References
Rap Music's Evolution Interactive Timeline
Old School
Click on each plus to learn more
New School
Today, rap still stands, albeit very different from its predecessing generations
Rap is born at a New York block party
Golden Era
The Forever Story
JID's magnum opus and its implications
Supposed peak lyricism and production of rap
The Forever Story
Back cover for The Forever Story
On August 26, 2022, the rapper JID released his third studio album The Forever Story. This politically-conscious hip-hop project is littered with demonstrations of lyrical mastery, excellent production, and a great track listing. In the realm of discussion on the evolution of rap music, The Forever Story serves as an example of how certain elements such as production and topics have changed from the previous eras of hip-hop. Within this album, specific focus is placed on the song “Surround Sound,” which contains a similar instrumental to the 1999 Mos Def song “Ms. Fat Booty.” This commonality drove a discussion in the hip-hop community over how rap as a genre has changed over time, and how the style and themes of rap have changed. Additionally, The Forever Story contains multiple callbacks to the conscious hip-hop albums that inspired JID to become a rapper. The project contains a chorus that matches the cadence of the 1998 Outkast song “Rosa Parks” along with another chorus reminiscent of Kanye’s chorus on his song “We Don’t Care." While on the surface each of these callbacks to earlier MCs only serves as fun references, each example serves as a microcosm of how hip-hop has evolved over time. Though JID borrows elements from the songs that came before him such as the samples and subject matter, he approaches them in a much more modern, trap-inspired approach. This dissociation from the earlier generations of rap brings new discussions on how the genre itself has changed, both in order to fit with what topics are being discussed in the current world and to fit with ideas of marketability to record labels.
Galaxy - JID
Click each image to learn more about information about the old school scene
Old School/Rap's Genesis
"Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang
On August 13th, 1973, Clive Campbell was DJing a party in the Bronx under the name DJ Kool Herc. He began creating “breakbeats,” which are small, looped portions of percussion. As Cambell created new instrumentals on the fly, his friend Coke La Rock began to shout over the breakbeats. After this event, DJ Kool Herc began to perform for more events in the same manner as the aforementioned Bronx party. This style of music became increasingly popular in the New York underground scene, and slowly crept its way up into the mainstream. From this, the rap music genre was formed.
Scene of 70s New York, a portrait of project housing
"I AM A MAN," an anti-racism protest that took place from the 1970s-80s
Click each image to learn more about the Golden Era of rap
Rap's Golden Era
The logos for record labels Death Row Records and Bad Boy Entertainment, two labels that had beef during this era of rap
As the 1980s came to a close, a transition began inside the musical side of rap. The Golden Era is often placed on a pedestal by older listeners of rap, describing this time as a time of lyrical mastery, innovation in beat production, and diversity of content within the music. Rap as a whole became noticeably more aggressive in response to how young blacks felt they had been treated by the justice system, and for the first time many new rappers were not afraid to use music as an outlet to discuss political grievances. Along with lyrical evolution, the beats themselves became less dependant on funk samples and increasingly aggressive.
Illmatic by Nas, Queensbridge public housing behind him
Things Fall Apart by The Roots, a protest taking place on the cover
Click each image to learn more about Modern Rap
Rap in the Modern Era
T-Pain, a symbol of the pop-era/bling-era of rap
As the 1990s progressed, the previous Golden Era came to an end. New School embraced both trap sounds and pop music elements, along with a continued discussion of poverty and economic struggle. The ideas of racial injustice evolved however, evolved heavily in this generation due to a large amount of digitalization and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Additionally, the newer more digitalized age saw a difference in how rap was spread. Music videos became much more popular, especially on YouTube, and streaming services were pioneered in this age of rap.
