Interesting topic to bring up. This exact thoughts been on my mind lately. Probably because I've started exploring the music of artists like Lil Yahty and Young Thug. I was really negative about their music/styles till I finally started giving them a chance.
Don't get me wrong, they'll never hold a candle to the Early Sweatshirt and MF Doom types but they're unique in their own way. But it had me wondering, how come having dope, understandable lyrics isn't important anymore in hip-hop?
I think cats like J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar are definitely keeping the movement alive but the competition landscape isn't even close to what it was in the mid 90's to the turn of the century. At that time you had Camp Lo on one station, Eminem on the other, while Jay Z was top 5 on TRL. Along with Pharoah Monch, Mos Def and Jadakiss getting more spins on the regular also.
Now adays, that ain't happening. It's the Trap music stuff, Thugga, Yahty, Lil Uzi Vert, etc... I think that's what stimulates this generation. And instead of hating on it I've decided to embrace it. I've grown to enjoy this movement and love to bang it out. This is what hip-hop's about. It's the urban youth expressing themselves freely and having fun. Basically what hip-hop started out as.
To go back to what someone said earlier, lyricism has to die before it can be brought back. I mean, Sugarhill Gang and Fab 5 Freddy were not the most lyrical MC's. Then it progressed into what we have today. It'll cycle back around to lyrics again. Just not sure when. By the time we'll be too old to care :/
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