Is Hip Hop dead?

I've been talking to my friends about this and one thing we all seem to agree on is that hip hop today is not as good as hip hop from the 80's or 90's, although some of them are unsure of it being alive or not. I personally think it's still alive and kicking, just not as powerfully as it did before. What do you think?

btw, its fine to come here with no knowledge of hip hop (since, unfortunately most of khv doesn't know jack **** about it) but don't bash it or compare it to another genre in a negative way...seriously, no "ROCK IS BETTAR DAN RAPPP AHAHAHAR"

 

IMO, Hip Hop was never alive. I know others think different, but I have heard some, and it just cannot compare to rock. Sorry.

 

Its far from dead, it just the radio and mtv play most the pop made for radio, one hit to get big rap/hip hop out there. There are still plenty of great rap artist but they are over shadowed by this lollipop crap that little high schooler eat up. While I give up to that form of music that its good to dance to, its not hip hop like its made out to be. But people like flo rida and that queer that sings Your a jerk thats just to be big, but people like Immortal Technique, Atmosphere, Keak da Sneak and so forth the stuff thats not heard on the air, thats where hip hop is at now I think.

 

It all depends on what you think is real, or good hip hop. Personally, I think hip hop is more alive than ever with artists like Kanye West, Jay Z, Charles Hamilton, Drake, Wale and Kid Cudi. Hip hop is one of my favorite genres, but sadly I can't find many artists I like.

That was such an ignorant post.

 

Man, you don't even know how happy I am that members like you exist on this site. I agree with you, I just think that the great hip hop is harder to get nowadays. Good hip hop used to be really mainstream and now you have to do a little digging.

like who? Not only that but have you actually taken time to listen to a song or are you judging off of what you hear in movies, t.v. shows and passing cars?

 

Hip-hop isn't dead. It's just been evolving just like Rock has. We had Rock and then it evolved into other forms like Metal, Alternative, etc.

There are still some artists that retain the philosophy of what Hip-hop is. Some of the stuff out now that like to call themselves Hip-hop is merely a branch of hip-hop. For example, if you go to a club you won't hear somebody like Kanye West, you'd listen to Flo Rida or Lil Wayne because you can dance to it. I like to call it dance-hop :D

 

Epic truth

Ignorance.

Anyway, hip-hop aint dead, it's underground(get it, underground, like in a grave, but not dead? lolImanidiot) But seriously real rap has to be found. Guys like Charles Hamilton, XV, Lupe, that's real hip-hop. People who actually have exceptional skill with words, flow, delivery, and a message. But there are some decent lyricists in the mainstream area of things like Jay-Z, Drake, Cudi, Cassidy and others. But the industry is ****ed and real rappers know that so they use the streets and the internet to build their career.

 

Like I said, listening to radio does not count, you need to look and listen for it. Serious Immortal Technique right there, giving you a head start.

 

I'd bet 50$ Immortal Technique is too heavy for the kid. Start him off light lol.

 

A Tribe Called Quest then?

 

Atmosphere is a good starting point to.

 

^This^

Also, Hip Hop ain't dead. Its just in a stage where the catchy nonmeaningful stuff is getting more attention. /endthread

Kid Cudi?

 

Hip Hop is going through the same phase rock once went through:


Modern Evolution.

 

Hip hop's "golden age" is was from around the late 1980s to early 90s - said to be characterized by its diversity, quality, innovation and influence. There were strong themes of Afrocentricity and political militancy, while the music was experimental.

Hip hop is never as strong as it used to be. It will never be the same way again.​

 

I'm with you on that. In the old days hip-hop was awesome, now its going through a really weird phase.

 

It's not at all dead, its simply in the same slump as rock music. The good stuff is buried under the mainstream crap because that sells more since most people's music tastes are extremely narrow these days, though there are some pretty good mainstream artists too.