Kendrick Lamar back in his hometown of Compton for the "King Kunta" music video
Obama with various MCs
Scene of a block party in 70s New York
Economic Struggle in New York
The early 1980s were a time period marked by economic struggle, especially in the birthplace of rap, New York. The collapse of the economy in the greater New York metropolitan area birthed the social climate of many lower-income urban areas. These areas contained many newly created forms of music, fashion trends, and clubs that served as havens for New York’s cultural elements. Within these clubs, rap music was able to reach the mainstream because of how accessible they were to the average New Yorker. People flocked to DJ shows and clubs and were aditted for extremely low prices. These remarkably low prices served as an easy way for rap to market itself, especially since the earlier generations of music relied heavily on word of mouth. The 1980s were an economic low point for New York, and these conditions paved the way for the formation of the rap genre as a way of escape from the impoverished ways of life.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Record Labels and Early Rap
Rap found itself within the public eye for the first time after “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang was played on radios all around America. Residing in the public eye was also the attention of record labels. Music industry labels took a special interest in the newly formed genre along with the freshly popularized artists that birthed the genre. This interest was partly due to the financial problems that often plagued the lower-income community that created rap, as record labels knew they could exploit the naivety of rappers new to the music industry. The American music industry was no stranger to the presence of black-dominant music, as black artists were often taken advantage of by white-owned record labels. Eventually, rap pioneers such as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were picked up by Sugarhill Records in the attempt to cash in on the growing trend. Within this formation of a partnership Grandmaster Flash states he had entered a bad record deal at the time. While on the label, Flash put out multiple records he was unhappy with, and eventually left his record label. Not only did record labels affect musical output, but his sounds as well. As labels took further control of rap music, the labels urged rappers to merge their music with popular, established genres in order to increase marketability to white audiences. The record labels had a huge impact on the output of old-school rap music, often favoring quantity and sales of the music rather than whether or not the artists themselves were happy with the quality of their records.
Ronald Reagan, the person who many blame for the increase in racism in the 80s
Racial Struggle and Old School
Within this era is the least noticeable presence of any mentions of racial injustice. While white record labels continued to exploit rappers, very little was mentioned in the songs these artists were releasing. Though the music was formed out of an escape from the racial injustice of the 1980s, the grievances with the Reagan era was not a primary factor of the music itself. Though as the Reagan presidency’s persistence of injustice continued, rap music reve to expose racial injustices, which transitioned into the next era of rap.
Nas posing in front of Queensbridge project housing
Poverty in the Golden Era
The Golden Era of rappers saw the same economic struggle that the Old School rappers encountered. The difference in this generation was the extent to which the artists let this struggle seep into their music. The songs that came out of this generation were often found depicting images of ghetto struggle, classism, and gang violence. Though some of these rappers had made it out of the poverty-stricken neighborhoods they were born into, the residuals of these area’s circumstances are still found within their songs. The inclusion of poverty also allowed rappers to reach audiences that were placed into similar economic situations that they were put into themselves. Slowly but surely, the economic struggle began to play a larger and larger role in the creation of rap music, and in music videos as these impoverished neighborhoods were put on full visual display. The music of the Golden Era followed a formula in the ideas of showing poverty, each video and song displaying the rapper's birthplace to show the viewer the social and economic factors that led to the creation of their music. Though adversity through sub-par class placement has been an issue plaguing young African Americans for decades, the effects of this adversity had now been presented in rap.
The World is Yours - Nas
A frame from the music video for Tupac's B.I.G diss track "Hit 'Em Up"
Record Labels and the Birth of "Rap Beef"
As rap grew as a genre, its topics diversified. Within the Golden Era came the introduction of topics such as money, sex, and drugs in the lyrical content of rap music. These topics were further popularized after record labels saw these types of songs were profitable, directly contrasting the more politically-concious music in both the underground and mainstream areas of the genre. Record labels of this era can be seen as both a further introduction to both politically charged rap and puerile rap, it would depend on the artist on the label. When discussing record labels, it's important to mention how these labels also caused the formation of the first forms of “diss tracks.” In a diss track, rappers would create songs with the sole purpose of insulting another rapper, or the opposing record label. Perhaps the most famous example of diss tracks being flung back and forth was between Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. A big cause of the diss tracks between the two was their allegiance to different record labels, those being Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records respectively. These diss tracks were huge upon their release, as they were perhaps the two most popular MCs to ever touch a mic. Sadly, both died shortly after release. Both of these record labels had created a new form of rap music, now being focused solely on insulting others in the rap game.
