It's gotten out of control. Just look at the names these cats are calling themselves. The music is just bad. It's a wrap. All the good stuff is underground and getting minimal shine outside of the net. 4 decades was a great run though. Unfortunately...it's gotten overrun.
4. "you can find whatever music you want...its on you in this climate" In response to Reply # 0
there are so many branches from what you might like that it is beyond comprehension im sorry you are not being catered to right now....but the music is out there
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Navem nu, cuando sol Tutu nu, vondo nos nu Vita em, no continous non Nos nu ekta nos sepe ta, amen
When the sun shades the ship We sweat and life is not safe To swim or to touch not When we unite we hedge amen
5. "Outside of Kendrick, I don't really check for new artists" In response to Reply # 0
But I think it's anti-hip hop to think that the music should appeal to people close to 50 years old. Hip hop is anti-traditional music, and it really shouldn't appeal to us because our lives and values and tastes are (or should) be different than a 20-year-old.
I don't know how old you are, but I think most folks here are at least 35. Whether we want to admit it or not, but we're the same ages our parents were when they told us hip-hop isn't real music. The music just isn't for us, like it was when we were coming of age.
As far as the music out now by new artists, like a lot of people here I wish there was more diversity of styles available, especially in the mainstream. And innovation both musically and in terms of lyricism.
But there are female rappers killing it now, male artists talking about their lives with a vulnerability that our generation didn't, and a lot of producers and MC's reaching generational levels of wealth to change the arc of their families. Like others say, there is quality music out there. And even if there isn't, we've got 30 years of music to go back and revisit or even discover music from an age we overlooked.
*goes back to listen to Aquemini for the thousandth time*
7. "There’s so much good music out there" In response to Reply # 0
i have a hard time giving albums enough listens.
I have no idea who those people you’re posting about, and I don’t need to. Zero reason for me to know or care what the kids are listening to, really. I’m busy listening to whatever I want, whenever I want.
9. "it's actually pretty vibrant" In response to Reply # 0
For a genre as old as it is, it has both thriving new sounds/subgenres, current artists that carry a solid respect for the foundations without sounding like pure karaoke, and what I think is a well-distributed range of visibility (from obscure lo-fi to the biggest artists and everything in between).
"underground" doesn't really work as a descriptor anymore because "mainstream" doesn't either. Apart from a few festivals/playlists, you don't have a roster of crazy big, recognizable-everywhere artists --- and that's just not specific to hip hop. What you do have is a a lot of folks who turn in dependable streaming numbers and get love across a range of sites, from big to small.
There's tons of stuff released weekly that would get plenty of praise circa 2001 OKP. The mainstream wasn't popping much back then either. If anything, the "underground" (was is more popular than it ever was) is now bigger in range and quantity than in decades past. These are all signs to me that the genre's doing pretty well.
10. "Nope. It's just changing and you're not. " In response to Reply # 0
Happens to most people.
Happened to your grandparents, your parents and you. Will happen to your children and grandchildren.
People for the most part favor the music of their youth and of a specific time period.
World will keep on spinning, and the music will still be here. Just find more of what you like and keep it moving. ______________________________________________________________________________
Have you seen How High 2? Watch that and tell me there isn't something completely weird going on with these new cats. I ain't 60. I get the "you just getting old" argument but it's worse than that.
I know there's still great stuff out there like Raz Fresco and Ohbliv ..Griselda...Planet Asia...Muggs...but the stuff getting shine is garbage.
I'm not a complete grump. Some of the new class is entertaining. I like LPD Pooty "Batman" for instance. I'm talking about the moron music I hear at the gas station lol..
11. "Hip-Hop is so broad that there will never ne an "end" period" In response to Reply # 0
There's so much music out there that it's completely possible to ignore shit by the artists you don't like or are not the target audience for, and still be drowning in quality releases.
12. "This is an awful take. There are plenty of good emcees left" In response to Reply # 0 Fri Sep-02-22 01:16 AM by spirit
The most popular rappers of the moment (Drake, Kendrick and Cole) have the ability to rap well (whether they choose to lean more on singing (Drake) or dwell on content I could care less about (Cole) is separate from whether they can technically rap.
Cordae Coast Contra Gibbs JID Griselda (I’m not as much of a fan as others)
People who can rap are out there touring regularly and racking up millions of views/plays on DSPs
Heck I was just in NYC last weekend and Flex spent damn near 20 minutes spinning a new Public Enemy-inspired Lox song (Terminator Lox)
A lot of great rap was “underground” in the 80s (and, well, always) if you define underground as not getting daytime radio play
And the underground is as vibrant as ever, pretty much loads of cats to find every week that you never heard of before. For example: https://youtu.be/tcot5IpkhHo
Also complaining about names in Hiphop is absurd when we most rap names are pretty hilarious out of context. If Ice T came out as a new artist in 2022, you would probably clown his name too.
