The argument can be made that all rap is Hip Hop. For all the hate tossed at Gucci Mane for being flawlessly coontastic & an atrocity to the culture, dude is Hip Hop. Many times I've found myself cringing at his comic strip shenanigans, & wondering why people like him. He's fun, that's why. & for the most part, he's harmless, aside from killing a man & leaving his body in the swamp, but that's a post for another day. Point being, Hip Hop is a culture, immersed in self expression, however one sees fit. No matter how horrible the fans think the music is, or how insulting the personality of the artist, all rappers are Hip Hop. Fact. The more entertaining, the better. Generally speaking, name you favorite rap cat & then the one you despise. That's your personal Hip Hop alpha & omega. First to last, & all things between, it's Hip Hop from beginning to end.
Rap, simply put, is a form of music. Yes, even when it's done to the tune of nursery rhymes & simple simon sing-alongs. Hip Hop is the culture that rap was born from. Along with DJing, break dancing, & graffiti writing. Throughout the years, other elements have been thrown into the mix, such as knowledge & fashion, but the general foundation remains. Hip Hop is a way of life. You're either Hip Hop, or you're not. It's the way you walk into a room. The way you wear your hair. The things you teach your kids. The movies you memorize. I know dudes who are the epitome of the lifestyle, & couldn't ride a rhythm if it had Mariah Carey's hind quarters.
Hip Hop culture is an experience. Rap is the soundtrack to it's movement.
Another questionable aspect is the belief that this somewhat new, hybrid of rap & r&b, such as T-Pain, Chris Brown-any act that's obviously a bastard seed of 90's rhythm & bullshit era, isn't Hip Hop. No dice. By the basic parameters that something is judged Hip Hop or not, that form of music is indeed as Hip Hop as skinny jeans, Insane Clown Posse, & Tanya Morgan. Hell, Tracy Morgan for that matter, even though he doesn't rap. Word to Grizz & Dot Com. Fun-loving expression, is just that, even when it's based around the demise of 13 year old girls. Not that I condone that type of thing, I'm just trying to put it in perspective. Sure, I wouldn't want Trey Songz teaching my daughter about the birds & the bees, but if it wasn't for R. Kelly, I might not've lost my virginity mid-day, ditching the only college course I had. & fuck whatcha heard, getting 'tang is Hip Hop, really though...
There's a lot of people with the misconception that because a certain style of Rap isn't suited for them, that it's not Hip Hop. Until we dispel that notion, we can't move forward. Forward, as in, striving for the betterment of a movement that's presently being raped & pillaged by tv commercials, mocked on YouTube as some sort of experimental novelty act, & treated like urban noise, instead of the tribal communication it began as. We can't appreciate Talib Kweli, if we don't recognize the importance of Souljah Boy. Like it or not.
Not to get more philosophical than necessary, but Hip Hop is the soul, & rap is the life, if you understand what I'm saying. There's indeed a difference between the two. Shout out to the homie Rob, who put the bug in my ear.
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9 comments:
Post is on point!
"...Hip Hop is a culture, immersed in self expression, however one sees fit...."
Can I argue that the above statement applies to music as an art form and not just hiphop or rnb. that Music is a form of SELF expression. PERIOD. & as a human u either connect with the other persons self-expression or u don't. n whether u connect with it is only relevant to YOU.
Just coz some1 doesn't connect with someone elses art, its ludicrous to conclude 'oh, thats not music' 'oh, thats not hiphop' 'oh, thats not RnB'
the way I see it, I think people have these 'grand' ideas (illusions?) and imaginary boundaries that exist in their heads only. n they feel that everyone should conform to these illusions and 'ideals'.
& thats the same mentality that some clowns use to reject that people connect with this art form called hiphop. the same mentatlity that some clowns use to reject there are people who connect with soulja boyz music or gucci. so basically what most 'hiphop' fans are doing to soulja boy is what the 'music' world has been doing to hiphop.