Hit 'Em Up - Tupac
N.W.A's run in with the police in the movie Straight Outta Compton
Racial Injustice on Full Blast
The Golden Era saw a large spike in discussing racial inequality in America. The main focus was primarily placed on the racial profiling of the police force and the justice system. Rap groups such as N.W.A put their hatred of the police on full blast in songs such as “F*ck Tha Police” N.W.A wasn’t the only group to rap about their encounters with the police, as rap groups such as KRS-One discussed their political grievances in their music as well. Song topics often included negative feelings towards the police's treatment of African Americans in America. The continued struggle with racial injustice caused an increased inclusion of aggressive and politically charged lyrics in the Golden Era, effectively transitioning from the Old School into the Golden Era.
F*ck Tha Police - N.W.A
A frame from "Money" by JID, a song depicting the struggles of growing up in poverty
Class Struggle in the Digital Age
While many rappers had made it out of their impoverished neighborhoods while making their songs, the topic of class struggle still persists within the music. According to a study by rap researcher Cassandra Chaney (2018), modern songs such as “The Blacker the Berry” by Kendrick Lamar, “I Have a Dream” by Common, and “Reagan” by Killer Mike are all examples of modern rap songs that discuss the struggles of poverty.
Money - JID
A frame from the music video for "Thugz Mansion" by Mozzy
Record Labels and the Internet
In the New School era, record labels continued to push for the illusions of grandeur within the rap world. Especially since the New School era was defined by an increase in music videos that go along with the songs themselves, these videos often displayed the aforementioned “puerile” elements. In research done by Johnson (2008), he described the “rap world” displayed in music videos, pointing out the inclusion of expensive cars, houses, and luxuries only affordable to the most wealthy. Along with record labels changing the landscape of music videos, the songs themselves began to match the increasingly popular genre of pop music, as many artists began including a pop-inspired hook within each song. Much like previous generations, record labels attempted to merge rap into other popular genres of music in order to increase marketability and radio play.
Thugz Mansion - Mozzy
A frame from the music video for "Thug Mansion" by Mozzy
Record Labels and the Internet
In the New School era, record labels continued to push for the illusions of grandeur within the rap world. Especially since the New School era was defined by an increase in music videos that go along with the songs themselves, these videos often displayed the aforementioned “puerile” elements. In research done by Johnson (2008), he described the “rap world” displayed in music videos, pointing out the inclusion of expensive cars, houses, and luxuries only affordable to the most wealthy. Along with record labels changing the landscape of music videos, the songs themselves began to match the increasingly popular genre of pop music, as many artists began including a pop-inspired hook within each song. Much like previous generations, record labels attempted to merge rap into other popular genres of music in order to increase marketability and radio play.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar and Barack Obama in the White House
Racism, Politics, and Obama
New School found itself in an odd position in terms of racial politics. While this generation still found itself dealing with similar plights of racism, the digital age, Black Lives Matter movement, and Obama’s election majorly changed the landscape of rap music’s relationship with racial struggle. As rap music entered the internet age, the spread of protest movements streamlined, and many rappers used this in order to promote music associated with the growing amount of protests. The popularity of these movements exploded, and in response it spurred a wave of politically charged hip-hop from artists like J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Joey Bada$$. New artists had been born from the politics of the current age, and the music became a reflection of movements such as the Black Lives Matter. Additionally to the bigger names, smaller artists such as Seattle rapper Yonny also reflect this recent spike in political rap , saying “it's just fuel … anything that’s happening is just used as another reason to make another song." The 2008 election of Barack Obama also saw a turning point within the politics of hip-hop, as it was one of the first times that the rap community blatantly supported a certain presidential candidate over another. Since the beginning of his election run, Obama commented on how he was a huge fan of the rap genre, citing Jay-Z and Kanye West as two of his favorites. After Obama came out with his public support of hip-hop, the political aspect of many rappers shifted to attracting voters in hopes to elect America’s first black president. The 2008 presidential run progressed, and hip-hop appeared as a symbol for both political consciousness as the youth vote. Hip-hop and its ideas with politics fully aligned with generation, and rap became synonymous with the ideas of fighting racism and promoting black nationalism to the younger, digitized generation.