17. "RE: This is an awful take. There are plenty of good emcees left" In response to Reply # 12
>The most popular rappers of the moment (Drake, Kendrick and >Cole) have the ability to rap well (whether they choose to >lean > >A lot of great rap was “underground” in the 80s (and, >well, always) if you define underground as not getting daytime >radio play > >And the underground is as vibrant as ever, pretty much loads >of cats to find every week that you never heard of before. For >example: https://youtu.be/tcot5IpkhHo > >Also complaining about names in Hiphop is absurd when we most >rap names are pretty hilarious out of context. If Ice T came >out as a new artist in 2022, you would probably clown his name >too. >
You right. I suppose our parents (the 60s and 70s youth) thought Prince and Snoop Doggy Dogg and Ice Cube were ridiculous. The music was GOOD tho. Even if it wasn't their tastes. I see what you're saying ..
13. "I’ll forget some but…." In response to Reply # 0
All of these put out projects that I like enough to play multiple times, and I still want to play them many more. Some of these I play all the time:
Black Thought Lupe Fiasco Benny the Butcher Conway the Machine Lloyd Banks Big KRIT Phife Dawg Rapper Big Pooh Domo Genesis/Evidence Roc Marciano/Alchemist JID Vince Staples Joey Badass The Musalini/Khrysis Boldy James Curren$y/Alchemist Kendrick Lamar Elzhi Cypress Hill Fly Anakin Pusha T DJ Premier Sean Boog Tab-One Kno/Sadistik
There’s others that others are really into to where I’d like to play them more to see if they grow on me: Billy Woods Mach Hommy Black Star Your Old Droog Nicholas Craven
Probably many others.
Then there’s probably a bunch more that I’m not even aware of yet, that I might find out about down the road.
And that’s just what had interested me. Somebody else’s list may look entirely different.
15. "RE: I think this may be the end period of rap music" In response to Reply # 0 Fri Sep-02-22 09:30 AM by OKdamn
See post 14. I know there's good stuff. I'm just bitching. I listen to all the underground stuff like Tha God Fahim..Estee Nack...Giallo Point...Sahdugold...etc Rap will never be dead. All I'm saying is there's something ugly going on on the surface. Lil Baby?? Cmon. They can't even come up with good names lol
19. "I'm thinking deep about this" In response to Reply # 16 Fri Sep-02-22 10:55 AM by OKdamn
Maybe this is just what happens when things change and *I* don't like someone said.
I remember when Laffy Taffy and Walk It Out were the worst things ever ..eventually everybody got used to that kind of music and now it doesn't seem as bad.
This does happen with every generation. I'm sure the Commodores and other classic bands weren't feeling Jodeci (r &b groups weren't holding instruments anymore or dancing in sync)
Sinatra's era wasn't feeling the 50s music
The 50s crowd wasn't feeling weird rock and disco
Earth Wind and Fire crowd wasn't feeling electro and rap
Breakdancing heads weren't feeling 90s rap
90s heads like me weren't feeling Laffy Taffy
I get it..but I still think some of these new cats are making trash. But then you get into the *if people are buying trash then it's the people that are the problem, not the rappers* argument.
Oh well..I'll just stick to what I like and quit hating I guess. 😆
18. "RE: I think this may be the end period of rap music" In response to Reply # 0
>It's gotten out of control. Just look at the names these cats >are calling themselves. The music is just bad. It's a wrap. >All the good stuff is underground and getting minimal shine >outside of the net. 4 decades was a great run though. >Unfortunately...it's gotten overrun. > >https://youtu.be/yx2piPUudlE
I'm amazing at ignoring/avoiding music that I'm almost sure I'm not going to like. So pretty much all of the out of work skrippa rappers, the Lil whoevers, and all of that? Yeah...I'm not even trying on most of that stuff unless someone I trust says 'HEY! This dude CAN rap..give him a shot'.
With that, I'm having a blast. And I'm missing out on some good stuff because of repeat listens of things I've given a chance.
I spent the last week listening to Black Thought/Danger Mouse again, Roc and Alc at least a few times, various recent Droog outings (I had missed YOD Stewart altogether), and I've been meaning to run those last few Nas albums back.
And if I know about an album before it comes out, I consider that not exactly 'underground'. Now sure, I'd love to see YOD on the Grammy's or something like that but it ain't like he's a complete unknown.
And the Griselda dudes are in some really high places considering the type of music they're dead serious about continuing to make.
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