The views and opinions expressed in the following feature editorial are those expressly of the writer of this piece and do not necessarily reflect those of HipHopDX.
“Unlike these bougie niggas, I ain’t braggin’/ Fuck killin’ blacks, I’m down for toe-taggin’ Grand Dragons” – Killer Mike
Simply stated, I’m from the class of ’88, a/k/a “The Golden Age of Hip Hop,” a timeline, that in my head, runs from 1984 to 1994. What that means for those who don’t know, is that I was raised in the most lyrically active, musically diverse and creative decade in the history of Rap. To the class of 1988, every aspect of Hip Hop mattered (graffiti, emceeing, deejaying and all facets of Hip Hop dance). In those days, if you kicked science, you said something real; you said it from the heart and most of all, you meant it. When Chuck D brought the noise, he came with an organized army of S1W’s. When Brand Nubian broke down the 5% Nation of Gods and Earths, they quickly reminded you that “Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down.” Ice Cube declared himself AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, then wrote Uncle Sam a Death Certificate. N.W.A., Above The Law, Ice-T and The Geto Boys told you they respectively lived in cities under siege.
Within that classic cut (“City Under Seige”), Scarface rhymed, “Now let’s go back to the past / The mothafucka who needs to be tried is Ronald Reagan’s ass / Appointed Bush to the C.I.A. / (That shit was cold put Noriega on the payroll) / All of a sudden shit changed / Right after ’88 (Yeah, yeah, yeah) / Hmm – ain’t that strange? / Some think I’m goin too far / But if you wanna go to war, I take you to war.” As demonized as Hip Hop has been since its inception, there has never been a form of music on earth as politically and socially courageous.
Within this moment of golden era time, artists like X-Clan, Paris, Gang Starr, Jeru The Damaja, Wu-Tang Clan, Poor Righteous Teachers, Nas and others made having knowledge not only cool, but necessary if you were to be perceived as a real street cat. Again, it’s important to note that most of the socially and politically aggressive raps came from the gangstas. Spice 1‘s “Welcome To The Ghetto,” Ice-T’s “Hunted Child,” Ice Cube’s “Endangeres Species” and almost anything made by Tupac Shakur are prime examples of gangsta rappers addressing real time social and political issues. The Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, The 5% Nation of Gods and Earths, The Black Panther Party and others like them were known for being one thing: Righteous dudes who would not hesitate to put the knuckles to ya noggin’ if you acted up. Many of today’s conscious emcees often carry an image that’s distanced from the streets – part of the reason why the streets often miss their valuable messages.
Seriously, if you had to walk through a dark Harlem alley at three am, who do you want with you? One of these licorice root-chewin’ peacenicks in a tie-dyed dashiki? The mainstream media (deathly afraid of black youth, and confused by the rapidly increasing popularity of Hip Hop back then) wanted America to think that Rap was only about murder, sex and money. So the racially charged lyrics of Gangsta Rap that challenged the traditional “American Dream” was downplayed in the mainstream. Ironically, at the same time, the Rap industry worked hard to silence rappers with a socially-conscious edge. Today when you look up, hardly of the biggest so-called gangsta rappers dare to speak a socially conscious word. Essentially the mainstream media’s lies about Hip Hop from the 1980s has become the 2010 reality. Very few of the rappers who claim to be “King”of the streets mention anything about the state of community interaction with the police, how they feel about social crises like Hurricane Katrina, the state of the American education system, or the war. Not only do they not speak to it, they may be afraid to.
In place of these politically hard emcees, the industry started pushing artists who, while socially-conscious, were seemingly soft outwardly. Most notably, the group Arrested Development comes to mind. Dressed in overalls, rocking dreadlocks and wearing bright clothes and knit caps, Speech and company was a far cry from the kind who originally taught young disenfranchised youth to “Fight The Power.” Sadly, the term I’ll use as “Knit Cap Rap” consistently lacked the spike of authentic anger that so many young black men were feeling at that time. King Sun addressed this issue in the song “Be Black.” As Ed Lover likes to say, c’mon son! Speech wasn’t fixin’ to bring no “Revolution,” even if he sang about it.
While Knit Cap Rap was certainly more conscious, on some levels (Black Star and Common come to mind) it could be just as sexist as anything Too Short or Suga Free ever recorded on wax. I guess being called a “hoe” to a rim shot, an upright bass and a flute was more acceptable than a Parliament Funkadelic bassline. An example of that are Q-Tip‘s “Vivrant Thing” video. It had just as much if not more skantily-clothed booty-shaking than the average Snoop Dogg video. Yet Q-Tip gets the “conscious” pass all day, while Snoop gets frequently blasted for being sexist. The Native Tongues crew had the sexually suggestive “Buddy” and Mos Def’s “Ms. Fat Booty” could be seen as just as objectifying of women as any Ice Cube track.
Gradually, this “Knit Cap Rap” became its own circle of emcees. Black issues might be mentioned from time to time (Talib Kweli, Mos Def, enter your favorite “boom-bap rapper” here), but a lot of it got boiled down to an artsy-fartsy expression of some hybrid black thought. You’re hardly ever gonna find a cat fresh on parole mentioning any of the above artists. From my experience, cats on parole are much more likely listening to Immortal Technique than the Street Sweeper Social Club – even if its artistically similar. A lot of Knit Cap Rap arguably has some of the most musically eclectic execution, but very little of it appeals to the youth on the block. For real though, if you had to pick up your boy from jail, what you think he wants to hear when he jumps in the ride? What speaks to him on an emotional level?
In my opinion, Killer Mike‘s “Bad Day to Worst Day” outdoes all of the last decade’s “conscious” Knit Cap Rap combined. Some of the only rappers today who bring that legitimate political anger to the mic today include Immortal Technique, Zion I, and T-KASH. Other emcees of note who spit some of that realness include Ice Cube (still killing it), Dilated Peoples, Planet Asia, Bun B, Amir Sulaiman, Ras Kass, Brother Ali, Rhymefest and One Be Lo. There are a few others, but the list is devastatingly short.
