Fresh off the heels of Kanye West‘s amazing performance at this year’s Coachella Music and Arts Festival, we’re examining how hip-hop got here. It wasn’t that long ago that a hip-hop performance was one of two things.
A) Two turntables and a mic AKA lone man (or woman) onstage with little to no stage presence, holding a microphone to his/her mouth, reciting muffled lyrics while a crowd followed along, or B) a mess of MCs and their entourage on stage, shuffling around, passing each other the mic while concertgoers tried to identify the extra people onstage.
Hip-hop’s come a long way … but how?
Dissecting Kanye’s Coachella performance and comparing other recent and notable shows from hip-hop elite, like Jay-Z and Lil Wayne, there’s no denying that hip-hop has gone rock n’ roll.
Exhibit A: The performance has become a much bigger deal nowadays. We can’t help but notice that rappers have taken some cues from the U2s and Rolling Stones of the music world. When Jay-Z wanted to sell out Madison Square Garden (without adding a slew of other artists to the line-up) and put on a show worthy of a television special, the rap star got him self a band. And not just any band. Hov went all out and made sure that he could turn any one of his hits into a rap-rock mashup.
Lil Wayne would go even further and begin donning a guitar onstage, thus sparking “Rebirth,” an album slammed by critics despite it actually selling 176,000 copies in its first week on shelves. Nowadays, Weezy leaves the guitar playing to the professionals, but don’t think he’s lost his desire to rock out, former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker is currently accompanying Wayne on his “I Am Still Music” tour.
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Jay and Wayne have added drums, strings, keys and more to their sets, but Kanye is going the pop-rock route. From elaborate installations and light shows, to (most recently) grand entrances [see: Kanye Closes Coachella on a Crane], ‘Ye has abandoned the pastel sweaters and Louis Vuitton backpack for rock-star digs and monster shows.
Now, there’s no denying that these upgrades in performances are greatly appreciated, but the real question is, why the change? It’d be safe to link the aforementioned changes to … well, what else but money?
With it becoming increasingly harder to sell records and more and more likely that the masses will have downloaded an album before its actual release date, a savvy artist realizes that the best way to make money is by selling-out arenas. This is two-fold. Not only do Jay, Kanye and Weezy have to draw a crowd in the multi-thousands in order to bring home the big bread, but, as we’ve seen with Jay-Z’s Glastonbury performance and Kanye’s 2008 appearance at Bonnaroo, performing at large venues helps them grab a larger fanbase.
From age and racial make up to scene, Jay-Z’s 2010 Coachella show put Jigga in good with the indie kids, while Lil Wayne’s “I Am Music” tour helps the rapper sell records to an audience that has no recollection of his days as a Hot Boy.
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Not only have rappers adopted the touring style of rock stars, but the heads of the hip-hop hierarchy are teaming up with their rock counterparts now more than ever. Jay-Z calls on John Mayer and Coldplay’s Chris Martin to add edge to his shows and Kanye won’t hesitate to jump in the booth with Bon Iver, Daft Punk and Esthero, just to name a few.
So, where do we go from here? Well, hip-hop going rock ‘n roll has put more money in the music industry than one could’ve ever dreamed of 30 years ago, when rappers were beat-boxing and freestyling on the corner. But for every pro there’s a con.
The success gap between artists who sell out amphitheaters and everyone else, is a big one. So, what Kanye, Jay and Weezy have done won’t work for everyone. Rocking out with a band, getting some famous non-hip-hop friends willing to jump on a track and wearing red leather from head to toe doesn’t equal success and won’t work for Wu-Tang.
Finding a happy medium could be key. Let’s support our rappers-turned-rock stars when they headline Bonnaroo. But don’t forget to check out the MCs playing your local dive.
