Have you turned on the Radio lately? Or more specifically your local Hip Hop and R&B station? If so keep reading, but even if you haven't, keep reading. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about the latest Selena Gomez song so I'm just going to use Hip Hop as the example since it's more my area of knowledge and taste in music. So if you have I'm sure you've heard that new Drake song, or "Panda" for the hundredth time. How does this make you feel? Probably indifferent. The reason you're feeling that, or more so lack of feeling is because you understand that’s what people listen too, and whether you find the lyrics "I've got broads in Atlanta" catchy or annoying it's understood that’s what most people listen to and have a preference towards. Still with me? I swear there's a point to this.
Think of the classics, I'm talking Wu-Tang, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, or whoever you consider real 'Hip Hop'. If you're starting to follow where I'm going with this, it's about the hypocrisy that is musical taste. As the most expressive form of music, Hip Hop is about originality and catering to an audience that wants music they can vibe with. Putting a claim that rap is specifically about lyricism is absurd because in many ways that's anti-Hip Hop.
'Old Heads' or people who have been around long enough to see the genre evolve have not received the new generation of music being put out as real art. Keep in mind I use the term 'Old Head' as an endearing one, my main point in this article is based on opinion, and I respect theirs just as I hope they respect mine. The 'Old Heads' refer to a lot of the new music out there as 'mumble rap'. A term referring to the lack of lyricism in today's music. While that may be true, trying to disassociate this type of music from the genre is unfounded. Artists like Lil Uzi Vert or Lil Yachty are currently taking the flak for most of this. I can respect someone not enjoying this type of music, but when it gets to the point of saying it's ruining rap music as a whole is where it gets dicey. There is always gonna be a lyrical rapper that blows you out of the water, for instance, Kendrick or J. Cole. That’s not to say a different kind of Hip Hop can’t emerge from the shadows. For instance when autotune became introduced heavily into Hip Hop it was considered a gimmick only used for club music (looking at you T-pain).
Now look at it. Kanye took that chastised niche 'gimmick' of hip hop into a mainstream sound who he attributes part of his success to T-pain, but I don't hear any 'Old Heads" telling everyone 808's was ruining Hip Hop. Now we have rappers of the likes of Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, and Migos who owe part of their sound to that formerly 'trash' gimmick. Hip Hop is always evolving and while you may not enjoy this 'mumble rap' it's here to stay and maybe the next 808's of 'mumble rap' is going to come out and opinions are going to change. People are allowed to enjoy this certain type of Hip Hop and trying to dis validate this form of art is hypocrisy to the great genre as we know and love.
As a final point, listen to the music you find most satisfying to your musical palate. People find something to complain about in everything and all you can do (what I'm trying to do) is express how you feel in an informed manner instead of being defensive to the 'Old Heads'. Like I said before this is a Hip Hop heavy article but just replace the artist and terms in your favorite genre and I'm sure it reads the same and has the same point. For the Record 'I've got broads in Atlanta' is always catchy.
