Th Future of Hip Hop

From its conception in the 1970's and throughout the 1980's, hip hop was a self-contained entity within the community that created it. This means that all the parameters set for the expression came from within the community and that it was meant for consumption by the community. Today, the audience is from outside of the community and doesn’t share the same experiences that drive the music. An artists’ success hinges on pleasing consumers, not the community. In today's world, it isn’t about music that rings true for those who share the artists' experiences, but instead, music that provides a dramatic illusion for those who will never share the experiences conveyed. This has radically changed the creative process of artists and the diversity of available music. Most notably, it has called in to question the future of hip hop.

In Total Chaos, Jeff Chang references Harry Allen, a hip hop critic and self-proclaimed hip hop activist. Harry Allen compares the hip hop movement to the Big Bang and poses this complex question: “whether hip-hop is, in fact a closed universe-bound to recollapse, ultimately, in a fireball akin to its birth-or an open one, destined to expand forever, until it is cold, dark, and dead” (9). An often heard phase, “hip hop is dead,” refers to the high occurrence of gangster rap in mainstream hip hop. Today’s hip hop regularly features black youths posturing as rich thugs and indulging in expensive merchandise. The “hip hop is dead” perspective is based on the belief that hip hop was destined to become the model of youth resistance and social change. However, its political ambitions have yet to emerge, thus giving rise to hip hops’ criticisms. This essay will examine the past and present of hip hop in o...

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... in which the expansion never ends, but all vitality is lost. The past shows us that hip hop has transformed and evolved; it doesn’t have to end and it doesn’t have to lose its momentum.

Works Cited

Chang, Jeff. Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-hop. New York: BasicCivitas, 2006. Print.

Farley, Christopher J. "Rapper Nas Says Maybe Hip Hop Isn't Dead After All." Wall Street Journal, 20 May 2010. Web.

Merwin, Scott. "From Kool Herc to 50 Cent, the Story of Rap -- so Far." Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, 15 Feb. 2004. Web.

Nas. 2006. “Hip Hop is Dead.” Hip Hop is Dead. Def Jam Recordings.

Nas. 2006. “Hope.” Hip Hop is Dead. Def Jam Recordings.

Rose, Tricia. The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk about When We Talk about Hip Hop - and Why It Matters. New York: BasicCivitas, 2008. Print.

Williams, Saul. 2004. “Telegram.” Saul Williams. Fader Record Label.