Relatively new in the realm of expressive art, hip-hop started in the Bronx with two turntables and one mic- rapping was a way for inner city kids to tell their stories as only they could. Over time, hip-hop and rap music migrated out of New York to the Dirty South , midwest and west coast. All putting their unique twist on the art form but holding true to the concept of personal storytelling. Some may have never set foot in Compton , California, but NWA created music that made listeners understand the struggle they faced living there. Lyrics like " if you like fish and grits and all that pimp shit. Then everybody let me hear you say O-Yea-yer" couldn’t come from any hip-hop duo but the group Outkast in Atlanta. Now every artist sounds the same regardless of what region they're from. Iggy Azalea is a White woman from Australia, but when you listen to her music she sounds like a Black woman from Decatur, Georgia. For a long period of time, I thought Fetty Wap was from Atlanta- all his music sounds like Future, Young Thug and the Migos- and I was actually disappointed to find out that he was from Newark, New Jersey .
Current hip-hop has drifted far from the foundation set by the forefathers. No artist has their own unique narrative anymore. The hip-hop industry is turning into Mary Kay- a bunch of people selling the same product hoping to turn a profit. In this battle of art versus fame, fame is unfortunately winning. The reason being is that the industry is catering to Millennials, and it has been argued that we are not into pure hip-hop.
Masta Ace made his hip-hop debut in 1988 when he was featured on Juice Crew posse cut "The Symphony". He recently told the Phoenix New Times his thoughts on the current state of hip-hop.
” There's some signs of life, and there's some signs of hope and optimism. There are some new artists that are trying to break in or have broken in and are starting to sell records, and pure hip-hop artists that make music that can heal and that people can learn from. Those types of artists have always existed; the problem is the masses weren't costuming that music. They weren't going to buy it. Now there are artists like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole selling units, and hopefully people will continue to buy it. The most negative and misogynistic and everything you can think of from a negative standpoint — that's what labels were looking to sign. They thought that's what hip-hop fans wanted to hear, and that's what hip-hop fans supported. I'm happy that's starting to shift a little bit.”
Aside from Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, the industry is full of copycat artist . Millennials demands for trendy music and its rapid production is said to be the reason for hip-hop losing its artistic essence.
TyDidThisBeat, a 24- year- old producer based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana said, “I don't like that fans are so spoiled so we can't sit with a project because people are releasing 70 projects a year. I remember when Jay-Z was releasing an album a year and that was big thing and people l wanted to sit with those albums and embrace the artistry of it . I hate now that every artist has the same flows and beats.”
He adds, “It's so easy to get on nowadays because the average social media hip-hop fan's taste is super shallow. Keywords, phrases, Adkins and 808s is all you need hold their attentions.”
Are Millennials taste in music really that shallow? Hip-Hop has rapidly grown to be one the the United States largest grossing industries. Forbes reported “It now generates over $10 billion per year and has moved beyond its musical roots, transforming into a dominant and increasingly lucrative lifestyle.
I don’t think millennials deserve all the blame for the current state of hip-hop. Although producing music that fits the majority of our taste is simple and does not require a lot of artistic influence, some of the blame also falls on the industry’s gatekeepers and what they are allowing to be spread to the masses in order to profit monetarily.
