Is Hip Hop really dead?

Hip hop has come a long way but we can all agree that the current era doesn’t match the 90’s. The 90’s was the golden era of hip hop. The current band of hip hop artist all trace their inspiration from 90’s hip hop artists such as Biggie and 2Pac. There was a plethora of greats that emerged in the 90’s. The likes of Jay Z, Nas, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Andre 3000, Rakim, Big L can all trace their rise to fame during the 90’s. So since we have underlined that 90’s era was the greatest era in hip hop history, does that really mean that hip hop is dead?

Hip Hop is a culture. It encompasses several aspects of urban black culture ranging from rap music, slang, talk and beliefs. It is the way of life of black people. Hip Hop is now synonymous with rap music and both are used interchangeably to mean the other. After getting straight on what hip hop and rap music mean, let’s get straight to the main question. Is Hip Hop really dead?

Hip Hop is not dead. It’s alive and thriving. Hip Hop now demands a larger audience compared to the past. Hip Hop is no longer about the struggles of a black person in the streets but rather a way of life. It’s the cool way of life. Hip Hop artists are revered among teenagers with their flashy lifestyles and super expensive accessories. Hip Hop is a long way from dead. Hip Hop artists are scooping majority of mainstream awards and topping billboard charts for weeks on end.

Then why do celebrities say hip Hop is dead? That is because the quality of hip hop music has really gone down. The content in hip hop music has changed. It’s no longer about bars and rhymes and punchlines. Its not about education and manipulation of vocabulary. It’s no longer about setting the pace for street liberation and educating the world about street struggles like 2Pac used to. It’s no longer about the detailed and beautiful storytelling that Nas excelled at. It’s no longer about flow (RIP Biggie).

Hip Hop is now about bi*ches and money and cocaine. It’s very unusual to hear a hip hop track that doesn’t involve braggery on matters such sniffing the best cocaine, having the coolest cars and having sex with the baddest bit*es. Hip Hop is no longer about flow and rhymes and bars. These are the elements that made classic hip hop so good. I am not saying that all the content in contemporary hip hop is bad. Rather I am trying to point out what makes hip hop music so good.

Although the content in hip hop music has drastically changed there are some artists who are dedicated to keeping hip hop true to it’s roots. Shout-out to Kendrick Lamar, J Cole and other hip hop artists who are preserving the classic way of hip hop without being irrelevant. Kendrick Lamar’ album “good kid, M.A.A.D city is rated among the classics.

What does the future hold in terms of hip hop content and style of delivery. I can’t really tell. Let’s hope for a Messiah of the hip hop genre who will rise up and lead the way of hip hop just like biggie did. Lets hope for a future where flow, originality and clever use of rhymes take the core of song composition. Being an ardent lover of hip hop music, I have high hopes for the future of hip hop music. Dear future hip hop musicians, take on my plea and at least raise your standards.