When people talk about us living in a “Post Racial America,” it’s partly because Knit Cap Rap spun out discussion of the real issues dealing with young black men and women. Knit Cap Rap allowed Hip Hop to get hijacked by the political left. Now every issue that supposedly important is everything but something that addresses perspectives solutions by and about African American youth. All these dudes with the tight sweaters on got cats marching for everything but the hood. When the creator of all of the elements in Hip Hop (young Black males and females) becomes last in line the on social and political discussions in Rap, it’s about time for me (your ’88er) to go.
In my opinion, the creation of the soft-conscious rapper has almost singlehandedly ruined Rap. In order for Hip Hop to redeem itself across the board, we’re gonna need some politically active rappers to bring harder beats, rhymes and imagery on the mic. We need to bring the hood back into the classroom of beats of rhymes. The streets have to be included in the conversation, or they won’t hear us. This is change you can believe in.
Adisa Banjoko is the Founder of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation. For more info hit www.twitter.com/hiphopchess.
The views and opinions expressed in the following feature editorial are those expressly of the writer of this piece and do not necessarily reflect those of HipHopDX.
not all hip hop needs to be politically concious
but the quality of lyrics and meaning in todays mainstream hip hop definitely needs to improve
I think you hit it right on the nail son. Rap or Hip-Hop when I grew up was basically rebel music and was deep underground. Now these dudes are lining up to kiss the major labels collective asses to cash a check. Oh how hip-hop has sold its soul!
Preach!! This articles the God Damn truth!!!!
Agreed. I think dead prez fits the bill, so does Nas… maybe even Jeezy. Kweli too. Listen to Kwelity and tell me otherwise.
“I heard them say I was a conscious rapper
But I’m a monster when I have to smack the shit out of a nonsense actor”
I was just listening to Quality so Kweli was the first to come to mind when I read this.
To Boom Bye Yeah….
No, No, No,! There No Way in Hell Jeeezy Make The List. Just Becauce This Cat Did A Track Called “My President Is Black” Doesn’t Give Him A Pass. I Guess You Haven’t Listen To Jeezy Good Enough, Because If I Can Remember This Dude Had A Single Playing On The Radio And A Video Called “White Girl” And Me And You Know He Wan’t Talking About Banging A White Chick. Even Though I Bump Some Of His Songs (Like 3-4 Tracks) He Damn Sure Can’t Be In The Same Class With Dead Prez And Outher That Spit That Real Everytime And Not Because They Try To Sell Records By Brinning False Hope To The Hood Or It the “IT” Thing To Do Right Now. If You Really Want To hear Someone That Fit The Bill, Check Out B.L.A.K.E. Eerie and Hugh Wihtaker: The Lateef Ep (Butter Made).
I can’t disagree, I would just add that the radio played apart in generating these so-called “Knit Cap Rappers”, but many of the original KCR’s were the same guys from the Golden Era who watered down their approach to be heard, i.e. Nas, Common, Black Thought, etc. KCR’s haven’t ruined Hip-Hop, neither has the radio, these things have changed Hip-Hop, at the same time (as you noted) have pushed much of the reason for Hip-Hop (plight and experiences of urban youths) to the back.
This was bound happen in a capitalistic society such as the one we live in. Major labels could push extremely in your face hardcore rap again along with radio rap and still sell millions but they won’t because its easier to get along with the rest of America with the watered down version of Hip-Hop now-a-days. And even then, how many of these KCR’s are getting any radio play? Kanye, is the only one I can think of with any history of consistent radio that holds the “KCR” term.
Like I said, I can’t disagree. But things change, people care about the money, and I can’t blame them, it sucks living poor. That “Golden Era” of Hip-Hop was the untelevised revolution Gil-Scott spoke of, and now this is the product; it’s not terrible, maybe not what you thought it’s be but there is much progression in it, there is a much louder voice; not always shouting the same sentiment, but they hear us!
NY+
nas aint a conscious rapper
mafioso=gangster,streetdude with knowledge
The Geto Boys are one of the most under rated rap(music not just rap) groups in history these young punks dont know anything about the craft of rap music.All they focus on is the profanity and not the content of Rhythm and Poetry (thats what RAP stands for to all of you who dont know)They set the bar for the genre of the craft thats presently unmatched today. If you want a lesson in the real rap music you should study these three geniuses.
nothing wrong with arrested development— or today, Kanye, Kid Kudi, etc. who in the hell says that all rap has to be “hard”, i.e., semi-gangster in presentation, just to be accepted as artful and inspiring? De La Soul and Tribe, Jungel Brothers, talked about Jimmy and so forth, yeah, but it was metaphor, it wasn’t all about “bi***, suck my d*** and let me pop your ******** , I slap stupid h*es all day, etc. they made the effort to be more lyrical & clever rather than going for the most obvious profanity…
Knit-cap rap was less a “creation” but just the Native Tongues-style trend becoming less interesting to the labels, so it diverged into a cult-status..
Yes, go to an MF Doom concert and it will be mostly white people.. so what? you can say the same thing for Young Jeezy..To have genuine political content in rap became less important than slanging rocks, dope-stories, snitch stories, bi*ch stories, etc…
why the hell is a parolee’s choice in rap have to be the litmus test for how artistically relevant something is? come on! So many jail heads go for the Hard-, Gangsta rap, writing letters to XXL, the Source, arguing on who is the true “street” artists, who never snitched, who kept the street code real, but of course, these heads are all doing time, 5, 10, 15, 20, whatever, for “keeping it real”.. a “Captive Audience”, indeed..
I don’t enough people realize that Black Thought is hands down the baddest mofo in rap right now.
Call him conscious or whatever you want but listen to the last Roots album and tell me theres anything “soft” about it. Dude drops knowledge, raps for the street, and could tear your favorite MC apart. The Roots are a house band for a late night show, but no Knit Caps there.. looks more like a Panther in all that black.
