Grown men playing a video game against each other and 12 year olds instead of doing something important seems like something that should die a painful death, in my opinion. Also, stop doing the fortnite dance. Just stop.
For those of you who don't know, mukbang is an online trend in which someone films themselves eating obscene amounts of food and some people absolutely love it. Why? Who the hell knows.
They made a mockery of the institution of marriage and probably need to step back from the spotlight. I don't deny their talent, but their decision-making abilities are laughable.
Avocado toast was all the craze this year and while I'm not denying avocado's deliciousness, the obsession is a little ridiculous.
GiphyIf I see one more frat douchebag roll up to class in grey sweatpants, I'm going to lose it. I know you are just rolling out of bed and heading straight to class, but the least you could do is have a little decorum if you're going to be out in public.
I'm going to make this very clear. If I do not follow a page on Instagram that features half-naked girls, I DO NOT WANT TO SEE HALF-NAKED GIRLS ON MY INSTAGRAM. I'm just trying to scroll through Instagram while eating a whole bag of chips in peace, ok?
This guy is a disgusting excuse for a human and besides being a literal gang member, he's a pretty shitty rapper. However, now that he's probably going to prison, we won't have to hear his awful music anymore, thank god.
Anyone remember the whole tide pods thing? Yeah, that was this year. I think most people stopped eating tide pods after they realized they are, in fact, not a nutritious snack, but I still don't know why people started eating them in the first place, to be honest.
This dude is absolutely terrifying and I'm honestly surprised he hasn't popped up in one of my nightmares yet. Whoever thought that this thing would be a perfect mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers needs some serious help.
Sorry to ruin the overall comical tone of this article, but this is too important. I really hope in 2019 we can finally end the absolutely heinous amounts of sexual assault that happens in this country and maybe this can be the year we finally end something that should have ended 50 years ago.
Rappers have developed a platform for themselves upon which they have the ability to convey stories in a clever, charismatic fashion. Not all of these stories revolve around serious topics. In fact, most of them don't.
Take Lil Pump, for example. Anyone who has ever listened to Lil Pump knows that he's a talentless troll who's attained wealth by releasing a series of simplistic tracks saturated with production and lacking lyrical value.
Yet, Lil Pump's music still appeals to the masses. Why is this so? I can't explain it. It's just what people are born into. It's all some of these kids know.
Regardless of what they rap about and the manner in which they do it, these artists have eclipsed new heights. Hip hop is indisputably the most renowned contemporary music genre, and its future ascension is inevitable. For all that hip hop has achieved during its nearly 40-year existence, it has been plagued by one overwhelming shortcoming: death.
According to Wikipedia, 36 rappers have been murdered in the past 30 years, a majority of whom were African-American and were either in their early 20s or late teens at the time of their death. Furthermore, all but 3 of the aforementioned artists are labeled to have been shot and killed under the "cause of death" column.
While these statistics underscore a larger problem within modern America, they should not be overlooked in relation to hip hop. Rappers hailing from crime-ridden environments tend to sing about explicit subjects, such as drugs, sex, and, perhaps most notably, violence. Lyrics pertaining to violence send a negative message to listeners and may indirectly shed light on controversy present in a rapper's personal life.
On Monday, June 18th, 20-year old rapper XXXtentacion was robbed and fatally shot inside his car in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Later that day, Pittsburgh native and fellow rapper Jimmy Wopo was also shot and killed in his hometown, marking a tragic day in the history of hip hop.
While Wopo was idolized more on a regional level, XXXtentacion had gained traction on a worldwide scale for his songs, including "Look at Me!", "SAD!", and "Changes". XXXtentacion, or simply "X" as many of his fans refer to him as, was a promising young music talent with personal troubles that caught up to him too fast. X had been arrested numerous times over his short career for committing violent acts and was an artist that everyone seemed to either love or hate.
I belong to the latter group.
Not only do I think X was a shitty person for mercilessly beating his pregnant girlfriend, I also think his music is pretty shitty as well. In spite of the bad decisions he made in the past, I do not believe that X deserved to die, especially in that manner.
It may be hard to believe, but people looked up to X. Soundcloud rap-connoisseurs embrace X's music and view his death as wasted potential. As previously mentioned, I didn't like X in the slightest. I will admit, however, that he was a young kid who was raised in a toxic environment. Had he been provided the opportunity to further showcase his skills as a rapper and improve his reputation, there may have been a silver lining.
But he's dead now. It's hard to comprehend, but X will eternally be stigmatized for his actions, and there's nothing anybody can do about it. I'm not trying to establish a Nihilistic sentiment, but that's just the way things panned out.
From rap pioneers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, to modern day revolutionary XXXtentacion, hip hop figures have always been in danger. The rap game is not an easy one, nor is it a fair one. It always depends on what messages you promote, how you promote them, and the individuals you're associated with.
I've been fascinated by hip hop since adolescence. My older brothers drew me into the genre and I haven't looked back. Hip hop will always have a special place in my heart. It speaks to me on a level that other music does not. I will never abandon hip hop, but I'm tired of hip hop abandoning me.
I hope that someday we will live in a society where artists, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or past history, are able to fulfill their potential by positively influencing the consumers they serve. Following the events that transpired on June 18th, the world of hip hop is bleak. We don't know for sure what comes next, but let's hope it's positive.
Let's hope.