References
Anasi, R. (2017). Listen to the ground: The post-disco, post-punk, hip-hop and art scene of early 1980s New York. TLS. Times Literary Supplement, (5944), 10+. https://link-gale-com.lscsproxy2.lonestar.edu/apps/doc/A634849902/GPS?u=nhmccd_main&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=336b36ad
Berman, E. (1993). The godfathers of rap. Rolling Stone, 672/673, 137.
Chaney, C. (2018). 'You Can Never Kill Me': Racism and resilience in Hip Hop. Journal of Popular Music Education, 2(1-2), 81+. https://link-gale-com.lscsproxy2.lonestar.edu/apps/doc/A553906210/GPS?u=nhmccd_main&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=db619f3a
Cromartie, J. V. (2018). Black Social Movements Past and Present: A Comparative Analysis of the Black Arts Movement and the Hip Hop Movement. Journal of Pan African Studies,11(6), 77+. https://link-gale-com.lscsproxy2.lonestar.edu/apps/doc/A541103908/GPS?u=nhmccd_main&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=fda60c02
Duinker, B. (2020). Song Form and Mainstreaming in Hip-Hop Music. Current Musicology, (107), 93+. https://link-gale-com.lscsproxy2.lonestar.edu/apps/doc/A651877236/GPS?u=nhmccd_main&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=e992d5f3
JID. (2022). The Forever Story [Album]. Dreamville Records.
Johnson, C. K. (2008). Danceable capitalism: hip-hop's link to corporate space. Journal of Pan African Studies, 2(4), 80+. https://link-gale-com.lscsproxy2.lonestar.edu/apps/doc/A192353390/GPS?u=nhmccd_main&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=40192f1a
Lena, J. C. (2006). Social context and musical content of rap music, 1979-1995. Social Forces, 85(1), 479+. https://link-gale-com.lscsproxy2.lonestar.edu/apps/doc/A152373434/GPS?u=nhmccd_main&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=337d1f3e
Peisner, D. (2016). Hip-Hop’s Protest Era. Rolling Stone, 1267, 11–12.
Pritchard, G. W. (2013). Hip-Hop Culture and Rap Music. In P. L. Mason (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Race and Racism (2nd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 313-316). Macmillan Reference USA. https://link-gale-com.lscsproxy2.lonestar.edu/apps/doc/CX4190600218/SUIC?u=nhmccd_main&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid=90f8e267
Richmond, S. K. (2013). Paint the White House black!! A critical discourse analysis look at hip hop's social, cultural, and political influence on the Presidency of Barack Obama. The Western Journal of Black Studies, 37(4), 249+. https://link-gale-com.lscsproxy2.lonestar.edu/apps/doc/A384438972/GPS?u=nhmccd_main&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=3a89462f
Tibbs, D. F. (2012). From black power to hip hop: discussing race, policing, and the Fourth Amendment through the "war on" paradigm. Journal of Gender, Race and Justice, 15(1), 47+. https://link-gale-com.lscsproxy2.lonestar.edu/apps/doc/A344208545/GPS?u=nhmccd_main&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=0a3d5cb3
Yonny. (2023, February 24). Personal Communication.