Go listen to “75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)” or “The Professional” or “Thought @ Work”
The whole time I was reading this article, I was thinking damn doesn’t this dude know about Black Thought? He is a very knowledgeable dude, but he def doesn’t fall under the Knit Cap category. Rising Down and any more recent Roots shit goes hard. Matter of fact, they’re music has been getting less laid-back for the last decade. Also would have liked to see him mention Dead Prez they are some real street dudes who know what they’re talking about.
high hopes for Jay Electronica & J. Cole too. I think the wave of b/s is ending and making way for the real.
Dead Prez is definitely up there as far as skills and subject matter! The KCRs still get play from those of us who value lyrics and good production whether on our IPODS, cd player, and/or concerts! I think a point that’s hugely missing is mc’ing live. An mc or rapper who can’t rock a show shouldn’t even have an album out. (Please see The Roots or Snoop for pointers on how to rock a show) I also believe strongly that hip hop is slowly coming back to lyrics and we can continue to have hope in the new school that is ushering in e.g. Jay Electronica, J. Cole, and Drake!
replace Drake with Fashawn and you’ve got the big 3 to watch
i agree that dead prez should’ve been on that list of hard socially concious rappers…i don’t think that drake should be on there though because he sold his soul and atristry when he signed wit young money…that’s just me though, namean…pce and love
Drake is dope. He is. I wish he stayed indie, would’ve been so great for artists trying to come up in Rap. But he is a true emcee, Room for Improvement proved that to me. He did what he had to, to be heard, and that’s all most artist really want the most, just hear, just listen. That’s probably what most artist love about being on radio and doing shows.
The BX -REX approves this message son!!!
This kind of article is exactly what’s wrong with hip-hop. What’s wrong with not being a hard-*ss everyday and second of your life? Because these so-called “knit cap rappers” talk about loving women and treating them well instead of treating them like property and calling them anything but a lady, they’re weak or soft? Quite the opposite to me. Just listen to KRS-One on “Think of All the Things” on Survival Skills. Just because someone doesn’t want to fight about something makes them weak? Nah, makes them smarter than the average dope who thinks violence is a solution. Like was said below, listen to the last two The Roots albums and tell me that they aren’t talking about socially conscious stuff in an aggressive way without talking about shooting or sling dope to make money. Just because they aren’t making songs with obvious titles like “Fight the Power” or “F*ck the Police”, they aren’t talking about the same thing? Ignorance is clearly bliss to the writer of this article.
SoulKiss, Drake doesn’t belong in the same conversation as J. Cole, and Jay Electronica. He’s a corporate clown swinging on toothless Wayne’s coattails and rewarming the same crap Wayne has already done, but has a prettier face for the TV, magazines and everyone else who wants that. Drake = Wayne Jr.
But look, KRS used to appeal to the streets. THATS when he was at his best. He only appeals to white college heads who wanna be in a rap cult now. Streets don’t listen to him no more.
Are you saying these knit cap rappers DONT need to appeal to the streets? Change happens where the gangs and the guns are at.
BX-T-REX: KRS-ONE was at his best when he evolved from gangsta rapper to a socially conscious teacher and EMCEE. Now only whites check for him for the same reason whites check for Marvin Gaye, Public Enemy, Sam Cooke, etc. Like the Roots once stated, ‘Blacks create it, nurture it and then abandon it.’ While whites pick it up, dust it off and then celebrate it like it’s theirs.
The streets don’t listen because the streets don’t read, think or study. Just party and bullshit and party and bullshit and party and bullshit………
^^^Good ish BRO
All this bloke is saying that rap to day lacks the voice that the street can relate to, a voice that is the truth, a voice that talks about a whole not an indivdual and not only that but the voice has to be aggressive a voice that you can fell in your soul. all rap talks about today is personal issues bout how much money i got, what guns i got, what drugs i used to sell, what bitches i fcuk, what fcukn alcohol i drink ect, ect.
Yeah, I hate that kind of “street rap” your last sentence exemplifies, it’s played and fake now. The aggression is lacking, but that’s not in everyone, and Rap has always been this way.
I think this guy’s got it wrong. Party rap, soft conscious rap and hard conscious rap can all co-exist. It’s not an either/or situation. We don’t have balance between them now and we probably never will since people are concerned about making money. But the point remains that killing off “soft” rap isn’t something that will bring back ‘hard’ rap.
Basically, it’s the same with punk music or rock music or swing or anything. When it starts off it’s dangerous and wild and rebellious. Then suits repackage it and neuter it and you go from The Sex Pistols and The Rolling Stones to Blink 182 and The Jonas Brothers. Rap’s the same.
there is only 50,000 heads the rest don’t know what true hiphop music is.
Man, you forgot to mention NYOIL. He’s better than most those other cats imo
And hiphop lost its voice. now we are listenign to sellouts like Jay-Z & Lil Wayne
hiphop lost its chance to change things, we allowed The Man to steal something we had that was so pure & bamboozle us. imo its too late. keep the fire burning though
Reggae has managed to remain largely pure & outspoken, so thats a silver lining in the dark hiphop clioud
Public Enemys music still sends a shiver down your spine
now THATS power. *sigh imagine what it could hav been.
This is one wack ass article this dude sad that soft concious rap singlehandedly killed hip hop. No you idiot, wack ass music is killing hip hop. There is way more garbage out now than ever. Wack ass music peroid is killing hip hop, the radio is killing hip hop, BET is killing hip hop, MTV is killing hip hop, muthafuckas who still listen to the radio and watch BET and MTV is killing hip hop.
This muthafucka mad up a dumb ass name called Knit Cap Rap like that shit is going to catch on and more people will start saying that shit. This muthafucka who wrote this article is why hip hop is wack these days. Narrowed minded ass muthafucka! Only in hip hop would some say that if you don’t act hard and rhyme hard then your just soft and a Knit Cap Rapper. Good music is good music whether it be angry politcal shit or shit were a muthafucka is just rapping about politcal shit with out anger. There is a place for all kinds of hip hop accept the wack ass hip hop.
This is just my opinion, but this article is wack as fuck!
I agree. I’m not huge on conscious rap, (actually I don’t care what you call it, if Common makes a dope album then I listen) but this article isn’t making much sense to me.
