Evolutions and devolutions in Hip Hop

Started by UltroStretch, Feb 26, 2021, in Music Add to Reading List

  1. UltroStretch
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    Feb 26, 2021
    How do you feel the genre has changed for the better and for the worse over the years?

    Personally I feel like the messages and general intention behind the music was more genuine in the early days - but that's what's bound to happen when a thing goes mainstream. It gets more commercialized and severed from its roots.

    On the other hand, modern hip hop seems more diverse than ever. Basically anyone can s---t their shot and have a chance to get heard. I'm also a fan of the ethereal, atmospheric beats that are popular now, though to be fair those elements have been around for the last 30 years as well.
     
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  2. Tone Riggz
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    Tone Riggz There's No Cure For Being A C*nt

    Feb 27, 2021
    It’s easier to make money in Hip Hop. That’s both a great thing and a horrible thing. Any one can try their hand at rapping and cultivate an audience if they’re tech savvy and motivated enough. But there’s no real quality control. There’s too much garbage or quite frankly average s--- out there. Real, legitimate classics are harder to come by.
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2021
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  3. Chrollo
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    Chrollo ♱ كرولو

    Feb 27, 2021
    The genre is more diverse than ever. There is something out there for every taste, no need to hate on a certain style or subgenre. This is why Hip Hop is on top of the charts because unlike rock music, Hip Hop became pretty open minded over the years. Rock fans didn't accept Linkin Park at one point 'because they became too pop and mainstream', this is why the genre isn't as popular compared to the pre 2000s, whereas Hip Hop allows a lot more to be counted as Hip Hop.
     
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  4. DKC
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    DKC hank trill

    Feb 27, 2021
    I think it's tough to tell whether or not this is true until the dust settles 5, 10, 20 years down the line. It's easy to look back at a year like 1994 and see Illmatic, Ready to Die, Southernplayalistic, Super Tight, The Diary, Blowout Comb, etc etc etc. and think d---, what a year for hip-hop. We don't remember any of the bad stuff because it was bad and also less accessible in the first place.

    Granted, there's more garbage to sift through in the streaming era and with deluxe albums and such. But I think the older we get, the easier it is to romanticize the music of the past—especially years that had major moments in our lives like high school/college/when you turned 21/etc. I look back to when I turned 21 (2011-2012) and I think about all the good albums and singles that came out then: section.80, Watch the Throne, GKMC, Rack City, Mercy, I'm Different, Stay Schemin, Live.Love.A$AP.

    That's what I remember. But the reality is that the biggest s--- happening during that time was f---ing Macklemore lol.
     
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  5. Sav Stanfield
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    Feb 28, 2021
    its become democratised over the past 10 years or so with streaming, so the volume (and visibility) of music out there has been increasing exponentially. I think something like a 50% increase on Spotify alone from 2019 to 2020. Sure that means a lot more s-----y music but also a lot more great music. Artists who back in the 90s and 00s just wouldn't have had the platform they now do.

    If there's any drawbacks its that its overwhelming, you just dont know what to listen to. It feels like every time you want to get into a new artist they already have like 10 projects out lol.

    but saying the genre has devolved or gotten worse or isn't what it used to be is reductive imo. Its been growing and evolving non-stop since the 80s and there's plenty of artists recreating/updating the sounds of the 80's/90's/00s if thats what you want. And plenty more innovating and taking it in new directions and experimenting and meshing with other genres. Its like a living, breathing organism, thats one of the things that keeps me so interested.

    Like Big Country said, even despite the saturation - the real classic, all-time music will emerge over time, just needs to time for the dust to settle.
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2021
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  6. Chad Warden
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    Chad Warden As Ballin As Possible

    Feb 28, 2021
    The internet being both a bridge and an anchor for the mainstream. Bringing more and more unique artists, subcultures and sounds to new ears, but keeping the conversation on the top of the iceberg stagnant and boring. You can find great music if you know where to look, just feel bad for those who don't. Not in an elitist way either...the present era is pretty non descript, turning on the radio feels like being trapped in mid 2010s gumbo.
     
    Mar 28, 2024
  7. hargydon
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    hargydon No investigation, no right to speak

    Feb 28, 2021
    Agree with most takes in here. Pop culture is so easily avoidable if it’s not your thing & alternatives/different sub-genres are booming more than ever. There’s a constant flow of new & great music. Plus curation has made discovery even better. As far as consumption goes as individuals, this is the golden era.

    Then there’s the creative side, not only does it help with accepted diversity of styles instead of just conforming to what comes down the pipeline through major labels, there’s also more access to production software, you don’t need a studio or money to rent one out anymore.
     
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  8. Kujaku67
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    Feb 28, 2021
    Regionalism is one of the biggest evolutions. It's basically dead and rappers are now more clustered by their sound than their region.

    J Cole and Jay Electronica are Southern but don't have a " typical Southern sound." Kendrick and Earl are West Coast but don't have a " typical West Coast" sound. ASAP Rocky and Cardi B are from NY but don't have a "typical NY sound."

    People are less confined to making sounds that are associated with their region compared to 90's.

    Also, streaming and social media has made rappers seem less godlike or invincible compared to the past. People can interact with them, see their flaws, catch gossip or rumors about them, etc.
     
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  9. Jeans
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    Jeans Joe From Family Guy

    Feb 28, 2021
    A huge evolution no one ever wants to talk about is the subject matter of hip hop and how it’s spread so big that there’s a song for every thought, topic or emotion. I love the classics as much as the next guy but imagine how stale it would feel if people kept up strictly “my funky style ruptures all my wack competitors” style raps
     
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  10. 1999
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    Feb 28, 2021
    Donald Glovers stand up is hit or miss but he has a great joke about this
     
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  11. Jeans
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    Jeans Joe From Family Guy

    Feb 28, 2021
    It’s true. One of the founding fathers of hip hop is a man in a Native American headdress and xmen glasses talking about how he’s from outer space and came to this planet to make people dance and molest teenage boys. I’d much rather just listen to a man tell me how he does murder
     
    Mar 28, 2024
  12. hargydon
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    hargydon No investigation, no right to speak

    Feb 28, 2021
    Is there anything that man doesn’t do?
     
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