So… Is It really Hip Hop?
Everybody has a different perception of what Hip-Hop is and should be. When this question pops up, it is guaranteed to create a debate. This discussion has been had countless times and depending upon who you ask, the answer always changes. We all know where Hip-Hop started and with whom but the question still remains, when we hear certain songs… Can we really call that Hip-Hop?
For the longest time, rappers were judged on their lyrical skill and content. As time went on, the genre changed and different factors started to come into play. Nowadays, there is a lot of music in the Hip Hop culture that incorporates catchy hooks, auto-tune, and other things that for me, give it a borderline “Hip Hop” status. I recently had this conversation with someone over the new Drake tune “Find Your Love”. A friend of mine tried to tell me that this was a “Hip Hop” song. I disagreed completely. This was a Hip Hop artist singing a song. I want to call it R&B Hop, if you will. But that’s just my opinion. I mean, it is a great song but where are the “Hip Hop” characteristics to it? It sounds like an up-beat RNB tune. It is a signature “Drake” tune, well written and the beat is catchy.
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There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting your own spin on a tune but I think this type of music should not be put into a Hip-Hop category. This type of music being classified as Hip-Hop makes it difficult for the traditional, hard Hip-Hop to shine through. A lot of the music we hear on the radio is that borderline, mainstream Hip-Hop. Artists like Souljah Boy slipped through the cracks and blew up because of this mis-categorization of music. Can you really compare Nas and Souljah boy and put them in the same category? Lyrically?
Photo from theBoomBox.com
Ether vs. Crank That? Really? Ummmm. Nope. Are both of those songs considered “Hip Hop”? My apologizes but a tune with instructional dance hooks and nursery rhyme lyrics are not “Hip Hop” in my book. It’s almost a shame that the only way for real Hip Hop artists to shine through is to collabo with Jay-Z or move around through the Underground circuit.
Before Drake, Kanye West was guilty of making R&B Hop. His 808 album was awesome but a lot of the tunes had that R&B, artist singing the hook, feel to it. He is taking a different approach I see because he has SuperProducer Pete Rock in his corner. I can’t wait for my ears to sample the finished product. Two creative minds at work in the lab… GENIUS! R&B Hop like tunes need to take a backseat. While I enjoy listening to them and nodding my head to their catchy beats and lyrics, I would much rather turn on the radio to some real Hip Hop.
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