Can I further argue that what we are witnessing is not the death of hip-hop or RnB but the death of these imaginary boundaries & labels people have come up with to define music (i.e self-expression). the thought that some1 can try to define self-epxression is in itself the
definition of lunacy.
"Can I further argue that what we are witnessing is not the death of hip-hop or RnB but the death of these imaginary boundaries & labels people have come up with to define music (i.e self-expression)."
Major co-sign on this, thats a great point. These times are the death of the thought parameters that keep us thinking that we can only listen to one kind of hip/hop music. I love hip/hop personally because its so accepting, and encompasses every music genre ever.
In response to the actual post, I couldn't agree more. I hate Soulja Boy, but he is a hip/hop artist, not a rapper, which people always unfairly categorize him as. Cus trust me, dude can't rap. But he makes a big contribution to hip/hop. The culture.
Same with Kid Cudi, I'm not sure where I would categorize him as an artist, but he practices the religion of hip/hop, and he does it well.
Also, I love the metaphors for rap being the heart of hip/hop.
I'd say thats very true, and also that rap is the way we put our culture into words. The way we express it in a form that everyone can read into it and try to understand it.
"There's a lot of people with the misconception that because a certain style of Rap isn't suited for them, that it's not Hip Hop. Until we dispel that notion, we can't move forward."
That is something I find myself arguing with people EVERY time I get into a conversation on Hip Hop in general.
The whole 'man, that's rap, not hip hop' is one of those things that I DETEST to have to talk about with an idiot who is repeating the same shit he has read on the internet ad hoc. I rather like when people are willing to think before talking out their asses.
Good drop, Grands
Another great post Grand$
Rap is entertainment and if a particular artist or style doesnt entertain you that doesnt mean somebody else isnt entertained. If you dont like somethin then just dont like it and keep it moving. Who are any of us to say it aint hip hop?
Thanks for the shout out but also thanks for droppin the knowledge you do
What appeals to you might not appeal to me but I can't knock it !! One thing I noticed is that the older heads, myself included are starting to act like the elders in Heavy D and the Boyz 1st video - " Man that's not music !! That's noise". I should've stayed at home" !! Remember that y'all ? Now I don't fuck with Soulja, Gucci, Plies or any cat that can't spit but every artist has his place. The club is where I might vibe to these "wack spitters" cuz Talib and Mos Def will never get anyplay there and neither will Black Thought !!
"Can I further argue that what we are witnessing is not the death of hip-hop or RnB but the death of these imaginary boundaries & labels people have come up with to define music (i.e self-expression)." - So true homie.
Good topic. I've been dropping thoughts about this practically on every site I visit.
From an OG's perspective, it ain't even about knocking the new. We have harvested such a rich crop of music over the past 30 years where there is enough room to breathe (no Downtown Science) for many versions of Hip Hop, even if it's OG music. We no longer have to grasp what's new or wait for a record label to tell us what to listen to. Once we break out of that train of thought we can do Hip Hop some major justice again.
Great post, Grands, and you fellas who commented are ALL on point! These cats definitely do contribute to the culture even if they are garbage. That being said, I am still gonna be that cat that says that what Plies, Gucci, Lil Wang, and Soljah Boy aint shit! PASSIONATELY! :-D
T-Grands strikes again.
Good points made by all. I have to say though, I don't so much come across the "that's not hip hop" argument as much as the "that $hit is straight garbage" declaration.
And what's more hip hop than declaring something's WACKNESS?
The argument isn't so much whether it's hip hop, but whether it's good hip hop (debatable, although in many cases I don't see how).
Remember the Rapping Duke? Yep, danced to it...knew the lyrics and all that. But let someone tell me he ranked with UltraMag, and we have a problem. That didn't happen back then for a myriad of reasons. But it does happen today, due to new criteria. The obvious biggy being sales.
So, debate me on whether Gucci is better than Talib...and "that bullshit ain't even ----" might just come out my mouth. But in the way the KC Royals aren't a sports franchise.
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