The Changes In Rap Music Over The History
In the light of this new age of rap, there have been many discussions on how the ideas and topics discussed in rap have changed over the history of the genre. All aspects of rap have changed drastically throughout the history of the genre. From how it originated, to the massive popularity of “Gangsta Rap” in the 1980’s, to the expansion of freedom for artists in the early 1990’s and 2000’s, to the many different messages conveyed through songs by today’s rap artists, rap has evolved. The main ideas that have been portrayed by the various artists that have stepped foot in the genre have changed the most, along with the “personas” that the artists have put on in order to go “mainstream. ” The way that artists have been able to reach an audience has also changed in this new age of social media- there is no longer one clean cut way to be successful in rap. Ideas in rap have changed in order to fit the idea of “mainstream” at whatever time period the rapper is a part of.
Rap originated in America based on a Jamaican trend called “toasting,” which was just speaking over a beat, and later evolved into something much more complex when it reached the U. S. The whole concept of rapping became popular in America in the late 1970’s when a Jamaican DJ moved out to America and settled in the Bronx and brought his ideas with him. Soon after his arrival, rap music quickly became a popular and mainstream genre of music. It gained popularity quickly because it was widely accepted amongst the black neighborhoods in New York City and eventually to cities throughout all of America. Due to the concept of Jamaican rapping, the new music was widely accepted throughout the country. The main reason that rap was accepted in black neighborhoods had to do with the rise of “Gangsta Rap. ” By the mid 1980’s, the genre had taken off due to its “violent, anti-authority, anti-white, anti-semitic, misogynistic messages and violent lifestyle”. Music groups such as NWA were essentially pioneers of this genre of rap. NWA was one of the most popular music groups of the 1980’s because of their “don’t care” attitude and simply because they were honest when it came to social and political issues, which was unlike any other artists at the time. They appealed to the people in the neighborhoods where there was so much violence and discrimination. Rap’s first jump into the mainstream popularity was all because of the controversial topics that came with “Gangsta Rap. ” However, not everyone accepted all these messages and opinions. Parents harshly criticized the genre of rap because of these messages being conveyed to their children. These criticisms pressured print media to not promote any rap music at all. However, despite all the negative criticism, some print media still did defend rap music. “Yo MTV Raps” was credited with super high record sales by spreading rap music to a much wider audience. By the start of the 1990’s, both male and female rappers ended up spreading more positive messages about topics such as “anti-violence, anti-misogynist,racial pride, self respect, and pro-community” in order to serve as more suitable role models for the youth and portay rap as a more cultural, consumer good. They spread these messages through much more positive lyricism than rappers of the 1980’s. They also adopted this new form of music to allow for their music to go mainstream easier and to have more successful careers.
NWA is one of the most influential rap groups and were essentially the pioneers of the “Gangsta Rap” movement of the 1980’s. NWA was the first group to come in and do what they wanted to do with their music. Their “gangsta” persona and other sort of “thug” attitude caught the eyes of what it seemed like everyone around the world, they changed pop culture as a whole. In the interview The Return of the Riot Squad, conducted by Kendrick Lamar, NWA says that their attitude and demeanor inspired and allowed for artists to no longer be “squeaky clean. ” They allowed for artists to be themselves and express their opinions and ideas through their music. New artists did not have to worry about being played on the radio to get exposure and be successful. NWA portrayed what exactly was going on in Compton, their home city, to the rest of the world. Dr. Dre explains the importance of their music and that it allowed for suburban kids in better neighborhoods to “visit Compton from a safe distance,” and to peek into the way of life for people in the city of Compton. Their music spread the word of what was really going on in the city, from drugs, violence, gangs, and discrimination. They often gave their political views and what was wrong with law enforcement, specifically the LAPD, in their records. The intensity of their music is what really caught the attention of everyone because the world had never seen or heard anything like it. Lamar talks about his personal experience with growing up in Compton and talks about how NWA gave a voice to the people of Compton, and that they tapped in to the kids that were on the streets and never had anyone to speak up for them. Current rapper Kendrick Lamar, who is also from Compton and is often referred to as the king of rap today, talks about how NWA is the main reason that he became a rapper and is so successful in the modern era of rap. He says that NWA’s music represented the city of Compton and the way of life within the city at that time. He refers to Compton during his childhood as Florence during the Italian Renaissance because the young artists in the renaissance got to work in the same studios as legendary artists like Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Kendrick saw the members of NWA as those legendary artists and he was able to work and live in the same place as them. Their attitude allowed for artists like Kendrick, who said he was a “very deeply conflicted person,” to not necessarily resolve that conflict within him in order to make music, he can just be himself.
