I have been a rap fan for as long as I can remember. Growing up in the south, I remember when T.I. and Young Jeezy were introduced to the world. Everyone had LimeWire and would burn CDs with their newest songs. Their flow and brash sound brought life to the south. Gucci Mane is a legend in the south. Every mixtape that he dropped was the summer anthem in my hometown. This proves that if you use your voice in creative ways, people will follow it.
The question is, is the music we vibe to worth following? How is it affecting our world views? How does it affect how we view each other in relationships? Is it promoting selflessness or self-indulgence? Ultimately, rappers have the power to change generations. The purpose of hip-hop was to tell a story about your experience in your youth and in this world. Tupac rapped about the "good life" and all the things that the rap game presented to him, but he also talked about the issues. There's a few who do that in the mainstream, but not enough. Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole come to mind when thinking about conscious rap and how it has impacted urban communities. Their stories point out that even though they are at the top of the rap food chain, their lives have a deeper meaning. They recognize that money, sex and possessions are not the end goal. They understand that their voices carry more weight than others and can impact young leaders who may be tempted to find true purpose in temporary things.
What if more rappers did this? What if they used their platform to influence others in a positive light in order give them hope instead of bragging about their own wealth? We would see more kids striving to be more than what society says we are. Hip-hop is more than catchy hooks and hard beats. Hip-hop is an expression of our experiences, used to build up other people who share those same experiences and through music, inspiring others to be great. It's more than materialism, it's a tool used to mentally educate and motivate our community to be better. I'm not saying everyone should be a conscious rapper, but we do need artists to consider their impact and make music in light of that. Hip-hop artists can change the world, but will not until they stop settling for lesser things.
