The Generation Gap (The Break Between Eras)

Since what feels like the beginning of time, the youth and their elders have been at odds over--well, everything. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the black community, and black culture obviously pour into Hip-Hop. Young adults, especially young minority adults, and ESPECIALLY young black adults, have always felt misunderstood, particularly by prior generations. My generation feels older generations seem to look down on us. There's an unfair amount of condescending bashing coming from older generations. A lot of us feel like they don't understand us, and they don't want to. The biggest criticism from the "Hip-Hop is dead" old-heads is the lack of lyricism or subject matter, or as my mom would it, "Y'all don't talk about nothing". Contrary to that stereotype, this generation has list of thoughtful lyricists that could go on for DAYS. Kendrick, Cole, Drake, Chance, Joey Bada$$, Logic, Wale, J.I.D., Joyner Lucas, Mac Miller, Macklemore, Big Sean, Childish Gambino, A$AP Rocky, Big K.R.I.T., Earl Sweatshirt, the list goes on. Anyone who knows me knows I am HUGE fan of old school Hip-Hop, and am all about respecting elders and paying respect to the legends. But I'm prideful about the generation I'm a part of. There seems to be a lack of respect between the old generation and the new, and it seems like the older generation is more disrespectful.

 However, I agree with the older fans to an extent about content matter. A lot of the popular music is either lacking substance, or overtly sexual. There's a lack of love songs compared to previous generations. I don't think my generation is as laid back, relaxed, or happy as the ones before. I think we take things too serious, and don't express our emotions the way we should, which is a product of our environment. My Hip-Hop education, so to speak, started with the older Hip-Hop I heard growing up. Between my uncle's fascination with hardcore artists like Biggie, Big Daddy Kane, Wu Tang, and Snoop Doggy Dogg, to my parents' preference of nerdy, soulful acts like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, I had no choice but to become a Hip-Hop head. Their favorite artists became my favorites, and impacted not only the kind of music I like, and my old school Hip-Hop and R&B/soul-heavy musical pallet, but the new school artists that I call my favorites. Kanye West, The Game, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Bryson Tiller, etc. connected with me because they were reminiscent of the artists I got put onto. So I can see a lot of things that the older generations are saying.

However, I detest the way that older people in general approach us, and I think it's bigger than just music. They treat us like we're a  nuisance. They blame us for the problems in this country, especially the crimes in inner cities. We get talked to like we're a nuisance, and not like their kids, grandkids, nieces, or nephews. I think that my generation has developed somewhat of a chip on our shoulder, and that there is a break in the link between eras. Most of us feel like we don't get the regard we deserve, and disrespect begets disrespect.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming. I think the complaints of Hip-Hop falling off a reach. There are still artists in this generation that will go down as some of the greatest to ever do it. I don't see much difference between now and the Golden Era except for the type of Hip-Hop that's promoted. To quote 9th Wonder "[Growing Up] We had a lot of stupid songs, stupid dances. We had a lot of one hit wonders. The difference between that time[The Golden Age] and this time is that one hit wonder didn't make the cover of Vibe. That one hit wonder wasn't the face . And as popular as Vanilla Ice was, Vanilla Ice wasn't seen by America as the face of Hip-Hop. He was just seen as, a clown, to be honest. Same with MC Hammer. Our face of Hip-Hop in 1994 was Biggie and Tupac". I agree with that heavily. As much of a pull as Kendrick Lamar and J.Cole have on rap right now, the biggest hits of the last year are going to artists that aren't known for putting messages and thought into their music. Aside from Kendrick's dominance last year, most of the hits were songs like " Bodak Yellow", "XO Life Tour", "Rockstar", "Rake It Up". Artists like Lil' Yachty, Lil' Uzi Vert, Kodak Black, etc. are being seen as some of the most popular faces of rap. Hip-Hop is still Hip-Hop, what's changed is the marketing. But the older generations did the same thing. The only difference is no-one was touting 69 Boyz(The group that made "Tootsie Roll") as the greatest rapper alive. The art form is still alive, as a matter of fact. It overtook rock as the most popular genre. That never happened before at any point in Hip-Hop. LL, Big Daddy Kane, and Rakim didn't do that. Tupac, Big, and Snoop didn't do that. Jay, Nas, Kanye, and Em didn't do that in their primes. Although all of those legends  most definitely laid down the groundwork, that was an accomplish this current generation of rappers achieved. So put some respect on our name!


Sound off in the comments

1520 Segwick Avenue,the birthplace of Hip-Hop

Femcees: Women lyricists in Hip-Hop

Since the rise of lyricists in the late 1980s, female rappers have been among the most impactful. They've given us some of Hip-Hop's most greatest hits and albums. From groups, such as TLC, Salt 'N Pepa, and JJ Fad, to solo artists, like Missy Elliot, Lauryn Hill, the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Eve, Trina, and Nicki Minaj, the have undoubtedly left their mark on this art form, both in the classics they've given us individually, and the stars they gave us( Such as TLC introducing us to Andre 3000 or Missy Elliot having a direct influence on the rise of Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake, and Timbaland). And seeing that this Thursday, March 8, is International Women's Day, i thought this would be an appropriate time to show love to some of my favorite female rap artists.