In today’s world, rap is no longer specifically about topics such as guns, violence, gangs, crimes, and politics. Rap today is no longer specifically about negative topics such as guns, gang violence, and other crimes, it is more about various and positive topics that relate to the artists themselves. A very popular topic for rappers to rap about is religion. Modern artists tend to leave references to religion in many of their lyrics. Rap today is used in many different contexts than just to be listened to casually. It is now something that listeners must dissect and listen closely to in order to understand what the artist is trying to say and what message he or she is trying to convey. In the article Kanye, Kendrick, Chance, and the Surprising hristain Language of Rap, Zac Davis talks about how huge artists like Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, and Chance the Rapper all have references towards Christianity in their recent music. On Kanye West’s most recent album, “The Life of Pablo,” the main points of his lyricism are not about guns and violence, but they are about Christian beliefs. However, even though the music often refers to these beliefs, it is not limited to one specific type of person. On Kendrick Lamar’s most recent album “DAMN,” he explores direct themes that are tied to religion. The names of the tracks on his album reference the core parts of the human experience, songs such as “BLOOD,” “DNA,” “LOYALTY,” “PRIDE,” “HUMBLE,” “LUST,” “LOVE,” “FEAR,” “GOD,” and “DUCKWORTH,” (Duckworth is his last name) all tackle these direct themes that relate to human life and the afterlife. Throughout the album, Kendrick talks about the battle within himself and is asking to not be judged. He uses the album to express the fact that he has taken part in both good and evil, he now understands the effects that the evil can have on his judgement in the afterlife. Even though the whole album is tied together by theoretical ideas, the ultimate message that the Kendrick is trying to convey seems to deal more with here and now. It’s more of a “journey through karma, fate and the opposing yin and yangs that make us the living, breathing humans we are”. Essentially, what happens on Earth stays on Earth. Another big artist today that goes by the name “Chance the Rapper. ” On his most recent album “Coloring Book,” he makes many references to biblical events and figures. He also uses choirs and “church type” sounds and beats in his music to make the listener feel like they are in a church type setting when listening to his music. More specifically, he alludes to Psalm 34:3 when he says “Glorify the lord with me; let us exalt his name together,” and Ephesians 6:17 when he says “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ” Chance does this to ensure that God will protect him and people close to him in times of hardship.
People that are not religious or people of other religions also listen to and enjoy music that is heavily influenced by Christian beliefs. Now that rap is no longer dominated by individuals that are gangsters, drug dealers, and misogynistic,they don’t have to lash out in order to grab people’s attention. Instead, artists can now go mainstream and be very successful with lyrics about religion and/or other various topics. All types of people can enjoy many, many different variations of the rap genre.
There is a more wide variety of lyricism in today’s rap compared to the 1980’s and 1990’s where the main topics that rappers talked about revolved around “hood politics. ” Early rappers rapped about a more narrow variety of topics and held more “gangster” personas. Lyricism has changed throughout the history of rap. In her article The Evolution of Rap, Clara McNulty Finn talks about rappers used to rap specifically about their life and their rise to fame and success. Now, it is more common to see rappers “flex” their wealth and brag about what they have. Rappers today also discuss things like their religious beliefs and social issues. Rappers are no longer forced to rap about ghetto life to gain popularity. Kanye West’s 2004 album, “The College Dropout” was a pioneer album for this idea of moving away from talking only about the ghetto lifestyle. Instead, Kanye talks about religion. Many more artists followed this trend and soon after, artists were making music and talking about a wide variety of ideas. Another way that the rap game has changed is the introduction of social media. Social media has played a huge role in getting the attention of the public and allowing many “underground” rappers to get their music out and listened to. Originally, the only way artists could get exposure was to sign with a record label. Now artists have so many different platforms to get their music out to the masses whenever they want. Artists now have more creative freedom than ever before. Since artists don’t have to sign with a label, they don’t need to listen to and live up to the expectations of the record label, they can just create and release whatever they want. Artists no longer need to go mainstream in order to succeed. Through many forms of social media, new artists can obtain a loyal “niche” of listeners. So even though those artists get less radio time, their music still gets out to the public.
Changes in the genre of rap have sparked many discussions on how the ideas and topics discussed by rappers have changed over the history of rap. The genre as a whole has changed a lot. From the rise of “Gangsta Rap” in the 1980’s to the various topics rapped about by today’s rap artists, the messages being portrayed by them have changed drastically.
Sources
- LAMAR, KENDRICK, et al. 'The Return of Riot Squad. ' Billboard, vol. 127, no. 24, 22 Aug. 2015, p. 32. EBSCOhost
- Davis, Zac. 'Kanye, Kendrick, Chance & the Surprising Christian Language of Rap. ' America, vol. 216, no. 5, 06 Mar. 2017, pp. 34-37. EBSCOhost
- Vaccaro, Valerie L. 'The Evolution of Rap Music in the U. S.: From Reflexive Consumption to Marketing Exploitation. ' Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 26, no. 1, Jan. 1999, pp. 44-45. EBSCOhost
- Finn, Clara McNulty. “The Evolution of Rap. ” Harvard Political Review The Evolution of Rap Comments, harvardpolitics. com/covers/evolution-rap/.
