The beat is out there.
It says that hip-hop has gone from a vibrant music that challenged the world to a narrow, one-way street where popular rappers care only about having the pimpest car, the best buzz, the sexiest hotties and money to burn.
And it doesn’t come from establishment figures with axes to grind, but from long-time hip-hop fans. Hip-hop has never been more powerful as a cultural force–the hot ticket this week is the Jay-Z and R. Kelly show tonight and Thursday in Rosemont. But lately the message has been mostly stuck in one simple groove: “Make as much money as you can and have as much sex as humanly possible,” says Consuela Francis, assistant professor of African-American Literature at the College of Charleston.
“It used to be the artist was on the same level with the fans. The artists were talking to the fans about a reality that everybody lived,” says Bakari Kitwana, a former editor for The Source magazine. “Now many of the more famous artists are talking down to the audience, saying, ‘Look at what I got, and you don’t.'”
String together the printable parts of some of the year’s major hip-hop hits, and it sounds like this: “We don’t pay admission and bouncers don’t check us and we walk around the metal detectors/ Sniff a little coke, take a little X, smoke a little weed/ I’m a bring the Cool Whip then I want you to strip/ Bend over to the front and touch your toes.”
Jeff Johnson, co-host of BET’s “Rap City,” warns that “to look only at the hip-hop Top 10 list doesn’t encapsulate what hip-hop is today. As a society we focus on one kind of hip-hop, but there’s people all over the country spinning all kinds of lyrics.”
Indeed, there is breathtaking diversity in hip-hop–Christian hip-hop, gay hip-hop, British hip-hop, Latino hip-hop, Southern “hick hop”–but these are mostly small niches with marginal influence on the mainstream.
Hip-hop in the ’80s and into the early ’90s had a playful and a political side. Arrested Development epitomized socially conscious hip-hop with songs such as 1992’s “Tennessee.” Way at the other end of the spectrum–and a lot more popular in clubs–Salt-N-Pepa were urging people to “Push it good/ Push it real good” in 1988.
From the beginning, hip-hop has been dogged by controversy over misogyny, homophobia and violence in its songs and videos. But in the late ’80s, gangsta rap introduced an emphasis on guns, drugs and bravado not seen before.
“I think what has happened is, the gangsta image has ingrained itself so deeply into the youth culture that it just became taken for granted,” said Aaron McGruder, creator of the comic strip “The Boondocks.”
At first, “gangsta rap was about selling crack on the corner and shooting up members of other gangs,” McGruder said. “Now it’s more about living the life you can live once you’ve committed all those horrible crimes.”
An industry formula, some say, developed during the gangsta period, when more white people started listening to hip-hop. Major record companies realized the financial potential of hip-hop and swallowed up many of its independent labels.
“Fifteen years ago, rappers rapped for the people,” says Chuck D of Public Enemy, who’s become an elder statesman of hip-hop, “whereas today they rap and rep for their companies because money dictates the direction.”
But there are signs that political consciousness may be back in play. Maybe it’s the mobilization of the left in an election year or a convergence of artists offering what hasn’t been available for a while, but there’s been a recent upsurge in socially conscious hip-hop.
“I want to recruit all the soldiers, all God’s soldiers/ We at war,” raps Chicago’s Kanye West, in “Jesus Walks,” a song that has gotten some attention. “We at war with society, racism, terrorism/ But mostly we at war with ourselves.”
Such examples of conscious rap stand out because they’re so rare, says “The Boondocks”‘ McGruder. “The marketplace says you can make a lot of money acting like an idiot, or you can try to find a way to grow your art forward and maybe the bottom will drop out.”
Hip-hop fans on all sides agree that hip-hop is just a highly visible and intense form of situations found throughout popular culture.
“The American dream is to be a millionaire,” the Source’s Kitwana says. “That’s been sold to us as part and parcel of American entertainment.”
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Successful singles
At this point in hip-hop history, several rappers have delivered classic full-length albums. But rap music started as a single-driven art form, and hot singles remain a critical part of the genre’s success. Nick Marino of Cox News Service identifies what could be the 25 most significant hip-hop singles of all time.
“California Love, ” 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre
The anthem that made Cali rap (and Death Row Records in particular) seem invincible.
“In Da Club,” 50 Cent
One of the most ubiquitous hip-hop songs of all time.
“Scenario,” A Tribe Called Quest
Perhaps the ultimate posse rap.
“Planet Rock”
Afrika Bambaataa
A funky, futuristic ride that pianist Jason Moran has turned into a jazz number.
“Hey Ladies,” Beastie Boys
Stomps on the thin line between brainy and bratty.
“Just a Friend,” Biz Markie
Took warbling to unprecedented heights.
“Deep Cover,” Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg
The track that launched one of rap’s most successful collaborations.
“Work It,” Missy Elliott
Further cemented this playful MC’s place as a must-watch innovator.
“Lose Yourself,” Eminem
One of the most lyrically virtuosic performances ever laid down and the only rap song ever to win an Oscar.
“Eric B. Is President,” Eric B. and Rakim
Rakim ran on the platform that he’d “never let the mic magnetize me no more,” and the hip-hop electorate voted him a titan.
“The Message,” Grandmaster Flash
Early on, recognized hip-hop’s power as a soapbox.
“Hard Knock Life
(Ghetto Anthem),” Jay-Z
Connected the dots between the street corner and Broadway.
“Rock the Bells,” LL Cool J
One of hip-hop’s longest-running talents getting warmed up.
“U Can’t Touch This,”
MC Hammer
A megahit that helped push hip-hop into the commercial big time.
“The World Is Yours,” Nas
One of hip-hop’s most ferocious stylists lets loose on his classic “Illmatic.”
“O.P.P.,” Naughty by Nature
A sexually charged single that defined a mentality and launched a catchphrase.
“Big Poppa,” Notorious B.I.G.
Announced the arrival of a hip-hop heavyweight.
“Straight Outta Compton,” N.W.A.
One of the earliest songs in gangsta rap history, and still one of the most incendiary.
“B.O.B.,” OutKast
A thrilling political song you can dance to. (Try naming another one of those, in any genre.)
“Fight the Power,” Public Enemy
An anti-establishment landmark.
“Ladies First,” Queen Latifah
A big step forward for female rappers.
“Walk This Way,” Run DMC
Kicked down the wall between rock and rap.
“Push It,” Salt-N-Pepa
The MTV hit that upset hip-hop’s man-in-charge dogma.
“La Di Da Di,” Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh
The “Ulysses” of hip-hop, it’s a story about one man’s tragicomic journey through a tumultuous day.
“Rapper’s Delight,” Sugarhill Gang
A dated party song that, despite its hokeyness, still matters because it came first.
