Hip-hop, a musical genre defined by its rebellious nature and roots in social activism, has shifted from being underground to mainstream in the past half a century. With that shift, changes in style, cadence, and lyricality have followed, creating an almost unrecognizable scene where artists are more obsessed with fame than creating listenable music.

Introduction

Starting as a way for youth in the Bronx to congregate, hip-hop slowly evolved into a culture that valued social activism, fashion, and deep thinking. For the latter half of the 1900’s, hip-hop was revered as an agent of change. It was openly challenging authority in a way that other types of music had not been able to do. However, it would not stay this way forever and would ultimately shift into what we know today as rap music, perpetuated by drug addiction and fake gangsters.

Many aspects of hip-hop culture have changed since its introduction to the general public in 1979. After the release of hit song Rapper’s Delight, America was introduced to a genre of music that would stay popular for decades. As various hip-hop songs were released over this span of time and as different sub-genres of hip-hop rose and fell, the culture of hip-hop was constantly shifting. Run DMC popularized a certain type of fashion, namely Adidas and tracksuits, but as hip-hop changed with the times, so did the fashion. During the 1970’s, many MC’s could be found copying or imitating flows, but as rap music became more and more popular around the world, MC’s began developing their own cadence and flow. In addition to this, as time progressed, the lyrical nature of hip-hop would meet a vastly contrasting generation where some chose to utilize its power and some did not.

The musical genre of hip-hop is no stranger to change and while, over the years, hip-hop has undergone significant changes in culture and in style, ultimately the culture has changed to one where notoriety is strived for more than a reputation as a talented artist.

Change In Hip-Hop Culture

Hip-hop started as a release from poverty in the Bronx, taking little pieces of culture from places like Jamaica and transforming them into a beautiful culture that promotes positivity, love, and music. People who came from nothing in a desolate and dangerous places like the Bronx suddenly had a release. There were parties every week where a DJ would play some funky music, backed by break beats, and their audience would love it.
Fast forward to the mid 80’s, where Run DMC was one of the most popular hip-hop groups in the world. Coming from New York, they revolutionized fashion in Hip-hop. Fashion had always been important in the culture, but this was the first time that a Hip-hop group had basically influenced the nations fashion. Pictured below, the members of Run DMC were famous for their bucket hats, big chains, tracksuits, and Adidas sneakers.

 

 

From there, the phenomenon of rappers being national models for fashion became a pattern and is still seen today. However, as the years progressed and as hip-hop music evolved, the type of clothes worn by famous artists changed drastically. Instead of cheap Adidas and a tracksuit, the culture is now focused towards how expensive your outfit is and the monetary value that each article of clothing holds. Instead of having access to fashion as a result of fame, rappers in present day are having their value as an artist determined solely by their appearance, even before becoming famous. Below are many notable artists pictured wearing the most expensive clothes accessible, solely for the purpose of showing them off on social media.

 

 

This unfortunate change in the culture is an example of how Hip-hop music has shifted into an industry where money and notoriety outranks reputation as a quality artists.

Another example of a shift in culture comes from the message stored in the lyrics of the artists themselves. When Hip-hop was in its beginnings as a national industry, there were many sub-genres of rap that emphasized protest and rebellion. Groups like Public Enemy, coming out of New York, protested the government’s oppression of African Americans and other racial minorities at the time. In their popular song ‘Fight the Power’, released in 1988, they–as a group–rally against oppression and racism. In the songs third verse, rapper Chuck D speaks on these topics in an aggressive, yet knowledgeable way:

“Elvis was a hero to most but he never meant shit to me you see”
“Straight up racist that sucker was Simple and plain”
“Motherfuck him and John Wayne cause I’m Black and I’m proud”
“I’m ready and hyped plus I’m amped, most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps”

The lyrics of Public Enemy resonated with many people across the nation and rallied a generation of oppressed individuals in a non-violent manner. Due to this, Public Enemy became one of the legendary Hip-hop groups still listened to today. In addition to Public Enemy, there were many other groups and individuals who were sick of the oppression of minorities in America; however, not all of them had the self control to protest without depicting grotesque acts of violence in their music. An MC by the name of Paris was an example of what happens when severe oppression is left outstanding, leaving no other choice but for MC’s to exercise their First Amendment rights in song. In 1992, Paris released a song called ‘Coffee, Donuts, and Death,’ in which he describes violence against police officers as an act of retaliation:

“Stampede, retreat in guerrilla spurts
And see that ya caps are peeled like potatoes
Cause this is a war and pigs hate us”

Using violent and hateful lyrics to get the attention of the public was a route explored by many MC’s in Hip-hop during the 80’s and 90’s; and while it was risky to speak out against the government in such an aggressive manor at the time, it marked a time when hip-hop represented something more than rhyming over a beat. It represented a group of people that weren’t afraid to fight back against racial antagonism in the United States.
In present day, the utilization of Hip-hop to speak truth to power has become a tactic used by fewer and fewer. Now, with the new generation of rappers, focused on money instead of protesting, the occasional profane remark towards police might be heard every once and a while; however, it is evident that the motivation to rebel has become a lost art in recent years, marking a change in Hip-hop.