DX has posted this and another article called “the Death of Conscious Rap” in the past month…. whats up DX? Is the conscious shit really the aspect of hiphop today that’s worthy of such criticism? I think there is much worse music out there…
How you gonna take time to hate conscious rap on your site while promoting the shit outta lil Wayne??
I have to agree. The ‘Knit Cap Rap’ term is atrociously whack. So Speech and others of this alleged genre ruined Hip Hop??? Speech and Common were two of the few bright spots in the game while everyone else was following the cultural decline in Hip Hop initiated by Gangsta Rap from the West (with an exception to Post-NWA Ice Cube, no doubt). Speech PROUDLY claimed on one of his joints that he would kill in order to protect the Black woman’s honor – so how was he soft??? The REAL Niggas who ruined Hip Hop were busy calling her a ‘Hoe’ and ‘Gangsta Bitch’.
These alleged conscious but soft Emcees were trying to get our people to THINK about what was at stake (i.e. ‘I used to love H.E.R.’) if they gave the art form we created away to corporate hustlers (which they did). I never thought I would see the day where someone wrote that conscious rap destroyed Hip Hop. And how do you leave my ‘revolutionary but gangsta’ Brothers ‘Dead Prez’ out of the discussion???
i agree 100% with this article, you can’t be giving a rapper like kid cudi a pass even when he is soft as fuck, singing on ugly beats and then sleep on a rapper like brother ali or immortal technique…we need that hard charged political, ice cube kind of rap back!!!!!!!!
Peace! Excellent article from Adisa Banjoko. Props to HipHopdx.com for having both him and Jake Paine as professional journalists. I have tried and tried to like these soft rap dudes and just can’t get into it. I miss the days of Hype Hop or Hard Hop – not this soft R & B stuff. What happened to hard beats? Good samples? Lyrics that were about something and educated you? Even if the industry doesn’t put it out or the radio stations don’t play it – there are so many other ways to get out there now. Look at Immortal Technique – no sell out! There’s tons of excellent hard rhymers with quality beats that Adisa knows – he probably didn’t mention them out of not wanting to show preference and favoritism. I miss Da Lench Mob!
Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with this site? First “The death of conscious rap” article and now this? You guys sound like some 90’s babies that completely missed the boat on this topic. The real issue is wack music, plain and simpe. I like gangsta shit as much as the next guy but It has to have quality lyrics, ill production and some form of originality and integrity…without those ingredients, any music is just disposable trash.
great article, and i was thinking about something like this yesterday… if you can basically recognize that rappers are poets, and then imagine yourself in high school, maybe age 15 or 16, and think about what it means to be a poet at the age of 15, then you can see why it might be easier for a young kid to talk about guns and bitches, because as a 15 year old, if you talked about community and peace, you’d be a target. sad but true. what is the answer? the labels that propogated negative rap need to be ignored, and the truly strong people need to step up.
I agree with some things he wrote but there are some things I don’t agree with. For instance, Arrested Development had a song out called “Everyday People” that was actually a banger that spoke about trying to peace shit out but when u gotta fight fuck it its on. Also, lets discuss the year 1988. I graduated outta high school that year (I’m from DC btw) and that was the time alot of cities especially DC had high murder rates so of course the “conscious rap” back then had hard ass beats with messages becuz, u in a time where, 4 real 4real, niggas was going real hard. U couldn’t have anything soft if u wanted to reach brothas during those crack years. I knew cats that loved De La Soul but were straight killers unlike today, alot of youngins that r in the streets feel like they haft to listen to rap that reflects their lifestyle. In 1988, we were a lil different. If we liked the beats then we would ride to it but still blast your melon if shit jumped off. Ill ass beats at http://www.myspace.com/jameshakahungryblak
Good article but I STRONGLY disagree, I think Hip hop fusing with R&B had way more of an impact in softening down the culture than rappers like Mos Def. I mean, look at these R&B singers like Trey Songs and Usher who pretty much sing over southern hip hop beats. It makes me sick that these wack ass singers get away with that.
Back in the day rappers were not having it, you had everyone from Q-Tip to KRS to Cube going at that “new jack swing” bullshit back in the early 90’s and it eventually died out.These days you can hardly differentiate between the 2 genres of music. Rappers want to be singers, and singers want to latch on to hip hop music. Stop giving these R&B singers passes.
Some good points here no doubt. But now, even Buffalo Gals and early Fat Boys and stuff had a lot of singin’ in it…Planet Patrol “Play At Your Own Risk” etc….I see what you are saying, but I’m not sure the R&B impact is as easy to equate.
the article was okay, but lets be honest; BET/MTV subdued hiphop, then radio and the rappin druglords like master p came and merked the culture, fuck the music, THE CULTURE. and it all started with THE CHRONIC album……. now, our kids like jeezy, wayne, and gucci…. that’s our fault bcuz we didn’t do enough to pass the culture on properly to the next generation…… its like the wealthy class, before the family fortune is passed down, the children have to be college educated, sown their wild oats, and should’ve shown the ability to take the fortune to a higher level…… have we done this in the hiphop community, honestly???? NO…… hiphop is a bunch of niggaz who pull their pants down, pop pills, talk southern ebonix (just murderin’ an already basterdize language), and guess what, hiphop still treats the sistahs shitty!!!!!!!! here’s my remedy: sik MOP on’em!!!!!!!!!
I’ll take it a step further Biggie and Tupac…..the Player and the Thug…the glorification of these images went past the music……They made these images corporate and that is what they want to sell to the masses..Hip Hop is progressing but in the wrong areas…
I can’t really roll with this post, while I respect artists like Killer Mike and Rhymefest for their intentions with the music they put out, they honestly don’t impress me enough lyrically! That’s my honest opinion, now if you think MCs like Kweli and Black THough are “knitted cap rap” your a fucking idiot!!!! Check Out “The BEast” by Kweli and come back and holla at me!!!
