Since I was a little girl I’ve been fascinated with the world of hip-hop. I remember staying up late watching Behind the Music of such legends like N.W.A and Run-DMC. Today I visited the EMP (the music and sci-fi museum in Seattle) with my dad and younger siblings. In one of the exhibits you got to look back on how a genre of music was created. Hip-hop has had such a tremendous aspect on black culture. Though I didn’t grow up in Brooklyn or Compton I could help but to become intrigued by what they were saying. Artist like Tupac and Nas had become regulars on my I-pod.
During an documentary on hip-hop rap pioneer KRS-1 proclaimed that hip-hop was officially “DEAD”. The thing that got to me most was how many of the artist in the rap game refused to stay with the changing times as a new spin to the genre is added. In my opinion no music genre can ever be officially over. I believe as the years progressed and new artist emerged they added what I like to call “flavor” to an already colorful subculture. With new artist coming out for what seems like every week in the last few years many young and talented MC’s have added new sounds to old rhymes and melodies. Artist like Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and in my mind Drake have already begun to make their marks in the history books. To those artist who believe that all a bunch of dance records and booty shaking please go listen to Lupe Fiasco or Kid Cudi and my favorite Kanye West. And rappers if you feel that the “young dudes” don’t know how to rhyme do what Jay-Z did become a mentor.
