Nov 6, 2015 another one *khaled voice* http://karencivil.com/2015/11/06/what-is-real-hip-hop/ WHAT IS ‘REAL’ HIP-HOP? Posted on November 6th, 2015 by Akaash Sharma Featured Post One of the best things about hip-hop is that its competitive nature and the pride we take in it fuels broad discussions between groups of people who might’ve never previously conversed. For some, the biggest debate is who should be considered the best of all time. For others, throwing a party with the hottest hip-hop records of the moment as the theme music is enough of a salute to the culture. What brings these two diverse groups together is one argument: What is ‘real’ hip-hop? Ask one type of fan and they’ll answer that it’s about lyricism, rapping about struggles and staying true to your craft no matter the circumstances. Those are some of the ideologies that have been connected with the genre since its birth in the 70s and will likely always remain factors which people consider when judging the music. To them, that’s what’s real and not much can or will change it. Ask someone else however and you might get a considerably different answer. The theme with some people which is especially consistent nowadays is that you can actually be too lyrical and that aimlessly rapping line after line, whether it’s good or not, is boring. They’d prefer a Metro Boomin beat with some braggadocio raps from Future which is equally as impactful on them. As much as some people might hate that, there’s nothing wrong with it. The entire mind state that rappers who aren’t as focused on lyrics as others aren’t as good or real is an extremely dated concept. There are multiple attributes to what make a good rapper and even without them, good music can be made. There’s some confusion about what the term “real” actually means and its definition needs to be established so it can be used correctly in context. “Real” doesn’t have a sound. It should be considered that the judgement of most hip-hop fans today who talk about the 90s music being real and the golden era is swayed a little by their nostalgia. The game is by no means in bad shape when it comes to the quality of music dropping. Being real is simply being honest when expressing yourself through your music, which you’re passionate about. That leaves a lot of room for people to be true to themselves and still accepted without restrictions. I believe that hip-hop can be real coming from everyone from Nas and Jigga to Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug. Being able to appreciate and understand different types of music and different aspects on topics also makes you a more knowledgeable fan and widens the range of music you’ll end up listening to. We should also acknowledge that there is a difference between what we think is good and what we actually enjoy in the moment. You might agree that André 3000 is a more skilled rapper than Travi$ Scott but there’s a time and place for everything. A balance is necessary. That means that what’s real isn’t always good and vice versa, what’s good isn’t always real. But does being real even matter? It’s getting harder and harder to distinguish. Details of people’s backgrounds are blurry and it’s difficult to hold them accountable for rapping about things which are fabricated. Sure, they might be stretching the truth, exaggerating or just flat out lying, but that doesn’t make the music sound any worse. So being real is more of a trait than a unit of measurement for a song’s quality. All in all, the definition of the term “real hip-hop” is perhaps neither as narrow nor important as we sometimes make it out to be.
Nov 6, 2015 Stopped reading when I saw "what is real hip hop" and a pic of Kendrick next to future These articles are too much lol
Nov 7, 2015 This.... If I see the term "real hip-hop" anywhere, I'm automatically disregarding everything you have to say.