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Transcript
References
Rap Music's Evolution Interactive Timeline
Old School
Click on each plus to learn more
New School
Today, rap still stands, albeit very different from its predecessing generations
Rap is born at a New York block party
Golden Era
The Forever Story
JID's magnum opus and its implications
Supposed peak lyricism and production of rap
The Forever Story
Back cover for The Forever Story
On August 26, 2022, the rapper JID released his third studio album The Forever Story. This politically-conscious hip-hop project is littered with demonstrations of lyrical mastery, excellent production, and a great track listing. In the realm of discussion on the evolution of rap music, The Forever Story serves as an example of how certain elements such as production and topics have changed from the previous eras of hip-hop. Within this album, specific focus is placed on the song “Surround Sound,” which contains a similar instrumental to the 1999 Mos Def song “Ms. Fat Booty.” This commonality drove a discussion in the hip-hop community over how rap as a genre has changed over time, and how the style and themes of rap have changed. Additionally, The Forever Story contains multiple callbacks to the conscious hip-hop albums that inspired JID to become a rapper. The project contains a chorus that matches the cadence of the 1998 Outkast song “Rosa Parks” along with another chorus reminiscent of Kanye’s chorus on his song “We Don’t Care." While on the surface each of these callbacks to earlier MCs only serves as fun references, each example serves as a microcosm of how hip-hop has evolved over time. Though JID borrows elements from the songs that came before him such as the samples and subject matter, he approaches them in a much more modern, trap-inspired approach. This dissociation from the earlier generations of rap brings new discussions on how the genre itself has changed, both in order to fit with what topics are being discussed in the current world and to fit with ideas of marketability to record labels.
Galaxy - JID
Click each image to learn more about information about the old school scene
Old School/Rap's Genesis
"Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang
On August 13th, 1973, Clive Campbell was DJing a party in the Bronx under the name DJ Kool Herc. He began creating “breakbeats,” which are small, looped portions of percussion. As Cambell created new instrumentals on the fly, his friend Coke La Rock began to shout over the breakbeats. After this event, DJ Kool Herc began to perform for more events in the same manner as the aforementioned Bronx party. This style of music became increasingly popular in the New York underground scene, and slowly crept its way up into the mainstream. From this, the rap music genre was formed.
Scene of 70s New York, a portrait of project housing
"I AM A MAN," an anti-racism protest that took place from the 1970s-80s
Click each image to learn more about the Golden Era of rap
Rap's Golden Era
The logos for record labels Death Row Records and Bad Boy Entertainment, two labels that had beef during this era of rap
As the 1980s came to a close, a transition began inside the musical side of rap. The Golden Era is often placed on a pedestal by older listeners of rap, describing this time as a time of lyrical mastery, innovation in beat production, and diversity of content within the music. Rap as a whole became noticeably more aggressive in response to how young blacks felt they had been treated by the justice system, and for the first time many new rappers were not afraid to use music as an outlet to discuss political grievances. Along with lyrical evolution, the beats themselves became less dependant on funk samples and increasingly aggressive.
Illmatic by Nas, Queensbridge public housing behind him
Things Fall Apart by The Roots, a protest taking place on the cover
Click each image to learn more about Modern Rap
Rap in the Modern Era
T-Pain, a symbol of the pop-era/bling-era of rap
As the 1990s progressed, the previous Golden Era came to an end. New School embraced both trap sounds and pop music elements, along with a continued discussion of poverty and economic struggle. The ideas of racial injustice evolved however, evolved heavily in this generation due to a large amount of digitalization and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Additionally, the newer more digitalized age saw a difference in how rap was spread. Music videos became much more popular, especially on YouTube, and streaming services were pioneered in this age of rap.