BROOKLYN
This article has alot of often unmentioned truth to it. One thing is though alot of fools who spit “conscious” are from the hood too and will get in that ass and have relationships with the grimier cats from the same neighborhood. This is a interesting way to look at it though because you flipped the discussion and the discussion needs to be seen in full view.
You know as I read this and the coments, I had to think to myself ” Why are we going in on political hip-hop, when they’re Gucci Mane songs out ?” The real problem isnt the music or the artists..Its the consumers, were in a dumb downed world where if you have to take two extra seconds to think then it isnt worth our time….No one is 100% concious but some are 100% ignorant..
As previously posted, the game needs variety, There is wack conscious rap and wack gangsta shit but there is WAY more wack gangsta/killa/coon shit.
I can’t agree with this article. How bout goin after the ‘RingTone Rap’ instead of the ‘Knit Cap Rap’? I think that that term may resonate with a few more heads.
I like the Kweli quote below too
“I heard ’em say I was a conscious rapper
But I’m a monster when I have to smack the shit out of a nonsense actor”
This commentary is retarded
I also have a problem with the Brother’s timeline for the conscious era. 1984-1994? I’m wondering what his justification is for starting so early and ending so late. I put it at 1988-1992/1993.
Also I would have a hard time grouping the Geto Boys (or even A Tribe Called Quest, for that matter) as a part of the Golden Era. They had 1 or 2 conscious joints but from my recollection, they were more gangsta than they were socially or politically conscious.
Just more divisive bullshit.
There is no gangsta rap, hipster rap, backpack rap, horror core rap, zombie rap, WTF ever. There is dope and wack. There are skills and there are gimmicks. There is HipHop.
Much respect Dreadrock. My thoughts is that when you narrow it down to simply “dope and whack”, you’re merely talking about rap. Like KRS-One once stated, “rap is something you do, hip hop is something you LIVE”. I think it comes down to whether the art form is evolving into a Culture that CULTIVATES the minds and development of it’s fans, listeners, followers etc. or does it just make your head bop to a bunch of homicidal and suicidal bullshit.
The golden era was, imo, the 2nd of 3 eras in Hip Hop and the one the one era that was supposed to elevate the Black community to another level culturally and socially. Instead it got derailed by those who understand that you make more money from us when we’re dumbed down than you do when we are traveling the road to empowerment.
It sounds like the Author and many of the folks who agree with his viewpoints missed the point of the golden era and the creation of Hip Hop in general.
Nobody but white people and asians go to KRS ONE shows. This is known. Black people followed KRS until I got next…..then they wisely let him go.
i agree. there’s only good music and bad music, depending on your perspective. all this conscious rap, gangsta rap, hipster, backpack, street rap, horrorcore, and all these other labels are bullshit to me! i listen 2 one be lo, ugk, zion i, stretch money, and anybody else that sounds good 2 me!
To me, saying that conscious rap killed hip-hop is just an unfair statement. As stated by many posters below, good music is good music, plain and simple. If industry trends had not completely dumbed down the image of the street rapper, than there would be no issue with the fact that there are people who attack hip-hop from a different perspective. The point is that these guys, (Common, Black Thought, Tip) never claim to be anything that they’re not. They don’t claim thug, and they don’t act thug. The whole draw of their lyrics and music is the fact that it seems to be coming from a genuine place, something manufactured in the heart rather than through the lens of someone chasing bitches and a dollar sign. The image of the street rapper has almost become synonymous with “fake” because of the fact that the majority of these rappers who actually get shine don’t say shit once they’ve got the world listening, whereas these “knit cap rappers” are putting their soul out there through their body of work. Creative expression comes out in a ton of forms, and to say that the people who found a way to truly express themselves through hip-hop are the people who actually KILLED rap, in a time when the most commercially successful rap is generally lacking any substance whatsoever, seems to be straight up inaccurate. I completely agree that there is a need for the rebirth of the more politically-conscious but street directed music, but I think you’re blaming the wrong people for the degradation of this type of artist. There is no denying that rap has expanded as a genre since the “golden era” that you’re speaking of, so I think its more important for other people with different experiences and beliefs to start stepping up, rather than asking these cats to pipe down.
So let me get this straight, if I smoke a gang of herbal and write and essay which includes terms like post racial.I can write for HIPHOP DX…. Your soliloquy reminds that this sight must be desperate to add new material.
DX “journalists” *cough* can pay me in weed and I will write better lol
Wise Intelligent put out an album 2 years tago that was reviewed on DX tand its hard like granite. He shootin guns, smokin sensi, and giving brilliant critiques of blacks in Amerikkka. The beats are bangin and anyone who knows Wise, knows he is from the projects. He may be harder than a few of the thuggest thugs to spit raps. I say that to say, politically hard emcees are still out here. Support Support!
Was Ghandi “hard”? I am sure no one will try to argue that he was, but he did make a difference? Certainly.
First off, if you want to call out ‘conscious rappers’ on not being “hard” maybe you should do so on the basis of their music, not their headwear or appearance. Secondly, I have not once heard Kweli, Mos or Common (or a whole slew of others) say that they were conscious rappers, rather the opposite. Perhaps, they are just rappers who don’t feel the need for gimmicks or blatant thuggery and would prefer to focus on lyrics and delivery.
Hip-hop is an expansive art form and I am sorry to day that deejaying, graffiti, breaking, etc. has nearly disappeared from the radar. That being said, you need to remember that Hip-hop has something to offer everyone, not just “hard street-cats out on parole.” To stereotype the rap audience as such is certainly a disgrace o the art form itself.
The problem is not with these so-called ‘knit-cap rappers’, its with the over-the-top, blinged-out baby rap that has been coming out (ie. Soulja Boy). I’m sorry your era is over and everything, but change is adaptive. Thus, in order for Hip-Hop to evolve intellectually, we need to rid ourselves of the weakest links, which, by all accounts, is certainly not these ‘Knit-Cap Rappers.’
Our prayers are with Guru
Ghandi rapped? GTFOH….LOL
Great read! Adisa Banjoko is the absolute truth. Stay strong my friend.