Lauryn Hill is considered one the greatest rappers to ever breathe into a microphone, male or female. She was at the forefront of the blending of Neo-Soul and Hip-Hop that was so popular in the late 1990s and 2000s, along with acts like A Tribe Called Quest, D'Angelo, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Outkast, and Kanye West. Her 1998 debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, is considered one the greatest Hip-Hop albums of all-time, and has left fans anxious for a follow up. She rose to fame as part of the rap group, The Fugees(along with Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel). Her appearance in Sister Act 2: Back In the Habit, and the Fugees breakout sophomore album, The Score, led to her rise in popularity. Since the release of her solo album, she has fell out of the public eye, reappearing periodically, most notably when she reunited with The Fugees for Dave Chappelle's Block Party. She also appeared on the soundtrack of What Happened, Miss Simone, the biopic of the legendary Nina Simone. In the 20 years since its release, Miseducation has impacted and entire generation , and has heavily influenced just about every female rapper that come after her, as well as male emcees such as J.Cole and Kanye West. In fact, West originally featured her on his single "All Falls Down".

Queen Latifah may be the female rapper closest to being a household name, due to her discography, as well as her acting credits. She brought a tomboyish bravado that demanded respect from her peers. Latifah is known for her deep subject content, especially the womanist approach she brings to her material. Her debut album, All Hail The Queen, was chosen as one of  The Source's 100 best rap albums. She released two more albums, Nature Of A Sista, and Black Reign, after which she stepped away from rap. Since then, she has released two jazz albums, and become one the most well known actresses in Hollywood. Her filmography includes Set It Off, Living Single, House Party 2, and Girls Trip. Latifah was one of the first, as well as one of the biggest female rap superstars we've seen. Black Reign was the first gold album by a female rapper, and the song "U.N.I.T.Y" off of the album earned her a Grammy for Best Solo Rap Performance, making her the first female rapper to do so.

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes is criminally underrated when discussing female rappers, and well as women artists in general. As one-third of the legendary group TLC, she holds the honor of being the only female rapper with a diamond album(TLC's CrazySexyCool has sold 14 million albums). She was known for her quirky voice and her brash, outspoken, sometimes explicit behavior. Left Eye was crucial to the group, with her verses being the staple of some of their biggest hits (Waterfalls, What About Your Friends, No Scrubs). She also showed her versatility as the group shed their New Jack Swing, Bel Biv Devoe-type sound of Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip for more of a grown, soulful R&B style as they grew into CrazySexyCool and FanMail. TLC was groundbreaking, especially for women, and most especially those in Hip-Hop and R&B. Every female current R&B or Pop singer owe TLC a great debt, and every female rap owes Left Eye a tremendous debt. TLC empowered women with their lyrics, breaking stereotypes and showing that women, especially black women, come in different types, with problems and insecurities that deserve to spoken on. The group was an equal trio of three parts, but Lisa was arguably the attention drawer of the group. To quote Jermaine Dupri  "She was the one who would curse on TV. She had the tattoos. You could not expect the unexpected. When you see Lisa, you could expect something from her. That is the gift she carried". Lisa's debut album, Supernova sold poor overseas, and was not released in the United States. However,  that should be attributed to a low budget and lack of the marketing push it deserved. Her lack of huge solo work is part of the reason she is overlooked, however, I would like to point out that Andre 3000 has never released a solo album, and is still in most rap fans' Top 10, if not Top 5. Lisa was ahead of her time, both with her deep, quirky raps, and her futuristic concepts for videos like "No Scrubs". She laid down the blueprint for a lot of rappers, and her influence can be seen today in artists like Nicki Minaj.

No female rapper may have ever been domineering as MC Lyte in the late 1980s. She was the Hip-Hop version of the girl who bullied everyone one the playground, striking fear not only into other female rappers, but her male contemporaries as well. She was the first solo female rapper to release a full album, Lyte as Rock, which was critically acclaimed, and one of the most influential almost in Hip-Hop history. Like Latifah, she was well known for her empowerment of women in her lyrics, and the hardcore bravado she attacked the microphone with. She has made a number of hits, including "Poor Georgie" and "Cha Cha Cha". Lyte showed that female emcees could play with the boys, and were to be respected. Without Lyte, there's no Lauryn, no Nicki, no Rapsody.

There have been a large number of female artists and producers that have contributed to Hip-Hop over its almost 40 year long mainstream history. They have produced countless classic, inspired artists, and given way to others. Their impact has been monumental, not only musically, but in some of the thought process and social exchange they have sparked. Not only from the four I went into detail about, but countless others including Roxanne Shante', Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, Nicki Minaj, Eve, Monie Love, Salt N' Pepa, JJ Fad, and even non-Hip-Hop artists like Aaliyah, Beyonce, and Janet Jackson. So who's next? Who will take the torch and enthrall audiences next? Will it be someone we've already seen, who blossoms into a superstar? Or will it be a new face? Stay tuned.