However, Lupe Fiasco countered a year later with "hip-hop saved my life." Common aptly indicates, "In the hood, hip-hop is the father." Clearly these artists have further complicated the role hip-hop has taken, and continues to provide. Nonetheless, some believe hip-hop will never belong to the "people" because it has been "consumed" to the "point of no return." Is this true? Can hip-hop's rap/rep ever be redeemed again? Or is it just the current direction of this complex musical genre?
Due: Fri., 11/18/16 by the beginning of class
I personally think hip hop has changed over the years but it is not dead. Hip hop is not the same it was in the 90s and before then but that does not necessarily mean it is dead. Many hip-hop artist use their music as a way out and it has gotten a plethora of artists off the streets and onto the right path in life. I believe that an artist has control over whether their music is “consumed” or genuinely coming from their true talent and not just what these big companies want them to say in their songs. Hip-hop’s rep can be redeemed; it just takes the artist to step up and stand for what they truly believe in the hip-hop industry.
ReplyDeleteFrom my perception I go towards a yes and a no answer but because yes HH has been consumed but not to the point of no return. All the audience see is what is portrayed selling drugs, violence, and getting ass may I say! But Hip Hop rap/rep can be redeemed again because we have so many underground artist not all are the same we have artist already in the industry who know the true HH rep discussing politics and situations in the world and how we need change.. but they go by what is pulling in the money and how to stay on top of the charts so they go into the direction of trap music and the topics of a hood life, selling drugs,violence and getting ass, to keep the income at its maximum. Not even getting to a entire topic of visualization what artist thinks everyone wants to see the wear and portray their wealth. The industry needs to realize HH rap/rep is about history change and does belong to the people but instead artist get into the industry let it run them rather then them running it. Hip Hop does belong to the people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ms. Meaders. Hip hop now is not like the 90s hip hop. Of course hip hop will never belong to the people, but I do not think its been consumed to the point of no return. This is why I say both.
DeleteWhen it comes to Hip Hop being redeemed again I am very iffy about my answer. My answer is basically yes and no. The reason why I ask yes , is because when i comes to Hip Hop yes the way hip hop use to be has been consumed in a negative way. Now a days rappers are not really rapping to tell a story or to get a point across , they are basically rapping to speak about the money , females and drugs that they do. Hip Hop is now becoming about filling an image roll rather than actually making music that means something. But the reason why I also say No , is because there are actually some artist that are trying to bring back the old hip hop. But it all depends on if the fans are willing to make hip hop what is was again.
ReplyDeleteI feel that hip hop will always belong to the “people” because that’s where it started and who it was initially intended for. Hip hop being “consumed” is just the artists doing what they have to do to sell records. The music that sells today is music about sex, money, and drugs. The rep of hip hop can be redeemed to an extent but for the most part I just believe that hip hop has evolved to what it is today. So I think that it is the current direction of our musical genre, our generation has a different sound and artists express themselves differently in their songs compared to the earlier hip hop artists.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that hip hop is "dead" and I agree with Chester that hip hop will always belong to the "people". The people are what make and changed hip hop everyday from lyrics to trends. The community carries a lot of weight. I also believe that consumption may become the normality.Rapping about sex and money which is wrong,will become right. Hip hop is no longer about content ,it is about image. What sells albums,but most of all what can make them go platinum. This may only be a phase in the hip hop era. Just as we learned about the Rough Riders phase of hip hop,others will learn about the present day phase of hip hop, when women were objects and image was more than just a picture.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that HH will never belong to the people because it has been consumed to the point of no return. Though HH has taken a more complicated role it will never have the same positive impact that it once had. If HH is “the father” as Common stated then, I see why people follow it, imitate it and attempt to assimilate it into their cultures. Just as much influence that a real father has on his children, HH has the same influence on “the people.” I do not think HH’s rep/rap can be redeemed because it has delved too deep into other sectors of society for it to EVER be the same even after being rejected by many. In a MTV interview with Nas and Cornel West, Nas says that the new generation may not appreciate what HH has gone through because now it's about “get that money” which shows you the focus of HH today. It would certainly be a major challenge for HH to switch directions at this point.
ReplyDeleteNas Interview: http://www.mtv.com/artists/nas/video-interviews/
I disagree with Julian. We have a few positive rappers and if they can get everyone on board with them then it can change! There is still some type of chance for Hip hop to be redeemed.
DeleteI think it is a yes and no. HIp hop will never belong to the people, but I do not think it has been consumed to the point of no return. My reason for my response is that even though Hip hop is certain type of music genre that a lot of people especially the younger generation likes to listen to. The meaning or the description of hip hop has been bought out by the whites. At this point this could be basically anybody becuase in today's society whites are over most labels, organizations, commercials and advertisement. To a certain extent Hip hop now is similar to Hip hop in the 90s. There are still people of colored that is trying to stay in the game, but once they die or if enough of money is offered, things will change. All of this is ashamed, but this does not mean that there is no point of return because there is.