Knlowledge
Adisa, I agree with almost everything you said in your article but I disagree with your generalisation. 1st I am from the class of ’92 and got an A+ in G-Funk. First Rap didn’t change society, society changed rap. Yeah the rappers of nowadays rap about money, women and cars, but what do the youth of today chase after as signs of achievement; yep you got it- women cars and money. Imagine going to the club and rocking some rapper’s opinion on the 2008 elections???? wtf???? nope not going to happen, hip hop is a business, hip hop is not an educational device(it can be used as one but isn’t one) yet we still get the songs that are religious in theme and political and socially conscious too…same black versus white / my nigga we off that / please tell Bill O’Reilly to fall back / tell Rush Limbaugh to get off my balls / this 2010 not 1864……..”Off That” Jay-Z ft. Drake or Where’s The Love by B.E.P or Hip Hop is Dead. I know we as a generation feel surrounded generally by the things that are flimsy and ephemeral but truth is the tangible things in life are never handed out… I have a friend who only listens to “hard-core rap” including M.O.P, Common, The Roots, Dead Prez, Jada and OutKast, yet he is th most socially unconscious Negro you ever met. Some are in it for money but don’t judge them for that, its their choice what music they make and your choice what music to buy everything else is just humanity.
First, I can see why the writer is bitter about the current state of “Conscious” hip hop. A lot of rappers who wear a conscious image suck/don’t talk about shit, and there is nothing worse than that. We need to hold our conscious rappers to a higher standard and demand that they actually talk about something of relevance rather than just the same lame conscious cliches-and then support these artists so they can get some mainstream shine.
BUUUUT don’t act like “Knit Cap Rap” isn’t an important part of our development as a hip hop culture. The fact is, not every rapper can do everything for everyone…but rather everyone has their own role to play. And while KCR might not be what’s up for the homie getting out of the pen (although it very well might), think about the college student demographic and how that type of music might relate to them. Cats like OneBeLo and Brother Ali have made careers based on college student’s (from lots of diff backgrounds) support, and that market wouldn’t be there for them if it weren’t for your early “knit cap rappers.” So the allegedly “soft” conscious rap u r talking about bridges the gap and opens a dialogue for more people to get involved with socially conscious music and culture.
Also, it might be time to think about revolution and resistance to social oppression in different ways. When i see these hardcore conscious rappers screamin bout shootin their way out of the system, i can’t help but see it as just venting and anger moreso than useful political action. I personally feel like we are still in dire straits as a people (black president or not), and I feel like anger is warranted, but i don’t think that’s a viable or sustainable way to fuel a political agenda. KCR lets u light one up and THINK about the problem rather than just joining the riot.
Lastly, KCR is important because it opens up new options for people to express masculinity in less formulaic and aggressive ways (aka just cuz you are a black man with an opinion don’t mean you gotta talk loud or be punchin/shootin/stabbin muufuckas UNLESS it’s necessary in that moment). I feel like as a people, we are trying to rediscover what it really means to be a man, beyond just re-enactments of the same domination and anger that we’ve been subjected to by oppressors. And so called knit cap rap talked to me about this type of stuff growing up in ways i could relate to…as cheesy as it often was lol. Peace.
Simply put… If you find yourself bitching more than not about hip-hop, then you’ve outgrown it. It has outlived it’s usefulness to you. It was amazing to us all as teenagers, now as worldly and educated adults we turn more of a critical eye to it. When in reality, our parents (the ones who really gave it a serious listen, not the closeminded ones) did the same thing to us when we were listening to it back in the 80’s-90’s. They hated it. It didn’t have enough movements and live instrumentation. But it wasn’t music for our parents. Let hip-hop take it’s natural course. It will never return to what it was because that has already been done. Let the kids enjoy what they have now. Cause all that black power rap doesn’t work so well when doing business in a global economy. It’s centrism at it’s finest. No matter what color, creed, or religion. Blacks aren’t the only disenfranchised people on planet earth. If you are turning too critical an eye to hip-hop you’ve simply outgrown it. There are some very capable musicians doing some very grown-up things in other genres (i.e. Jazz). Give some Terence Blanchard a try, or even Tv On The Radio, or listen to more Ice Cube or Scarface or Outkast or Nas (they are still making records). But don’t get mad when some 19 or 20 year old is making the kind of music that blows you away. When in reality, if you talk to a 19 or 20 year old, you’d intellectually blow them away. That is the nature of time and wisdom.
Co sign 100% one big reason rap is dying is because everyones a critic and not a fan, then again if shit is wack ppls are gonna critisize. But yeah as I get further in my twenties I see more n more of my friends losing interest in hip hop, I rap myself so it’s different for me, im in it for inspiration not entertainment. I’ll be a hip hop fan for life, because I know what I like and where to find it.
Reposted and Edited:
Simply put… If you find yourself bitching more than not about hip-hop, then you’ve outgrown it. It has outlived it’s usefulness to you. It was amazing to us all as teenagers, now as worldly and educated adults we turn more of a critical eye to it. When in reality, our parents (the ones who really gave it a serious listen, not the closeminded ones) did the same thing to us when we were listening to it back in the 80’s-90’s. They hated it. It didn’t have enough movements and live instrumentation. But it wasn’t music for our parents. Let hip-hop take it’s natural course. It will never return to what it was because that has already been done. Let the kids enjoy what they have now. Cause all that black power rap doesn’t work so well when doing business in a global economy. It’s centrism at it’s finest. No matter what color, creed, or religion. Blacks aren’t the only disenfranchised people on planet earth. If you are turning too critical an eye to hip-hop you’ve simply outgrown it. There are some very capable musicians doing some very grown-up things in other genres (i.e. Jazz). Give some Terence Blanchard a try, or even Tv On The Radio, or listen to more Ice Cube or Scarface or Outkast or Nas (they are still making records). But don’t get mad when some 19 or 20 year old is(n’t) making the kind of music that blows you away. When in reality, if you talk to that same 19 or 20 year old, you’d intellectually blow THEM away. That is the nature of time and wisdom.
