As a fan of 90s hip-hop and raw rap, listening to the sickest rappers like Biggie Smalls, 2Pac, Eazy-E, Snoop Dogg, Nas, AZ, Mobb Deep, Kurupt, and others where songs had an impact, changed people’s perspective, talked about ongoing problems in the world. Rap in the 1990s was like lyrical hip hop, allowing rappers to express their creative side via words. It served as a platform for hip-hop artists to express themselves. Rappers used their songs to give audiences a glimpse into their personal lives and struggles. The abbreviation RAP stands for rhythm and poetry. Unfortunately, much modern rap is not as poetic as it once was.
Let’s take N.W.A. as an example. N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitude) was a popular rap group in the 1990s. Their songs reflected the world of police violence and oppression suffered by African Americans. Most individuals see their music as a threat to society, not as uplifting. N.W.A wrote music to express themselves, not only to amuse their listeners. Despite the fact that their music was banned from all mainstream American radio stations, their new album sold over a million copies in the United States. Tupac Shakur more known as 2Pac was another popular rapper in the 1990s. He is considered a rap legend by many. His music was described as contemplative and he has sold over 75 million albums globally. He discussed the experience of growing up black and explained the hardships of prejudice and living in ghettos. Biggie, another top ten rapper of all time, went on to become a legend. He, like Tupac and Nas, was a narrative rapper. Biggie, my personal favorite was renowned as a great rapper because of his astounding use of lyrics in conveying the challenges in the ghettos and the problems that most African Americans face. He had a lot of influence because he could connect with his audience, additionally, in his songs, he also displayed a lot of personality and gangster attitude.
On the other hand, today’s rap isn’t nearly as uplifting as 90s rap. Rappers like Kodak Black, Lil Yachty, and Lil Uzi Vert are not motivational or narrative rappers who inspire people today. The majority of their tunes are repetitious rather than lyrical or rhythmic. These are rappers known as “Turn Up” rappers. Rappers that compose songs just for the purpose of entertaining and lack poetry and rappers like this don’t put much effort into their songs. They simply put in a catchy beat while bragging about their wealth, drugs, and ego. How is having a sexual intercourse with a female very inspirational or uplifting? How does doing drugs in your song set a good example for the listeners? That’s what modern rap mostly consists of – sex, money and drugs.
ALTHOUGH, not all modern-day rappers are monotonous and non rhythmic. J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar are two great examples of rappers who rhyme in the style of the 1990s. Their songs have a great tempo, rhythm, and style. J.Cole and Kendrick Lamar are both rappers that narrate stories. Tupac’s reincarnation has been dubbed Kendrick Lamar. He even referred to himself as “the legacy’s offspring.” Kendrick Lamar is one of today’s most inspirational rappers and he raps about desiring change, and he doesn’t mention his ego in most of the songs he raps about. Even though J. Cole’s songs are deep and emotional, they are nonetheless enjoyable to listen to. Most of his songs have a hook that may draw you in and make you understand what he is going through or has gone through.
Although rap has evolved throughout time, there are still rap artists that use their music to encourage others. Regrettably, today’s most successful musicians write songs that are devoid of the significance that was previously so common in rap music. Some people might say to me ”times change, move on” and that is correct, however, why would I let my ears suffer and gradually degrade by listening to these so-called rappers? I would rather listen to old mixtapes and discover old underground rappers that have not unfortunately been discovered by the mainstream media, however, their music is still appreciated by me and many others.
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