ReplyDeleteTo me HH is not dead, it's still alive. One thing everyone can agree on is that HH will never be like it was back in the 1970's and early 80's and 90's. In my opinion in each era HH focuses on something different. So old heads and people who really appreciate the real roots of HH would think that its dead or not the same but its just not there era of music. This is what the "people" like now and until something new comes up this is how its going to be. I believe that HH still belongs to the "people" just a new generation of people with different outlooks and mindsets. Its all about what sells so artist are going to give the people what they want. You can find a way to appeal to listeners and produce real music at the same time. Thats when being creative comes into play. So by saying that I belive that HH rap/rep can be reclaimed.
ReplyDeleteHip Hop is not dead. It definitely is not the same as it was in the 1980s and 90s because more people have started to not rap about anything. And "trap music" has become a habit and it has no substance or meaning to it. I believe that there are certain artist that still have meaning behind their music and show what true rap is. Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Common, J Cole, Chance the Rapper, and many more artist have lyrics that can really mean something to their audience or relate to them. The reason most people feel that hip hop is gone is because it has been consumed by drugs, violence, sex, and many other things that make hip hop seem wrong. However, Hip Hop is still alive there is just a small portion of people that still show meaning behind it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Quenci. Hip Hop does still have a meaning and those artist that he have mentioned are the exception to the norm. They rap about stuff other than sex, drugs and violence.
DeleteIn my opinion HH still belongs to the people. We often hear how HH is dead and there is no coming back, but we sometimes forget the day and age we're living in. Of course HH has changed; meaning it includes a lot of violence, misogyny and rappers who just talk about any and everything. In my opinion some artist are doing what they have to do to make a dollar; to some that means to make what the people like so their projections could be high. Many of the old school HH era sees it as "trash" meanwhile some of the new school era will argue that it has evolved or that it is evolving. Those that does not want to give it a chance will most likely say "no it's bad rep can't be redeemed". What society fails to realize is that although it has "evolved" there are still artist who actually corporate meaningful content but they aren't getting to exposure or credit. J Cole would be a great example. I honestly think he's one of the factors that can helps HH bad rep be redeemed.
ReplyDeleteI do not feel like hip hop has been compromised to the point of no return. If artist work together to change it I feel like it can be changed. It will be hard because they obviously do/ say what they do because the people like it. But I do feel like it can be changed because hip hop is more than just about sex, drugs and violence. Common uses it as his father and something that saved him because it helped him escape and do what he was supposed to do. It isn't anything negative for him because he doesn't make it so. He doesn't rap about things that most artist rap about. If more artist become like him which there are some then it can make a drastic change
ReplyDeleteI don't think hip hop will ever be revived this generation doesn't care about what's really going on they're not "in the know" all they rap about is drugs and violence and money things that are nonsense and don't matter. J Cole is the only concious rapper in our generation and if there are othera they aren't signed so we don't know them sad but true
ReplyDeleteI don't think hip hop will ever be revived this generation doesn't care about what's really going on they're not "in the know" all they rap about is drugs and violence and money things that are nonsense and don't matter. J Cole is the only concious rapper in our generation and if there are othera they aren't signed so we don't know them sad but true
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with you on that. There are other rappers in the game that are pushing out a positive message out there. But I do agree with you regarding how mainstream is taking over with the so called "gangsta rappers" because they are the ones who make the money and have the lyrics of degrading women and about money, sex, and drugs. All the materialism things. But what I'm noticing is that these types of rappers rap about the quick and now stuff whereas if you look up Lecrae, Andy Mineo, KB, Trip Lee, Dee-1, NF, etc. and so many others they rap about eternal things that make you want it for life not just some right now materialistic items but things that you work for and believe for as well. These that I named they are all dope. So you should take a listen.
DeleteI believe hip hop will never be seen in the light that it use to be seen in. People feel as if it's negative now and all they rap about are drugs, money, or women. When in actuality the music of the original generation has never left; I'm afraid to say that the only type of music being pushed are the negative images.
ReplyDeleteThis is true because of the mainstream and how mainstream plays in to the Hip-Hop industry but there are other rappers who talk about non-materialistic things that make you want to think and change how your perspective of life is, like artists like Lecrae, Andy Mineo, KB, Tedashii, Dee-1, etc. there are so many others that talk about other things that pertain to this life. You should definitely look them up.
DeleteSo I believe that Hip-Hop is not dead because there are other rappers in the game that are pushing out a message for all to hear and not about drugs, sex, profanity, and just degrading women. But I do believe that the way mainstream puts out Hip-Hop is is a problem and we as a people need to fix it whether that be making a decision to not buy their music at all. Or not go to different artists concerts. Because change won't happen until we as a people take the first stand.
ReplyDeleteI feel like hip hop is not dead. We still have rappers today that still know the true meaning of hip hop. I think what what is happening in today's society is that we are more accepting of rappers such as 21 savage, and lil Kodak. Instead of giving rappers credit such as j cole. Rappers today are more focused on materialistic things instead of what's going on in society or the " real life shit". However, I feel like hip hop is not dead because history is just a big circle.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think hip hop has changed so much to the point where i think it will be very very hard for it to redeem itself because everything is so washed... All artist talk about and all listeners want to hear is people talking about all the "hoes" having the most money, and having the latest clothes. Most people are so used to it that i don't believe they'll be able to appreciate the "original" hip hop, if somehow we were able to go back to it. However i would very much love to go back to the old hip hop.