If your talking about real concious music with that street/straight talk…..you have to mention dead prez (the hardest and most conscious group of all time!), NY OIL, and Wise Intelligent! it was almost insulting to see killer mike & ice cube (props to the immortal technique & paris mention) big’d up and not these dudes.
Co-sign. I kept waiting to see their name mentioned. “Somewhere between NWA & PE”.
A. immortal technique is ok, but way overrated by his fans and he says some very dumb shit.
B. Killer mike drops some real lyrics
gtfoh.immortal overrated.?
u probably to stupid to understand his shit
Correction Malcolm X left the earth with a pacifist mindset, so it’s a little disrespectful to link him to something he no longer wanted to be a part of.
this might be the most retarded article I’ve ever seen in a long time. Rappers don’t choose personalities that don’t reflect their own personality, what are you gonna do, tell Q tip to start being an aggressive person? Tell De La Soul to start packing heat and threatening whitey? These people were soft people before they were soft rappers, why tell them to change who they really are. Then your just enforcing un-authenticity on the mic you fake ffffaaaagggggooooottttt
Wow. That’s strong right there.
great point MF POON
@ YourFrigginFather:
I couldn’t DISagree with you more. First, although Hip Hop started with the youth, it eventually evolved into something that strove to be intergenerational and could therefore be enjoyed by the young and the old. The generational gap in Black music (and society in general) is a western concept that started with white folks and so-called ‘rock-and-roll’ and is not something that is native to African (American) people. Thus in the Golden era (1988-1992/93), you saw subject matter being addressed that all generations could and should relate to. We even saw the destructive generation gap being bridged in the formation of certain music groups such as X-Clan and Arrested Development as these groups contained multiple generations amongst its membership. Hip Hop needs to get BACK to this as both the young and old have much to learn from each other. But the ‘divide and conquer’ nature of the generation gap ensures that corporations continue to exploit the youth at the detriment of the Black community. Second, ‘Black Power Rap’ is not meant for the global economy. It’s meant specifically for Black people and to properly *prepare* us for the global economy. The problem is that we are struggling to survive in the global economy as slaves. Can’t happen. All we end up doing is working feverishly to ensure that the Massa’s house don’t catch fire while ours goes up in flames. Thirdly, my eye is critical towards Hip Hop is not because I’ve outgrown it but rather Hip Hop refuses to grow up with *me*. You should be able to rap at 40 and 45 and relate to a generation who can identify with what you’re talking about (life lessons, family, etc.) while a younger generation uses your music to forge their own path and evolve a foundation you started. Instead you have 40 year old rappers like Redman talking about bullshit that 20 year olds unfortunately relate to. And the youth won’t support your average 40+ rapper because they’ve been fooled to believe that *they* own Hip Hop when in fact, none of us do. The Corps. control Hip Hop and therefore ensure that Hip Hop benefits THEM in the long run, not us.
[Attempted Re-edit] @ YourFrigginFather:
I couldn’t DISagree with you more. First, although Hip Hop started with the youth, it eventually evolved into something that strove to be intergenerational and could therefore be enjoyed by the young and the old. The generational gap in Black music (and society in general) is a western concept that started with white folks and so-called ‘rock-and-roll’ and is not something that is native to African (American) people. Thus in the Golden era (1988-1992/93), you heard subject matter being addressed that all generations could and should relate to. We even saw the destructive generation gap being bridged in the formation of certain rap groups such as X-Clan and Arrested Development as these groups contained multiple generations amongst its membership. Hip Hop needs to get BACK to this as both the young and old have much to learn from each other. But the ‘divide and conquer’ nature of the generation gap ensures that corporations continue to exploit the youth at the detriment of the Black community. Second, ‘Black Power Rap’ is not meant for the global economy. It’s meant specifically for Black people and to properly *prepare* us for the global economy. The problem is that we are struggling to survive in the global economy as slaves. Can’t happen. All we end up doing is working feverishly to ensure that the Massa’s house don’t catch fire while ours goes up in flames. Thirdly, my eye is critical towards Hip Hop not because I’ve outgrown it but because Hip Hop refuses to grow up with *me*. You should be able to rap at 40 and 45 and relate to a generation who can identify with what you’re talking about (life lessons, family, etc.) while a younger generation uses your music to forge their own path and evolve a foundation you started. Instead old heads like myself (39) grow up while we watch our little Brother Hip Hop get lost on the streets. We decide that if we’re going to mature into a responsible adult we have to leave our self-destructing family and friends behind. So now you have 40 year old rappers like Redman, not taking on executive positions in the boardroom and mentoring the young emcees coming up, but instead still rhyming and talking about bullshit that 20 year olds unfortunately relate to. And the youth won’t support your average 40+ rapper today because they’ve been fooled to believe that *they* own Hip Hop when in fact, none of us do. Unfortunately, my generation sold it at a pawn shop years ago when we were cracked out in the 90’s and busy creating today’s generation of Weezy and Young Jeezy fans.
I love what you said about the false generation gap. That is a divide and destroy tactic that i never noticed. Inter-generational groups happen in plenty of music genres but in the hood, it seems like its 21 year olds vs. 40 year olds! As a 33 y.o. , I feel we should engage the youth where we have common interest instead of pokin fun at their clothes and choice of beats. I try to congratulate and support young brothers who are not helpin destroy the art form for a few constantly devaluing dollars. Check out X-Clan’s ’06 album , Return To Mecca for a 40 y.o., Brother J who is down by law!
