down for listeners to feel his emotions about the things he talks about.
The best thing about J. Cole and what type of artist he is, is that he doesn't care about sales and how much money he makes. He wants to have an influence on the world, not just hip-hop, and make a difference with his lyrics that he pushes on his projects. "There is no such thing as a life that's better than yours." These lyrics are from J. Cole's song "Love Yourz" which gives us a great example of what type of artist he is. With these lyrics, he gives people confidence and self assurance that their lives are unique and amazing, that no matter what they do, everyone is special. That's what powerful lyrics can do and how it can make an influence which is what Hip-Hop is about. J. Cole has provided us with an amazing sense of hope when it comes to hip-hop, because of his lyrics that are making differences in peoples lives. Hip-hop is back and in full strength when he is involved.
The next artist and so called "King to Hip-Hop" is Kendrick Lamar. Lamar is a unique artist who is from Compton, California where he was born and raised in an environment that most do not find success from. Throughout his life he was influenced by artists in the Golden Age, like Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and B.I.G, which gave him his foundation of what he does now in hip-hop. Kendrick Lamar is one of the most and maybe even the best lyricists of all-time. His word play is absolutely amazing and the things he says in his music carries strong messages that can shift an entire nation's point of view on different social issues. With only three albums out, he has risen to the top, and has taken the torch passed on to him, as the leader of hip-hop music. His second album "Good Kid M.A.A.D City" started the spark of him being the best.
This album was a compiled story that he put together on each track that told a story of a day in Compton when he was growing up there. It gave listeners a movie on a CD and the messages he was incorporating into his lyrics were so powerful that it was overwhelming. People attach to him because of his potent lyrics and his diverse flow and unique voice that is recognizable on any record played. While being the leader of hip-hop, Lamar remains extremely humbled by his up-bringing, and he always goes back to Compton to give back. Its not about the sales and the money, he wants to see the world as a better place, and he is a perfect fit to spark a change in the world. With the success of "Good Kid M.A.A.D City" people were skeptical if he could deliver on his third album, "To Pimp a Butterfly."
The answer is yes, he delivered more than anyone could imagine. With this latest album that was released on March 15, 2015, he gave people a interesting look on his life and struggles he has gone through or is going through, while also giving insightful lyrics about some of the world's social problems and how we can better ourselves. He pushes the limit on some topics and makes it almost uncomfortable at times, but that's what he wanted to do. Thats what makes it so great and a classic. This album can't really be summarized in one article because each song on the album could have its own article, explaining the meaning and importance of each song. It is truly a masterpiece. This is why Kendrick started to rap, he wanted to motivate people and see change. He wanted to see change in his own community which would translate to the entire world. He has accomplished that, and it may not be an immediate affect, but down the road I think we will see the effect Kendrick Lamar has on the world. This is why I believe that he has taken Hip-Hop back to the golden age, and maybe even surpassed expectations because its a chain reaction of what he is doing. Other artists see what Kendrick is doing and want to do it better, which results in more lyrics that have meaning. That is true hip-hop.