ReplyDeleteAlthough hip hop music still exists and thrives in our society, hip hop in its true essence is decaying. I say this due to overwhelming amount of unoriginal, unmeaningful, and unawakened artists who have flooded the scene. Most people will refute this claim, due to the meer existence of performing artist of this generation and what seems like their "success". These people fail to realIze that hip hop, no matter how entertaining and lavish, is a resisting discourse. Hip hop is a movement meant to expose and fight the systems of oppression that have and continue to oppress the lives of black people. In our last class we discussed a chapter from MK Asante's book. In the chapter he spoke about the "decaying" of hip hop culture. In it he urges the hip hop consumers to resist the assumed normalcy of trap rap, "I'll kill you" type of rap, and the allure of conspicuous consumption. I personally agree with Asante. This generation's acceptance of these types of lyrics have consequently lead to the decaying of not only hip hop music but those who consume it as well. In lieu of it all, both Asante and myself feel that there is still hope for the culture. Blog posts such as this are proof, that it is fact.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I don't think that hip hop is a the point of no return. Although there are some artist who do the music for the fame and glory, there are others who still do it for the people. As a result of this hip hop will always in some way belong to us, the people of the community. As far as hip hop getting back its redemption, I don't believe that it's actually necessary. I feel that hip hop changes over time in a good and bad ways. Just because we may not always understand the way in which hip hop evolves, it doesn't make it dead.
ReplyDeleteTo me hip hop will never be the same, artists today aren't as conscious as they were in the early 90s they are more about getting money and having fame. In my opinion there are very few artists who rap to send the people messages about real things that are happening but other than that few most artists rap about how much money they have or how they get a lot of women there isn't a lot of songs today that you can really relate to like the songs from earlier times. I feel like there's a slim chance hip hop could get back to how it was previously but I don't think the chances are high. Some artists still make music for the people so the people will always have hip hop in some way but it will never be the same as before.
ReplyDeleteI do not think Hip Hop will ever be redeemed again, because it's like a domino effect. The music that is produced and is trending today has taken over the original forms of Hip Hop, therefore, it has taken its own path. Although, we still do have a few rappers today that actually presents messages throughout their music, the former rappers and artist presented real life scenarios throughout their music. In my opinion, I do not think that anyone could compare, although, the new Hip Hop artist and rappers have the potential to seek a change.
ReplyDeleteHip hop is not dead. Hip hop has been commercialized to only a few subjects. Most would recognize hip hop as conscious or it has a real message. Today I feel like mainstream producers put out music about misogyny, money, and other material things. They cover up or try to hide the more conscious and as we say "woke" artists. Can hip hops rep be redeemed? Maybe, if the audience demand the music they would like to hear. So if everyone says they like to listen to J. Cole, then everyone should push to hear more of his music. In my opinion it's all about supply and demand, but the fans demand the music want to hear and the artist supply it. I also feel that if the record labels produce more of the real life, conscious type music instead of this braggadocio concept type music, then it could be redeemable.
ReplyDeleteCan Hip-Hop be redeemed?Possibly. However, I cannot deny the fact that Hip-Hop is not the same like it used to be. Hip-Hop used to be a coping mechanism for people to endure and overcome their trials. Hip-Hop was a way for people to have joy in the mist of their troubles. Today's Hip-Hop seems to mostly be about violence, hoes, drugs, and alcohol.In which is the exact opposite of what Hip-Hop was originally about. There are some Hip-Hop conscious artists that rap about real things. Artists such as J.Cole, Lupe Fiasco, and Chance the Rapper rap about life and the issues that people face everyday. The direction of Hip-Hop continues to take a turn for the worst, but there is still hope.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTpnv6o92iM
I don't think that Hip Hop is dead. It has certainly turned its direction from past generations but I don't consider it to be dead. Over time music and artists are going to evolve so it won't ever be the exact same as it used to be. Everyone has their own style and as long as there is an audience out here, SOMEONE will conform to the different style. Also we have to think about new generations. As the generation grows and changes so is the music and so are people's interest. The audience makes or breaks an artist so the music will always be for the people. Artists feed off of what their fans like so to us Hip Hop will never be dead because we can make the difference.
ReplyDeleteIn the direction Hip Hop is headed right now, with artist like Designer, Future, Uzi Vert I think it can't be redeemed. I feel that with time it'll change and evolve. I fee at the rate rap is going now l it will evolve into even less consciously aware music. A lot of music is turning into mumble rappers, less are story telling, and more are mumbling about money, women, and drugs. These artists all are putting on an image and they are setting an example for young people all around the world. They're putting in young people's brains that storytelling having substance, a meaning to your music is nothing. The audience are looking at these artists and emulating everything they do so only way to improve is to get the people to understand there's more than money, women, and drugs.
ReplyDelete