[Versace]

What comes to mind when you hear hip-hop? A catchy beat with un meaningful lyrics, or talking about money, drugs, and getting girls? We associate hip-hop with all of these things when that was never its original purpose. Back in the day hip-hop was more about story telling. I have been listening to hip-hop ever since I was a little kid. My father raised me listening to some the most skilled MC’s from Eric B & Rakim, De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, The Fugees, you name it and I have heard it. Today I will be discussing how Hip-hop has changed over the years. Everything has changed from the style, the lyric quality, and meaning.

Fashion and style is one of the main things that have changed in hip-hop. In the 90s it wasn’t about how much your shoes cost or how much jewelry you had. People were allowed to wear whatever they wanted, how they wanted. The hip hop fashion of wearing backwards hats and baggy clothes started as a statement against the dress code of the high end clubs. The fashion alone back in the day was meaningful. A lot of artists’ fashion like Public Enemy and X-Clan represented traditional black influences. Aaliyah started a style of wearing baggy pants and baggy shorts to show that women didn’t have to wear tight clothes or show their bodies off to be classified as good looking. Nowadays all female rappers care about is showing off as much as they can get away with, and making all these changes to theirs bodies to achieve what they think is perfection.

Change of fashion in history, is the least of hop-hop's worries.

The major downfall of hip-hop to me is that, there is no longer any meaning nor quality production. Everything has been watered down with beats and lyrics. The lyrics have no meaning because they have no soul. Hip-hop just focuses on sex, money, weed, and sometimes violence towards other rappers. Its no longer something you could relate to and most of the good producers just sample other producers work. For example, a rapper that went by the name of 2Pac used to rap about equality and deep issues in the world nowadays you don't hear that in many hip hop songs. Another example is B.I.G he used to rap about trying to make it far and his struggle. Although both artists rapped about sex and violence sometimes, it wasn't their main focus. Rappers used to be storytellers, now they have became nothing but fake actors rapping about a life that they don’t live. Rappers are more focused about making money so at the end of the day they’ll do whatever it takes to seem like a gangster or even make a pointless repetitive song.

[Exotic]

I think you're referring to mainstream hip-hop.

I know alot of underground artists that rap about substance and not what the industry expects them to rap about.

Also, how the hell did you get through explaining rappers that expressed their everyday struggle without mentioning Nas?

[Versace]

I think you're referring to mainstream hip-hop.

I know alot of underground artists that rap about substance and not what the industry expects them to rap about.

Also, how the hell did you get through explaining rappers that expressed their everyday struggle without mentioning Nas?

Yes I am Exotic, and Im sorry I didn't touch up on Nas a bit wanted to keep it somewhat short an simple.

[Exotic]

Yes I am Exotic, and Im sorry I didn't touch up on Nas a bit wanted to keep it somewhat short an simple.

Glad to read this, thought this forum was filled with people who didn't know classic hip-hop. I listen to all hip-hop but I can definitely say that classic hip-hop has more substance and skill overall.

[Ⅿonster]

Read the whole thing, and I have to agree with you completely.