Public Opinion

With the significant changes that have occurred to Hip-hop at its core, there is no doubt that a change in public opinion is linked to the change in culture. Over the years, public opinion has gone hand in hand with certain aspects of rap culture and how it has been perceived to affect the community. During the era of Run DMC, the general public was on board with the non-violent, funky aspect of the music; however, as racial tensions rose in the US and as MC’s realized they were protected by the First Amendment, Hip-hop suddenly became a form of self expression where artists could say anything. This breeded groups like N.W.A, Public Enemy, and Mobb Deep, focused on delivering their message with no thought to what the blowback might be. Most notably, N.W.A ’s song “Fuck Tha Police,” released in 1988, caused mass hysteria in certain cities across the United States and people who had once found themselves enjoying Hip-hop, were now outright against it. The fear that the nations youth would respond in an unproductive way to the new form of Hip-hop, dubbed “Gangsta Rap,” was the driving force behind the public outrage and while–in time–the public slowly accepted that Gangsta Rap was here to stay, the older generations prejudice towards the music never fully disappeared.

Change in Music

Now that it has been established that Hip-hop has changed both in culture and in perception, the only major change left to touch on is the change in music itself. The most notable change would be the transition of Hip-hop from a dance culture to an industry, facilitated by record labels which, in and of itself, changed the way Hip-hop artists make their music. After 1980, suddenly, rappers had access to a studio and producers were able to use machines to make original beats. This changed the style of music from one that was meant to please a live audience to one that was being released to an invisible fan base. Slowly, as technology advanced, producers started using computer programs to create original beats and rappers started experimenting with effects and melodies when making songs, sometimes even combining multiple genres or sub-genres to create something completely unique.
The type of music being produced had been irreversibly altered and making it big had suddenly become very achievable. Hip-hop had evolved to fit a newer, more experimental generation. Suddenly, beats became more important in a song than lyricality and while some artists maintained the lyricality of the older generation, many ventured outside of the poetic aspect, originally meant to be the driving force behind a Hip-hop song.

For example, Lil Pump, otherwise known as Gazzy Garcia and arguably one of the most popular rappers from the last five years, made a song called “Gucci Gang,” in 2018. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard charts and is Pump’s highest charting single to date, remaining on Billboard’s top 100 for 24 weeks. When analyzing the lyrics, the contrast between the two generations of Hip-hop is painfully distinct:

“Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang (Gucci gang)
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang (Gucci gang)
Spend three racks on a new chain (Yuh)”

Here, Pump utilizes the name of his crew, Gucci Gang, as the driving lyrics in the songs chorus and the unoriginality is evident. While other rappers make use of multisyllabic or transformative rhymes, Pump simply repeats the one syllable word “gang” over and over again. Repeatedly rhyming one and two syllable words together, Pump is not only expressing his belief that low effort gets results, but is also perpetuating the idea that Hip-hop has evolved into a genre where artists are materialistic and only striving for notoriety, rather than quality lyrics.

Conclusion

The change in Hip-hop music over the years is evident in multiple different facets of the culture. From fashion, to overall societal view, to actual change in music, Hip-hop has consistently adjusted to fit the needs of the new generation. Whether it be modifying the original sound to appeal to a generation of oppressed individuals or speaking truth to power using gruesome depictions of violence, Hip-hop has regularly been a platform for our nation’s youth to express themselves. However, the recent changes to the culture and the music have been detrimental to the genre. From the ashes of the “old school,” focused on social activism and rebellion, a new generation of Hip-hop has emerged. A generation focused on fame and fortune, simply using social media as a platform to boost notoriety. The founding principles of Hip-hop have been cast aside, leaving room for a new status quo.

If the trend continues, Hip-hop may be unrecognizable in 10 years and while this may seem scary for many, hopefully, the values that were lost can be recovered and used simultaneously as a blueprint for what should be strived for in rap today and where it should be taken in the future.

 

 

Work Cited:

CHANG, JEFF. CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP: a History of the Hip-Hop Generation. PICADOR, 2020. Chapter 2.

Lil Uzi Vert Instagram Post, July 17, 2019.

Lil Pump Instagram Photo, September 7, 2019. .

Dababy Instagram Photo, December 15, 2019. .

Gunna Instagram Photo, August 4, 2019.

“N.W.A – Fuck Tha Police.” Genius, 9 Aug. 1988, genius.com/Nwa-fuck-tha-police-lyrics.

“Public Enemy – Fight the Power.” Genius, 1 June 1989, genius.com/Public-enemy-fight-the-power-lyrics.

“Paris (Rap) – Coffee, Donuts, and Death.” Genius, genius.com/Paris-rap-coffee-donuts-and-death-lyrics.

“Lil Pump.” Billboard, www.billboard.com/music/lil-pump.

“Lil Pump – Gucci Gang.” Genius, 27 July 2017, genius.com/Lil-pump-gucci-gang-lyrics.