Qtip killed it with the vivrant thang !!!! I would say that killer mike def had better songs then the one they featured
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I’m a huge fan of hiphop. I myself was born in 83 so I’m a fan mostly of late 80s, early 90s and mid 90s hiphop. As for now I’m only into that era of hiphop and early 2000s underground hiphop. Tha being said I have to disagree with you on the point you made about hiphop being the only music in the 80s that was courageous enough to be socially conscious. Hardcore punk of the 80s was way more socially conscious and more brave than hiphop during that time. These artist were actually getting into riots with police and speaking about the government in a very negative way. Granted they weren’t as popular as the hiphop artists of the day but they were way more extreme and radical and actually were out in the streets being pro active. As oppose to these “gangsta rappers” who were just in booth talking about the streets and government but weren’t actually protesting or rallying. Now I know you’ll probably say ” oh punk. That was a bunch of white boys”. Tell that to Badbrains. Finally I just wanna say that there will never be rappers talking about socially conscious subjects on the radio because there is no money in it. The youth is brainwashed. They look up to their local drug dealer or to the guy wearing the tight jeans and shirts as someone aspire to be because he’s getting money. The socially conscious Mcs will remain underground because there is no mainstream market for being smart and not talking about money, or the government or just real issues that matter in general. So you can’t blame it on the rappers like common or mos for being soft. You have to put the blame on guys like lil Wayne, kanye or jay-z for dumbing down music for the public and putting out the garbage they put out. Ok I’m done. Lol.
Gulp.
But seriously though…this piece has more wholes in it than 50. Messages can be delivered in a myraid of fashions and still be effective. Never follow and do what you feel. Now if you’d excuse me, i gotta go bump some black Korea…lol
Didn’t mention Nas.
Surprised Dead Prez wasn’t mentioned….
All this article does is makes huge unjustifiable generalizations (since when has hip hop been hijacked by the political left???) about hip hop to try to prove the author’s point that he thinks “knit cap rap” is “ruining hip hop”. First of all, in no way do I think that hip hop is “ruined”. The fact is that hip hop has changed. Hip hop is not the same genre it was in the early 90s. It has and will continue to evolve.
I could agree with the author if he was arguing that mainstream rap has been ruined. But I think that is obviously more because of rap becoming more mainstream. Mainstream rap is now (and has been for some time) at the point where it is no longer being made for urban black kids. Mainstream rap is now made to sell ringtones and itunes singles. Its made for suburban white kids, to make them think that theyre hard like the rappers they listen to, while tricking black kids into thinking they still run hip hop. Its made to make corporate record and radio execs sh*tloads of money. Mainstream rap is NOT made to improve the art form and is NOT made to uplift black folks.
However, the reason that hip hop is not “ruined” is that there are still artists putting out GOOD music that are expanding and evolving the genre. The difference between now and the early 90’s is that we all know the best rap songs/albums/artists of our time are no longer likely to get radio play, or even be well known. That is definitely a shame, and truly its what I miss most about that era.
All this article does is makes huge unjustifiable generalizations (since when has hip hop been hijacked by the political left???) about hip hop to try to prove the author’s point that he thinks “knit cap rap” is “ruining hip hop”. First of all, in no way do I think that hip hop is “ruined”. The fact is that hip hop has changed. Hip hop is not the same genre it was in the early 90s. It has and will continue to evolve.
I could agree with the author if he was arguing that mainstream rap has been ruined. But I think that is obviously more because of rap becoming more mainstream. Mainstream rap is now (and has been for some time) at the point where it is no longer being made for poor urban black kids. Mainstream rap is now made to sell ringtones and itunes singles. Its made for suburban white kids, to make them think that theyre hard like the rappers they listen to, while tricking black kids into thinking they still run hip hop. Its made to make corporate record and radio execs shtloads of money. Mainstream rap is NOT made to improve the art form and is NOT made to uplift black folks.
However, the reason that hip hop is not “ruined” is that there are still artists putting out GOOD music that are expanding and evolving the genre. The difference between now and the early 90’s is that we all know the best rap songs/albums/artists of our time are no longer likely to get radio play, or even be well known. That is definitely a shame, and truly its what I miss most about that era.
All this article does is makes huge unjustifiable generalizations (since when has hip hop been hijacked by the political left???) about hip hop to try to prove the author’s point that he thinks “knit cap rap” is “ruining hip hop”. First of all, in no way do I think that hip hop is “ruined”. The fact is that hip hop has changed. Hip hop is not the same genre it was in the early 90s. It has and will continue to evolve.
I could agree with the author if he was arguing that mainstream rap has been ruined. But I think that is obviously more because of rap becoming more mainstream. Mainstream rap is now (and has been for some time) at the point where it is no longer being made for poor urban black kids. Mainstream rap is now made to sell ringtones and itunes singles. Its made for suburban white kids, to make them think that theyre hard like the rappers they listen to, while tricking black kids into thinking they still run hip hop. Its made to make corporate record and radio execs s***loads of money. Mainstream rap is NOT made to improve the art form and is NOT made to uplift black folks.
However, the reason that hip hop is not “ruined” is that there are still artists putting out GOOD music that are expanding and evolving the genre. The difference between now and the early 90’s is that we all know the best rap songs/albums/artists of our time are no longer likely to get radio play, or even be well known. That is definitely a shame, and truly its what I miss most about that era.
All this article does is makes huge unjustifiable generalizations (since when has hip hop been hijacked by the political left???) about hip hop to try to prove the author’s point that he thinks “knit cap rap” is “ruining hip hop”. First of all, in no way do I think that hip hop is “ruined”. The fact is that hip hop has changed. Hip hop is not the same genre it was in the early 90s. It has and will continue to evolve.
I could agree with the author if he was arguing that mainstream rap has been ruined. But I think that is obviously more because of rap becoming more mainstream. Mainstream rap is now (and has been for some time) at the point where it is no longer being made for poor urban black kids. Mainstream rap is now made to sell ringtones and itunes singles. Its made for suburban white kids, to make them think that theyre hard like the rappers they listen to, while tricking black kids into thinking they still run hip hop. Its made to make corporate record and radio execs s—loads of money. Mainstream rap is NOT made to improve the art form and is NOT made to uplift black folks.
However, the reason that hip hop is not “ruined” is that there are still artists putting out GOOD music that are expanding and evolving the genre. The difference between now and the early 90’s is that we all know the best rap songs/albums/artists of our time are no longer likely to get radio play, or even be well known. That is definitely a shame, and truly its what I miss most about that era.
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I agree with some points made, but you can’t blame concious rap for single-handedly ruining rap. There are way more other factors at play for the way rap is now.