Kendrick Lamar back in his hometown of Compton for the "King Kunta" music video
Obama with various MCs
Scene of a block party in 70s New York
Economic Struggle in New York
The early 1980s were a time period marked by economic struggle, especially in the birthplace of rap, New York. The collapse of the economy in the greater New York metropolitan area birthed the social climate of many lower-income urban areas. These areas contained many newly created forms of music, fashion trends, and clubs that served as havens for New York’s cultural elements. Within these clubs, rap music was able to reach the mainstream because of how accessible they were to the average New Yorker. People flocked to DJ shows and clubs and were aditted for extremely low prices. These remarkably low prices served as an easy way for rap to market itself, especially since the earlier generations of music relied heavily on word of mouth. The 1980s were an economic low point for New York, and these conditions paved the way for the formation of the rap genre as a way of escape from the impoverished ways of life.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Record Labels and Early Rap
Rap found itself within the public eye for the first time after “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang was played on radios all around America. Residing in the public eye was also the attention of record labels. Music industry labels took a special interest in the newly formed genre along with the freshly popularized artists that birthed the genre. This interest was partly due to the financial problems that often plagued the lower-income community that created rap, as record labels knew they could exploit the naivety of rappers new to the music industry. The American music industry was no stranger to the presence of black-dominant music, as black artists were often taken advantage of by white-owned record labels. Eventually, rap pioneers such as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were picked up by Sugarhill Records in the attempt to cash in on the growing trend. Within this formation of a partnership Grandmaster Flash states he had entered a bad record deal at the time. While on the label, Flash put out multiple records he was unhappy with, and eventually left his record label. Not only did record labels affect musical output, but his sounds as well. As labels took further control of rap music, the labels urged rappers to merge their music with popular, established genres in order to increase marketability to white audiences. The record labels had a huge impact on the output of old-school rap music, often favoring quantity and sales of the music rather than whether or not the artists themselves were happy with the quality of their records.
Ronald Reagan, the person who many blame for the increase in racism in the 80s
Racial Struggle and Old School
Within this era is the least noticeable presence of any mentions of racial injustice. While white record labels continued to exploit rappers, very little was mentioned in the songs these artists were releasing. Though the music was formed out of an escape from the racial injustice of the 1980s, the grievances with the Reagan era was not a primary factor of the music itself. Though as the Reagan presidency’s persistence of injustice continued, rap music reve to expose racial injustices, which transitioned into the next era of rap.
Nas posing in front of Queensbridge project housing
Poverty in the Golden Era
The Golden Era of rappers saw the same economic struggle that the Old School rappers encountered. The difference in this generation was the extent to which the artists let this struggle seep into their music. The songs that came out of this generation were often found depicting images of ghetto struggle, classism, and gang violence. Though some of these rappers had made it out of the poverty-stricken neighborhoods they were born into, the residuals of these area’s circumstances are still found within their songs. The inclusion of poverty also allowed rappers to reach audiences that were placed into similar economic situations that they were put into themselves. Slowly but surely, the economic struggle began to play a larger and larger role in the creation of rap music, and in music videos as these impoverished neighborhoods were put on full visual display. The music of the Golden Era followed a formula in the ideas of showing poverty, each video and song displaying the rapper's birthplace to show the viewer the social and economic factors that led to the creation of their music. Though adversity through sub-par class placement has been an issue plaguing young African Americans for decades, the effects of this adversity had now been presented in rap.
The World is Yours - Nas
A frame from the music video for Tupac's B.I.G diss track "Hit 'Em Up"
Record Labels and the Birth of "Rap Beef"
As rap grew as a genre, its topics diversified. Within the Golden Era came the introduction of topics such as money, sex, and drugs in the lyrical content of rap music. These topics were further popularized after record labels saw these types of songs were profitable, directly contrasting the more politically-concious music in both the underground and mainstream areas of the genre. Record labels of this era can be seen as both a further introduction to both politically charged rap and puerile rap, it would depend on the artist on the label. When discussing record labels, it's important to mention how these labels also caused the formation of the first forms of “diss tracks.” In a diss track, rappers would create songs with the sole purpose of insulting another rapper, or the opposing record label. Perhaps the most famous example of diss tracks being flung back and forth was between Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. A big cause of the diss tracks between the two was their allegiance to different record labels, those being Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records respectively. These diss tracks were huge upon their release, as they were perhaps the two most popular MCs to ever touch a mic. Sadly, both died shortly after release. Both of these record labels had created a new form of rap music, now being focused solely on insulting others in the rap game.
