Hip Hop: The Evolution Of Snoop Dogg

“Well, hip hop is what makes the world go around,” said Calvin Broadus Jr., better known as Snoop Dogg. Broadus, who first went by Snoop Doggy Dogg before later dropping “Doggy” from his stage name, came to prominence in 1992 when he was discovered by and recorded songs with Dr. Dre. This time was right in the heart of the Golden Age of Hip Hop; a time period in the 1980’s and 1990’s "when it seemed that every new single reinvented the genre," according to Rolling Stone. Meanwhile, in the time since hip hop has seemingly made a complete turnaround; consequently, the genre is completely different than it used to be. On the whole, hip hop has changed in almost every way, but no differences are larger than the ease of the music creation process,

the styles/fashion of the artists, and the lyrics and subjects of the songs.
Currently, thanks to technology and computer advancements, making music is easier than ever, and it is perhaps no more evident than it is in the hip hop industry. For example, Lil Wayne, one of the most popular hip hop artists of the last ten years, has stated he makes a new beat on his computer every night, so that he can go back and use it once he has lyrics written. At the same time, a couple years ago the internet went crazy over videos on YouTube of grandma’s rapping over computer generated beats, as if all you need to be a rapper now is a computer and a microphone.
On the other hand, making a beat during the golden age was a skill, and one that wasn’t easy to hone. The few Disc Jockey’s (DJ’s) that mastered this art were in high demand, and it required all their attention to play their beat live instead of just having a computer play it on loop. They constantly worked with the Mic Controller (MC) to form a beat that would work with the lyrics and the flow of them. Due to this, rapping and hip hop as a whole was a much more difficult genre to create and master than it is today.
Secondly, the styles and fashion of hip hop artists is incredibly different today than it was twenty and thirty years ago; moreover, the artists of the current generation are starting fashion trends and purchasing the most expensive luxury items they can afford. They put on the appearance of being wealthy, as if to seem cooler to their intended audience. As an illustration, rapper T.I. did a music video featuring a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr and Wiz Khalifa did one with a Porsche 911, yet they don’t even own these cars. Finally, modern hip hop artists seem more concerned with starting trends and looking cool than they are with their music.
Conversely, the artists during the golden age did not care about their image or their clothing, just the statements they and their music made. For instance, N.W.A., one of the largest groups of the time, simply wore black hats, black hoodies, and black jeans so that their clothing would not distract from their music. Rapper and actor Ice T said “It's too materialistic… you'll never see a picture of me with any girl that wasn't mine, or my own car” when he was asked about the state of modern hip hop. In summary, even the artists from the golden days can see the changes in hip hop’s style and fashion, and the turn it has taken towards materialism.
Finally, there is no difference larger than that of the lyrics and subject topics of the songs.

Modern hip hop is all about sex, drugs, and money. For instance, you need look no further than the current hip hop charts to see that “Me, Myself, and I” by G-Eazy, a song all about what he is going to purchase with all his money, is the top song in the country. At the same time, the previously mentioned Lil Wayne’s most popular song, which featured Static Major, is “Lollipop,” which is all about him trying to convince a woman to have sex with him. In short, there is very little depth or meaning to the lyrics of modern hip hop

songs.
However, hip hop was not always just about sex, drugs, and money. N.W.A. kicked off their debut album with the declaration “you are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge,” to tell you exactly what to expect. Namely, that they were going to give you a glimpse into what life was like in Compton, California in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s; moreover, they detailed the prejudice they received from the Los Angeles Police Department as they were continuously harassed and assumed to be gang members simply because they were a group of young, black men. Likewise, artists such as Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls, and more all sang about these struggles, their lives, and their experiences. As a result, the fans of these artists felt a connection to the musicians that had similar experiences, and that is what made the lyrics and subjects of these original artists more meaningful than those of the new generation.
In conclusion, there are many ways that hip hop has changed, such as the process of making the music, the styles of the rappers, and the subjects of the music itself.

Accordingly, the artists who influenced the current ones are outspoken against the current state of hip hop rather than supportive of it. Due to this, the golden age will never be matched even unless we see a major focus change in the hip hop industry. Nevertheless, we can still reminisce over the good old days when hip hop meant something and took more talent. While they share the same genre name, hip hop of the 80’s and 90’s and hip hop of today have virtually no

similarities.