Jun 16, 2023·1 reply
gabapentinwhen i say it defines the genre, that doesn't mean that i think that solely by virtue of being popular something is "more hip-hop" than something that has relatively few listeners. i admit i spoke imprecisely when implying this, and apologize
what i mean is more that something which touches more people is going to set the narrative which people who want to participate in the collective endeavor of "hip-hop" are going to try to speak to
for instance, the hook of the Black Star song "Definition," where Mos goes
"I said one, two, three
It's kinda dangerous to be a MC (C'mon!)
They shot 2Pac and Biggie
Too much violence in hip-hop"Obviously the genre was smaller then, but it was just true that the people at the epicenter of the genre (in this case Biggie and Pac) provided the content with which others engaged in the same collective endeavor reacted to.
To whoever said that my point should have been limited to hip-hop to be more accurate, I agree- there's always been a sense that hip-hop is the expression of a specific culture. more precisely, Black culture (if not necessarily "the expression of all Black people").
It's trite to say "hip-hop is dead," but there's a reason Nas named his album that. it's something that's, at its best, been more than just a musical style. it's bigger than that. this is why being a wack rapper making millions is offensive to a real hip-hop head in a way that probably outpaces how much it should objectively matter. because we want hip-hop to be a vehicle for disseminating messages that we agree with and find salutary.
idk. i don't think that popularity is the metric by which hip-hop should be measured so much that i think hip-hop should be the metric by which popularity should be measured.
Neither here nor there but, as someone who agrees that rap is several magnitudes more than a musical style, all I have to contribute to this discussion is that “hip hop is dead” is little more than a flag to be waved by an artist as a statement of intent. The use of “hip hop is dead” is always predicated on the artists rejuvenation of the form, no? In the same way any artist who eschews or seeks to revive the convention of their medium must declare it’s present state a dead form
- Jun 16, 2023babylon sherm
Neither here nor there but, as someone who agrees that rap is several magnitudes more than a musical style, all I have to contribute to this discussion is that “hip hop is dead” is little more than a flag to be waved by an artist as a statement of intent. The use of “hip hop is dead” is always predicated on the artists rejuvenation of the form, no? In the same way any artist who eschews or seeks to revive the convention of their medium must declare it’s present state a dead form
yes i concur
i bring it up here mostly to note that "hip-hop," whatever it is, inspires practitioners and fans to view it as one coherent whole, and artists will generally stake a claim to the rejuvenation of the entire thing.
which is why i think subgenres don't really take off as much as in rock, where people's affinity is much more drawn to, like, "indie," or "grudge," or "metal." obviously there are sub-movements in hip-hop, and sometimes people will say s*** like "I'm bringing conscious rap back" but i do feel like there is a sense that anyone who makes hip-hop, no matter how stylistically different, is part of the same "rap game." there's always a latent sense that, like, maybe kanye decides he's going to work with xxxtentacion or drake is going to bite (respectfully!) some new kid. killer mike just dropped a new song with andre and future. anyone could be top five. and as long as that is true, the leaders of the rap game will always matter.
Jun 27, 2023
dr3am_weaver_479Yuck
- Jun 27, 2023
Oblivion XNormally I would agree, but I think streaming changed this to a degree.
- Jun 27, 2023dr3am_weaver_479
Most genres don’t even have mainstream representation
Any rational person understands most genres probably have a community they’re just not a part of . Suggesting it’s “unhealthy” or nonexistent cus it’s not cracking top 100 is just so sad & defeatist I don’t think the average accountant thinks this . To see this narrative on a dam music forum is just mind boggling
Truth speaking