Hit 'Em Up - Tupac
N.W.A's run in with the police in the movie Straight Outta Compton
Racial Injustice on Full Blast
The Golden Era saw a large spike in discussing racial inequality in America. The main focus was primarily placed on the racial profiling of the police force and the justice system. Rap groups such as N.W.A put their hatred of the police on full blast in songs such as “F*ck Tha Police” N.W.A wasn’t the only group to rap about their encounters with the police, as rap groups such as KRS-One discussed their political grievances in their music as well. Song topics often included negative feelings towards the police's treatment of African Americans in America. The continued struggle with racial injustice caused an increased inclusion of aggressive and politically charged lyrics in the Golden Era, effectively transitioning from the Old School into the Golden Era.
F*ck Tha Police - N.W.A
A frame from "Money" by JID, a song depicting the struggles of growing up in poverty
Class Struggle in the Digital Age
While many rappers had made it out of their impoverished neighborhoods while making their songs, the topic of class struggle still persists within the music. According to a study by rap researcher Cassandra Chaney (2018), modern songs such as “The Blacker the Berry” by Kendrick Lamar, “I Have a Dream” by Common, and “Reagan” by Killer Mike are all examples of modern rap songs that discuss the struggles of poverty.
Money - JID
A frame from the music video for "Thugz Mansion" by Mozzy
Record Labels and the Internet
In the New School era, record labels continued to push for the illusions of grandeur within the rap world. Especially since the New School era was defined by an increase in music videos that go along with the songs themselves, these videos often displayed the aforementioned “puerile” elements. In research done by Johnson (2008), he described the “rap world” displayed in music videos, pointing out the inclusion of expensive cars, houses, and luxuries only affordable to the most wealthy. Along with record labels changing the landscape of music videos, the songs themselves began to match the increasingly popular genre of pop music, as many artists began including a pop-inspired hook within each song. Much like previous generations, record labels attempted to merge rap into other popular genres of music in order to increase marketability and radio play.
Thugz Mansion - Mozzy
A frame from the music video for "Thug Mansion" by Mozzy
Record Labels and the Internet
In the New School era, record labels continued to push for the illusions of grandeur within the rap world. Especially since the New School era was defined by an increase in music videos that go along with the songs themselves, these videos often displayed the aforementioned “puerile” elements. In research done by Johnson (2008), he described the “rap world” displayed in music videos, pointing out the inclusion of expensive cars, houses, and luxuries only affordable to the most wealthy. Along with record labels changing the landscape of music videos, the songs themselves began to match the increasingly popular genre of pop music, as many artists began including a pop-inspired hook within each song. Much like previous generations, record labels attempted to merge rap into other popular genres of music in order to increase marketability and radio play.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar and Barack Obama in the White House
Racism, Politics, and Obama
New School found itself in an odd position in terms of racial politics. While this generation still found itself dealing with similar plights of racism, the digital age, Black Lives Matter movement, and Obama’s election majorly changed the landscape of rap music’s relationship with racial struggle. As rap music entered the internet age, the spread of protest movements streamlined, and many rappers used this in order to promote music associated with the growing amount of protests. The popularity of these movements exploded, and in response it spurred a wave of politically charged hip-hop from artists like J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Joey Bada$$. New artists had been born from the politics of the current age, and the music became a reflection of movements such as the Black Lives Matter. Additionally to the bigger names, smaller artists such as Seattle rapper Yonny also reflect this recent spike in political rap , saying “it's just fuel … anything that’s happening is just used as another reason to make another song." The 2008 election of Barack Obama also saw a turning point within the politics of hip-hop, as it was one of the first times that the rap community blatantly supported a certain presidential candidate over another. Since the beginning of his election run, Obama commented on how he was a huge fan of the rap genre, citing Jay-Z and Kanye West as two of his favorites. After Obama came out with his public support of hip-hop, the political aspect of many rappers shifted to attracting voters in hopes to elect America’s first black president. The 2008 presidential run progressed, and hip-hop appeared as a symbol for both political consciousness as the youth vote. Hip-hop and its ideas with politics fully aligned with generation, and rap became synonymous with the ideas of fighting racism and promoting black nationalism to the younger, digitized generation.
References
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