 

I don't see it as dead. Some of the best music I find though, I look outside of mainstream to get. There are still some great artists out there but they aren't in the pop charts, which in a way is fine with me. Most rock and hip hop music that I appreciate isn't the stuff on the radio played a ton of times anyway. I do agree though that it is going through a transition, which just happens, though I can't say it's in a bad direction particularly. I don't diss pop really because it's what it is, but good Hip Hop not on the radio still exists.

 

Hip-Hop is NOT dead! I just went to a Slick Rick concert a couple of weeks ago. It may have lost it's touch though. That's why I listen to Underground. Underground doesn't follow trends. It just is...

 

ROFL Hip Hop does not die, on mainstream or underground!

I give props to Lil' Wayne for holding hip hop up, because in these 4 years, if no one was here to dominate, hip hop would have really been dead. But he sold out, and even though it's a bad thing, I feel that he was just doing his job for the time and now that his time's up and Em, Red and Meth, Jada, D12 are coming back, it's still good. Hip Hop in the 80s was different from now, as much as you want to, you cannot compare them both. NWA, DMC, and maybe even Ice-T cannot be compared to artists like Fabolous, 50 Cent and Drake. No...that was a bad comparison, yo cannot compare NWA, DMC and Ice-T to rappers like Joe Budden, Lupe Fiasco, and Immortal Technique. The main thing about rap, which is a very strong benefit is that each artist, even though they range on nothing but C-notes, have their own style in writing and methods of wordplay and sounds. Comparing DMC's barks to Jada's high pitched laugh is the closest similarity you'll get without sounding like an idiot, in my honest opinion.

The range of rappers nowadays are trying to bring hip hop to it's early stages. Artists like Redman & Methodman, I give huge props for, I love their joints from the chorus to the words. I feel like some of their songs can get great mainstream popularity. But for that to happen, they have to sell out right? Most mainstream artists change their style up for the better side of people, and this isn't only for rap. I'm sure Linkin Park changed their asses drastically through Hybrid to Minutes to Midnight. Even Jay's a sellout nowadays, you must admit.

Speaking of Jay-Z, I'm actually happy his album has yet to be released. If he was to release it near the time Eminem put "Relapse" out on the shelves, not mentioning Busta Rhyme's "B.O.M.B.S" and Redman & Methodman's "Blackout! 2", it would have been a problem sorting out the sales, and not many would buy all 4 albums, amirite. But this was all on a sidenote, so before I carry on, I'd like to close this statement.

Now, c'mon, everyone knows mainstream does not define Hip Hop, it only represents a portion. Many people know this! And they still act like rap is what the current mainstream attraction is! The posts before me mentioned several respectful MC's such as Immortal Technique, Atmosphere (though I do not revolve around their joints), Lupe Fiasco (who even showed his view on those who dumb it down for popularity [Dumb It Down - Lupe Fiasco]), and XV (Who's mixtape I have yet to download because Zshare is being a diick about it).

And how can rap start to die when the new heir is so vibrant? Honorable mentions like Asher Roth, Kid CuDi, Drake, and Charles Hamilton (Sorry I don't dig Wale's joints all that much) have very strong and unique style ands "swagger" that is giving hip hop even more arms and legs. Each rapper has it's own...well like relation to another veteran rapper, if I can say without getting attacked. Asher Roth reminds me a lot like Common to an extent, with the beats and his soft flow of words (ROFL GOT YOU I KNEW YOU WERE THINKING ABOUT EMINEM). Kid CuDi reminds me a lot like Kanye actually because both have that contemperary style that's hard to get. Drake obviously feels like a fresh off the block version of Mr. Weezy himself, which is obvious if you hear Drake's joints and I'm sure you've listened to Lil' Wayne tracks. Charles Hamilton's an interesting one, I can't really compare him to anyone since I don't listen to him too often, but I am a fan, I enjoy his style. So I'm like kind of contradicting myself when I said that the new rappers are a breath of fresh air right? xD Well in actuality, they are totally different from the ones I compared to. Anyone with the right ears would realize that no rapper or MC is alike. So saying Hip-Hop's dead is a bland statement because of all the open tastes of rappers, it's hard to find any that you dislike.