The State of Hip Hop - Thoughts On The Elders

What is the state of hip hop? That is such a sizable question because the state of hip hop is vast. You have to break this down into sub topics in order to start to dissect and understand what is going in this culture. In this composition I would like to talk about the music of hip hop; rap music. The state of hip hop from this perspective will be discussed.

The State Of Hip Hop: Intellectual Perspective

Rap music, like most musical genres created by African decedents (black people) are rooted in African culture. African culture runs in the veins of hip hop music and although it wasn't impulsively done, it is there.

If you dive into any part of African culture at any period of time in history you will regularly find a great adoration for the elders. They were viewed as wise, noble, spiritual and the counsels of the villages or communities. For some reason, as African as rap music is it has lost its appreciation for the elders of the village. More on this in a moment.

The State of Hip Hop: Rap Music And Tradition I was watching the last season of American Idol and I was pleased and at times envious of how these young kids highly regarded and respected the elder rock stars that preceded them. It was colossal to see how well versed these youngers were in the history of their genre of music and how they were affected by the elders to become who they are.

Not in hop hop

I was with a young brother a little while back, he was 17. We began to discuss rap music and the state of hip hop and I asked him if he knew who Nas was. "He aight" the young man answered. I was numb. This young brother just said that possibly (I said possibly) thebest lyricist to ever pick up a mic was only."aight"? We continued on and he had never heard any of Nas's albums. This isn't an random incident. A majority of the younger generation has no real knowledge or appreciation for the legends.

What went wrong?

I think that there are a few reasons for this this state of hip hop.

The first is the mainstream music industry and media constantly force feed us the illusion of hip hop only being a young genre as if it was a pro sport. Second, the older generations and elders aren't holding up their end of progressing the culture along into maturity. Two serious issues that I will address on another post on this subject.

As far as the state of hip hop I will leave you with this. The wise elders are needed to help a community and to lead a community. Without their presence the youth is lost. I think that is what we are experiencing right now in hip hop. Mainstream hip hop is lost.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Post your comments below on the state of hip hop with our elders.

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