The state of hip-hop music today is dismal. The art in the music has become lost and most people do not even care about the fundamentals of it. The start of this has been with the decline in lyrics. The lyrics in most of today’s rap is laughable. Hip-hop is a very strange form of music itself and lyricism is about the only art actually in it. Now it has been placed on the back burner and seems that no one cares anymore.
Hip-hop has taken many forms over the years, but it has always seemed to come back to lyrics. When it all started about 40 years ago in New York City where it was kind of a form of spoken word for impoverished youth to speak about their struggles and the conditions of their environment. It stayed that way for a long time. During this time hip-hop was mostly contained to New York and had a very deep jazz, funk, and disco influence behind it. This is very prevalent in Chic’s Good Times. It is in the hip-hop category but could be agreed to be in the funk or disco as well.
From there fast forward a bit up into the 1980s what is considered by many to the golden age of hip-hop. During this time is when hip-hop hit the nation's radar and spread around the country like wildfire. Stretched all the way from New York to the other side of the country in California and Los Angles. This also is also the most important time in the art. Just like a child it is in the adolescent years and starting to create its own personality. The growth of computers changed the art very much by making electronic drum machines. This changed the game. Then making sampling possible looping beats together with samples and no longer needing a band it was about to skyrocket. This all came together with a few great artists to solidified hip-hop was here to stay. Artist like N.W.A, Public Enemy, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, KRS One, and many more are still some of the biggest influences on artists to this day. At the end of the day they always keep it about the lyrics. A lot of the music may not have been very complex has far had pure poetry and wordplay is concerned but always pushed a message. From N.W.A.’s Fuck the Police to Rakim’s Paid in full (which still has some the best sampling ever heard) the message and focus on lyrics was always there.
After that, we get to 1990s and Billboard chart-toppers and the pinacol of lyrism. During this time there was the west coast’s gangsta rap with Dr Dre at the forefront with his album The Chronic and all of Death Row records just releasing hit after hit. We move across the country to New York where Nas and Big focused on poetry and storytelling with the likes of Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince close by in Philadelphia to create the east coast scene. At this time, we see the growth of the Midwest and the very fast double-time rap in Bone Thugs and Twista. The south starts to create its own style with its hype club and ass shaking vibe. During this time, it still always came back to the lyrics. Nobody portrays this better than Nasty Nas. The lyricism and storytelling capability of Nas is still unmatched to this day. The way he can paint a picture with his words is just incredible. On the Illmatic album and track titled N.Y. State of Mind Nas paints a picture of a gunfight and his gun jamming. The scene in created perfectly to a point where you can almost see it in your mind. Just read it:
“…Heard a few chicks scream, my arm shook, couldn't look; Gave another squeeze, heard it click, 'Yo, my shit is stuck!' Try to cock it, it wouldn't shoot, now I'm in danger; Finally pulled it back and saw Three bullets caught up in the chamber; So now I'm jettin' to the building lobby And it was full of children prob'ly, couldn't see as high as I be”
This is showing the pure versatility of his rhymes. By showing the versatility in just one art in Nas. Also shows what it took to be considered dope at this period in time. An Artist had to come to the record with bars. If you didn’t have bars you were wack.
The 2000s was the start of the Gangsta Era in Hip-Hop. We had some great artist come to light in 50 Cent, Eminem, The Game, T.I., Ludacris, and so many more. This was hip-hop young adult years when you have already established yourself but still have some kid craziness in you, and it was wild. The mainstream media had its full attention on the scene and albums were topping the Billboard 100 the whole time.
Even though this was the Gangsta era and the music was very hard, and, in some cases, violent lyrics were still at the forefront. The top-selling artist still came with bars on every hit. They did this either with storytelling or in just pure poetry and wordplay. In the 2005 Chart topper "Hate It or Love It" by The Game featuring 50 Cent they brought bars. Example being, “…On the grill of my lowrider; Guns on both sides, right above the gold wires; I'll fo'-five 'em, kill a n*gga on my song; And really do it, that's the true meaning of a ghostwriter…”
The main lyrism is the play on words of a ghostwriter. Ghostwriters have been a thing of controversy in rap. Ghostwriting is when someone else writes your lyrics your you. There is also the play on words here where Game is saying that he will kill you on the track and kill you in real life making you a ghost. This just keeps cementing the fact that lyrics are the basis of rap and hip-hop.
Now we get into the 2010s and mostly the late 2010s. Most of the music released today is garbage. Acts like Lil Pump, Lil Uzi, Cardi B, and Migos just seem to be everywhere. It’s hard to pinpoint where it all changed but it did and rapidly. In Cardi B’s "Bodak Yellow" she opens with “…Now she say she gon' do what to who? Let's find out and see; Cardi B, you know where I'm at, you know where I be; You in the club just to party, I'm there, I get paid a fee; I be in and out them banks so much, I know they're tired of me…”
To be honest this is one of the most lyrical artists in this form of hip-hop. There is still really nothing there to break down has far has lyrics go what it says is what it is. That is it though. No wordplay, no story, no anything really. I do really like the line in the chorus: “I don’t dance now, I make money moves.” That is very clever still the rest of the song and her other music just does not have the lyrics. There has been no criticism of flow this whole article but hers just isn’t there if I’m honest. I understand what it supposed to be that old-school New York sound, but she does not capture it. However, it is not as bad as many others in her league.
Lil Pump’s "Fuck J. Cole" is another level of terrible. I will not even put the lyrics in because all it literally says is fuck J. Cole like fifty times. I do not even want to get into speaking on mumble rap. This is actually what some people consider music today.
All hope is not lost for hip-hop. There are many new artists today that have great lyrics that are actually impeccable at their craft. For instance, we have J. Cole, Wale, Dave East, Logic, Drake, Kendrick. Just naming a few.
Now let’s see some lyrics: “…Foundation on all my pillows, still your tender face is flawless when the sky kiss you; Should I bury you in compliments or buy gifts or; Just let you tell me bye and for that time I’ll miss you…”
This a section taking from Wale’s "It’s Complicated" off of his Ep by the same title. I mainly just want to speak on one line the first one. Where he speaks on foundation. Foundation has two meanings one being the meaning of a women’s makeup getting on to his pillows while she sleeps but there is a meaning of the foundation of his relationship being sex. Sex is usually performed in a bed in most mainstream media and beds have pillows. This is pure lyrism and wordplay and is what rap music should be about. In spite of this Wale struggles with album sales and is considered a “backpacker” for is lyrism.
Hip-hop has lost its way. We have gotten away from the foundation which is lyrics and don’t really know how we got there. Even though there is a lot of trash music out today hip-hop will remain my favorite genre of music. I just hope that one day it finds its way again and focuses on lyrics once again.
