Specifically, the rap music that comes out these days. Am I just hopelessly nostalgic for the 90's, or has rap music truly taken a downfall recently? Let's take a look back at the beginnings of rap music to find out.
Rap music has many possible influences that you can trace back to, including blues music, comedy records, spoken-word poetry, funk music, and even schoolyard chants. But the moment rap music started coming into the mainstream was with The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight".
Rap music back then was simple. Simple flow, and the topics mostly ranged from partying and having a good time to having a good time and partying. Then came "The Message".
"The Message", while still simple in terms of flow, dealt with much heavier topics of poverty, ghettos and racism. This paved the way for gangsta rap to come in full force in the late 80's and early 90's, often referred to as hip hop's "Golden Age". Indeed, this was a time when the idea of hip hop was constantly reinventing itself, and each new artist on the scene brought something new to the constantly-growing hip hop table. Throughout the 90's, some of hip hop's best artists were prevalent on Billboard's Hot 100.
And then... things started to get stupid.
It was almost as if hip hop started reverting around 2002. There were still artists like Eminem and Outkast releasing thoughtful, well-written hip hop, but people were starting to accept lowest-common-denominator party hip hop songs, which were revolutionary back in 1979, but are tepid today. Yet, today they're more popular than ever, with artists like Pitbull and Flo Rida releasing party jam after party jam. What happened? Why did people start accepting this into the mainstream instead of thought-provoking lyrics?
Well, it might be because the 2000s were an exhausting, stressful time for everyone. In the wake of disasters like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the economic recession, people needed to lighten up with party music. And as Flo Rida will show you, it is very, very easy to make party music out of rap.
So, because we've had songs like these ingrained in pop culture for quite some time now, it might take a while before we're ready to shift again. Not that there's anything wrong with party jams... in principle, but too many party jams make me weary.
But there is hope on the horizon. With artists like Lupe Fiasco and J. Cole on the scene, as well as Eminem returning, we may be on the verge of something new. But then again, with Pitbull and Jason Derulo still here, maybe not. It's your future, America. Do what you feel is right for your country. Just like you did when you re-elected Bush. Was that a cheap shot? Feel free to leave a Rob Ford joke in the comments.
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