What Is Hip-Hop?
I'm back again with a topic this time that I hope really starts jogging people's minds. However, I can't take the credit for this. I really started thinking about this after I read the comment from emdee44. I suggest that everybody read the entire comment that he left under the second blog because it is extremely thought provoking and will really have you thinking about some stuff. However, one thing that I started thinking about after reading his comment is what exactly is hip hop?
The point that was made was that both KRS-One and Plies are hip hop, but do hip hop heads agree with that? For me, I guess in the sense that we feel as though we have to put a title on something or else we seem to be completely lost, then sure I guess Plies would be considered hip hop. But in the sense of what hip hop is supposed to embody and represent, is he? In an interview, he said that, one of the reasons he isn't very lyrical is because in order to be lyrical, you can't be 100% honest. Number one, I have not heard any of Plies albums, but as much as he talks about being a "goon" I'm almost certain that somewhere on his album he probably talks about killing somebody. Is he really being 100% honest on his album? I sincerely doubt it. Yet, this is his reason for not trying to uphold what we in hip hop consider to be one of the 5 pinnacles (break dancing, DJing, graffiti, beat boxing, and MCing). [I have to insert here that most of these other than MCing are not held as high as they use to be either, but it is for this reason that we need to continue to uphold MCing as much as possible.] I don't want to make this a Plies bashing, he is just an example of a number of rappers out today that fit this mold. I guess my point is, because these rappers do not take the art seriously and actually try to make an effort to uphold MCing (at least it doesn't seem that way), can we really consider them to be hip hop?
We can even take it one step further and ask if there are certain elements that can classify somebody as not being hip hop. This was a major discussion when Kanye came out with 808s & Heartbreaks. Aside from Kanye creating what he believed to be his own genre, the fact that he used Autotune throughout the album, does that disqualify it from being hip hop? Or was it the fact that he was singing a lot more? Or both? Kanye has always prided himself on "pushing the limits" of hip hop, from his dress to the music, but is there a limit? Personally, I am completely against Autotune unless it is on T-Pain's voice, at least in hip hop. The main reason for this is because it just became a fad and everybody started to do it. I think that it did in some ways take away from the creativity of artists because instead of having to think of a sweet metaphor or nice lyric, they could just replace it with a high note and everybody would sing along. It also just seemed like the perfect excuse for rappers to finally start singing, even though they can't hold a not without it. However, with all that said, I don't think the Autotune alone can take somebody out of the hip hop category. I think that it is all in the way that somebody chooses to use it. In Kanya's case, the fact that many of the songs off of the album were driven by him singing using Autotune, that there is at least an argument that the album shouldn't be placed under the hip hop genre. Outside of that, I think that Autotune is simply a tool like anything else to alter the sound of your voice and if rapping is what you are truly doing, then hip hop is what you are. Listen to Stankonia (Outkast album) and listen to how many different pitches Andre 3000s voice has on it. I think the Autotune is no different.
So, what are your thoughts? Is anybody rapping considered hip hop? Are there certain things in hip hop that are just not allowed, or as long as you are within musical boundaries of rap (rhyming, somewhat fast speech, certain tempo/feel of songs, etc.) are you hip hop? Remember, I used Autotune as an example, but this can be anything from certain clothes to types of slang, and anything in between. Let me know. And thanks emdee44 for your thoughts again.
Peace.
The point that was made was that both KRS-One and Plies are hip hop, but do hip hop heads agree with that? For me, I guess in the sense that we feel as though we have to put a title on something or else we seem to be completely lost, then sure I guess Plies would be considered hip hop. But in the sense of what hip hop is supposed to embody and represent, is he? In an interview, he said that, one of the reasons he isn't very lyrical is because in order to be lyrical, you can't be 100% honest. Number one, I have not heard any of Plies albums, but as much as he talks about being a "goon" I'm almost certain that somewhere on his album he probably talks about killing somebody. Is he really being 100% honest on his album? I sincerely doubt it. Yet, this is his reason for not trying to uphold what we in hip hop consider to be one of the 5 pinnacles (break dancing, DJing, graffiti, beat boxing, and MCing). [I have to insert here that most of these other than MCing are not held as high as they use to be either, but it is for this reason that we need to continue to uphold MCing as much as possible.] I don't want to make this a Plies bashing, he is just an example of a number of rappers out today that fit this mold. I guess my point is, because these rappers do not take the art seriously and actually try to make an effort to uphold MCing (at least it doesn't seem that way), can we really consider them to be hip hop?
We can even take it one step further and ask if there are certain elements that can classify somebody as not being hip hop. This was a major discussion when Kanye came out with 808s & Heartbreaks. Aside from Kanye creating what he believed to be his own genre, the fact that he used Autotune throughout the album, does that disqualify it from being hip hop? Or was it the fact that he was singing a lot more? Or both? Kanye has always prided himself on "pushing the limits" of hip hop, from his dress to the music, but is there a limit? Personally, I am completely against Autotune unless it is on T-Pain's voice, at least in hip hop. The main reason for this is because it just became a fad and everybody started to do it. I think that it did in some ways take away from the creativity of artists because instead of having to think of a sweet metaphor or nice lyric, they could just replace it with a high note and everybody would sing along. It also just seemed like the perfect excuse for rappers to finally start singing, even though they can't hold a not without it. However, with all that said, I don't think the Autotune alone can take somebody out of the hip hop category. I think that it is all in the way that somebody chooses to use it. In Kanya's case, the fact that many of the songs off of the album were driven by him singing using Autotune, that there is at least an argument that the album shouldn't be placed under the hip hop genre. Outside of that, I think that Autotune is simply a tool like anything else to alter the sound of your voice and if rapping is what you are truly doing, then hip hop is what you are. Listen to Stankonia (Outkast album) and listen to how many different pitches Andre 3000s voice has on it. I think the Autotune is no different.
So, what are your thoughts? Is anybody rapping considered hip hop? Are there certain things in hip hop that are just not allowed, or as long as you are within musical boundaries of rap (rhyming, somewhat fast speech, certain tempo/feel of songs, etc.) are you hip hop? Remember, I used Autotune as an example, but this can be anything from certain clothes to types of slang, and anything in between. Let me know. And thanks emdee44 for your thoughts again.
Peace.
I am not the most self educated on what is Hip Hop, but over the past few years I have come to the conclusion that Hip Hop is the genre that these rappers are filed under, yet they aren't hip hop artist. I believe Hip Hop is living, breathing and even sometimes bleeding the truth through the lyrics, through the lifestyle, and through activism. Its rare that todays artist fit into what I believe Hip Hop to be. I see these artist are rappers not Hip Hop artist. If you make up some corny dance and make a song to it, or you rap about sex, drugs, money and/or cars you become a house hold name. Those who haven't sold their souls to the devil to sell records, and commit themselves to making music that moves the crowd, with lyrics that are witty and honest, and those not living lavish lives, throwing away money because it may seem that the money in the bank will never diminish. These artist, Like Common, Tupac, Talib, and Lauryn Hill are there real hip hop artist that I long to see more of. And about that Auto-tune. . . that doesn't make an artist a hip hop artist. Kanye's latest album should be sold as an R&B album or electronica. He raps on like two songs on the album and sings the rest. I believe it was a good try at trying to crossover in genres like other artist try and do but in my opinion he didn't succeed and should have just stick to his old mold instead of trying to be SOOOO DIFFERENT and Groundbreaking.
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