(Mainstream) Hip Hop Is Alive!

Age187
Age187 Members Posts: 72
edited April 2010 in The Face Off Forum
We are witnessing a fundamental change in hip hop. Listening to B.o.B.'s Adventures of Bobby Ray (review up Monday), one thing stands out - new mainstream rappers are getting really good. Better than they've been in a long time actually. Ever since Nas said Hip Hop Is Dead, people have been criticizing today's hip hop for a lot of reasons: not enough lyricism, creativity, depth, or realness were getting through to the mainstream.

Since 2006's Hip Hop Is Dead, we've seen debuts from Fashawn, K'Naan, Kid Cudi, Wale, Drake, Flo Rida, Asher Roth, Skyzoo, Blu & Exile, and now B.o.B. Those aren't all great rappers, but they have a lot of different flows, styles, personalities and subjects. And those are some of the more mainstream debuts - I'm not counting great mixtapes by everybody from J. Cole to Wiz Khalifa.

In other words, we're witnessing an explosion in hip hop's variety and creativity. You like rap with an R&B/pop chaser? Drake mastered it in So Far Gone. You like introspection? Fashawn and Blu both made incredible albums with Exile producing. Pure lyricism? J. Cole, Blu and Skyzoo are all sick. Innovative beats? Kid Cudi. Want to see the music expand? K'Naan and B.o.B. are doing things I've never heard before.

Read More >>>

Comments

  • Mr.Wezzinton
    Mr.Wezzinton Members Posts: 182
    edited April 2010
    word i can ? with that dont forget The Roots are still around!!! and you got Skillz Slaughterhouse(Joe Budden,Joell Ortiz, Royce,Crooked I)
  • Age187
    Age187 Members Posts: 72
    edited April 2010
    That's what I'm saying. The underground has always been hot, and the middle ground (Roots, Royce, Joe) has been good too. It's the mainstream where new rappers haven't been keeping up. Now that that's happening, it rounds out the scheme so that groups like Slaughtahouse can be even more appreciated.
  • DaPrinciplez
    DaPrinciplez Members Posts: 1,148
    edited April 2010
    Mainstream hip hop is alive when the lyricism returns to it....which its starting too, only thing left to witness now is the real lyricists return to the top of the charts, which is the real problem in the 1st place isn't it?

    I mean real hip hops always been there, you just needed to know where to look.
    When people say hip hop is dead, they mean real hip hop created by lyricists that sits atop of the charts.

    The last case I seen of that was Jays' Blueprint 3 hits and as if Jay could ever drop without makin it to the top of the charts.
    I see what your getting at and it does make it seem just to say hip hop is alive and well.......but the case still is, for now, if your a real lyricist, your goin to have to dumb it down to sell records, unless you already looked at as a legend.
  • Mr.Wezzinton
    Mr.Wezzinton Members Posts: 182
    edited April 2010
    Mainstream hip hop is alive when the lyricism returns to it....which its starting too, only thing left to witness now is the real lyricists return to the top of the charts, which is the real problem in the 1st place isn't it?

    I mean real hip hops always been there, you just needed to know where to look.
    When people say hip hop is dead, they mean real hip hop created by lyricists that sits atop of the charts.

    The last case I seen of that was Jays' Blueprint 3 hits and as if Jay could ever drop without makin it to the top of the charts.
    I see what your getting at and it does make it seem just to say hip hop is alive and well.......but the case still is, for now, if your a real lyricist, your goin to have to dumb it down to sell records, unless you already looked at as a legend.

    thats because we arent in a state right now where REAL lyrcists get the cred and or the respect they deserve BUT there is a #1 he's on your avy NAS, and lets not forget Black Thought can ? wit 99.9 percent of thesse cats out here RIGHT NOW. WALE is what i think is the BEGINING of a new kind of Lyrcist in Hip Hop