In the mid-90’s Hip-Hop reached a vitall turning point. This period is widely considered to be the end of the genre’s golden age (1988-1994). It was during this time that the commercialization of this social and artistic movement began to tighten its grip. Some even regard this as the death of Hip-Hop as a movement. The fears regarding the changing state of Hip-Hop are very well reflected through tracks like The Roots’ “What They Do,”(1996) Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R,” (1994), and De La Soul’s “Stakes is High,” (1996). A more contemporary take on what each of these artists conveyed can be found in Kendrick’s “The Heart Part 5” (2022), hence the name of this article. It was upon coming back to this track recently that I reflected broadly on the state of Hip-Hop, and with it, the establishment of contemporary cultural norms that are detrimental. I go on to say that none of these phenomena are necessarily new, but the manner and magnitude in which they are discussed and even glorified is what has created the contemporary cultural issues within Hip-Hop.
One of the most urgent problems with Hip-Hop in the present era is the unprecedented rate at which music rooted in self-interest, death, and self-destruction is being released. Although, this has been present since the mid to late 90’s with the hyper commercialization and commodification of Hip-Hop. Never before has there been more music released that counters the radical themes and goals of the first generation of emcees.The contemporary era is one in which singles outshine entire discographies. Where the Sexyy Reds of the world have been given more of a platform and cosign by big names than the Nonames or Rapsodys of the game ever will.
In its golden era, Hip-Hop largely addressed the collective condition of black people in America and abroad, not just on the material success of a few individuals. The success of acts such as Public Enemy, Ice Cube, KRS-One, Queen Latifah, Gang Starr, Nas, and the Native Tongues and many other artists and groups of this period speak volumes about the norms, desires, and appetite of fans of the genre at this time. Hip-Hop existed as a movement during this time, not simply as a genre of music. Perhaps the niche nature of Hip-Hop at this time made for a more untainted experience. In simple terms, it was by the people and for the people. As free-market capitalism emerged into the fold of Hip-Hop during the 90’s, the values of capitalism put the more conscious and radical themes of the genre, which had largely been the standard during the golden era, on the back burner. This shift diminished Hip-Hop’s ability to be a large-scale form of resistance. Another notable phenomenon is the stark decline in popularity in the other forms of expression that comprised Hip-Hop such as DJing, break dancing, and graffiti. These activities largely are ones that involve community participation and gathering. As the capitalistic values of the entertainment business hit the scene, these sorts of communal activities became less prevalent (not eradicated though) with time as more individualistic ethics were being promoted, and the communities of this art form became more isolated. When any group is isolated and entrenched in an individualistic mindset the ability to create unity and resistance against the ills a community faces becomes a difficult task. These same individualistic principles and isolation of communities is one ingredient that has led to the downfall of numerous organizations and movements that fought for the liberation of people and against corrupt institutions.
`During this period of “the Hip-Hop movement,” the genre was not very accessible to outsiders, and existed in its purest form. With this in mind, it is quite ironic that I out of all people am writing this piece. I digress, a very compelling metaphor for examining the commodification and cultural changes in Hip-Hop is the analogy of colonization that the late, great Nipsey Hussle gave. In a 2013 published interview with RapStatus, Nip discusses how Hip-Hop was stolen from its originators by those who own the means to production (the industry, labels, etc). Outsiders of the culture came in and extracted Hip-Hop as a resource, and it has been in the hands of foreigners to the culture since then. Nip compares this process to the colonization of Africa, “Africa is full of natural resources, but what do they [Colonizers] do? Africa was full of diamonds, they came and got ‘em. All the gold, they came and got it. All the people, they came and got us.——The continent was raped of all its natural resources.” As long those who are not indigenous to Hip-Hop control the means of production, the narratives and themes that are most prevalent will not be those that are indigenous to its originators.The future and well-being of Hip-Hop is not in the hands of those who created it, and we are suffering as a result of it.
With the increasing commercialization of the genre in the late 90’s, more show business antics came into the fold, however these antics have proven to be very dangerous and lethal on numerous occasions. The seemingly played out East coast vs West Coast beef of the late 90’s is a prime example of the emergence of these antics. Since the mid to late 90’s, there’s been a HUGE spike in emcees being murdered. The increasing frequency at which artists are dying has largely been unchecked by the culture and the industry at large. The standard protocol when the news breaks about an artist passing away is an influx of R.I.P posts for several days, and even some discourse about how this epidemic must be stopped, but we never seem to see the root of these issues addressed, or make any progress in addressing these issues. It is rare that this issue is given the opportunity to be looked at under a microscope. The first step in healing from such things is acknowledging the existence and severity of a great problem, and that is the part of the healing process that the Hip-Hop community has remained stagnant in for far too long.
This Post Has 0 Comments