27 thoughts on “No Country for Old (Rap) Men: Is ‘hip-hop culture’ still a thing?”

  1. “Real Hip Hop” is a big part of what fucked up the so called hip hop culture cause people act like hip hop is only supposed to have one specific sound, when the truth is a big part of what made hip hop dope in the first place is the variety of different styles.

  2. The problem with “real hiphop” is that most of it is made by amateurs. The real problem are the rappers we enjoy listening to who make it look effortless. If they weren’t so good, nobody would try to mimic them. There’s nothing more awkward than turning down somebody’s music in the street or going to a rap show where these types come out in droves. If you took a survey of the crowd at any given show, I bet 75% of the people in attendance are an aspiring artist in some capacity. You will never see that in any other genre of music. It’s not surprising that so many people want to make rap music, but so few are actually good at it.

  3. Many people look up to sports figures as well. The difference is, you know you suck pretty early on, and there’s a common understanding that in order to get good you have to be genetically gifted and put in a lot of work. How many aspiring basketball players hold on to that dream after not getting a college scholarship? Almost none. Sure they can hit a nice J in a pickup game and maybe dunk. But beyond that their sports career isn’t going anywhere and they’ve accepted it. I’m by no means the judge of what’s good music and not. But if it’s not selling and you can’t book a show, then maybe it’s time to hang it up.

  4. @Caesar you bring up a good point about there being so many aspiring artists now because of how easy its become to record music without an actual studio. The truth is whether your good or not if someone just enjoys making that’s cool but the problem is all these people who make music but act like there already an established artist. Until you can pay your bills strictly off of music its just a hobby.

  5. Article is 100% on point. Culture has been dead a long time. Now it’s just More like an aesthetic that some of us get.

  6. Was there ever such a thing as “Hip Hop Culture?” Graffiti predates rap and has its own culture. Breakdancing has less to do with rap and more in common with snowboarding/BMX/Skateboarding. The whole “Four elements” dogma is for the hiphop equivalent of civil-war re-enactment enthusiasts. You can’t stick your toe into the same river twice. Everything is in constant flux. The whole 4 Elements/REAL HIPHOp thing is proprietorial revisionism. Like what you like. Consume what you enjoy. Do that which brings you pleasure. Create that which you need to express.

  8. “Real/true Hip Hop” is why most UK Hip Hop is the musical equivalent of Renaissance Fairs or quasi-racist CosPlay. Bunch of tryhards being cringingly reverential toward a bowdlerised notion of “The Golden Era.” We all have a tendency to presume that the music/movies/literature/media of our formative years is the Golden Standard and that everything else is a deviation or corruption from that yardstick. We cherrypick the highlights and conveniently forget how our “Golden era” was as plagued by ghostwritten pop-rap and manufactured phads as today. If AutoTune had existed in the late 80s, damned sure Salt’n’Pepa/Kid’n’Play/Eazy-E/Sen Dog would have used it. NWA and The Geto Boys were as manufactured as One Direction. Every era has its Fat Boys/Kriss Kross. Lest we forget, the first decade of rap music on record was mostly garbage/novelty but I’m sure there are folk now in their 50s who think it was the “real hiphop..

  9. Once the big major labels got involved it was game over. Mid 90’s was hardly any groups, no dj’s and artists setting up clothing labels like people today trying to get you to buy there cd for £2.
    It lost it’s soul a long time ago but this happens to all genres of music

  12. Hahaha…yo I decided to come up from the sarcophagus and I was going to shit down this whole articles premise…and then I remembered; it’s like this …If you get it/you get it and if you don’t; we never asked you to be involved in the first fucking place!?! The time for explaination/re-explaining to muhfuckin crumbs is DEAD brah….Shitting on the Elements of the Culture is exactly some 2016 bitch boi, fake ass blood gang Mark; telling his Vietnam Vet/Tunnel Rat grandpa that he ain’t shit and ain’t never seen hardcore…fuckouttahere!

  13. Aiight…let me stop the Supernova; because I have respect for this c-section over the years….I want to say w/all sincerity ….if you personally don’t see the culture or know where the culture is @ right now maybe you need to check self; maybe you lost YOUR guest pass.

  14. bboycult is just bitter that Afrika Bambaataa passed him over for KRS ONE.

  15. The Hip Hop Culture ting seems really to have stayed a relevant thing to dudes who are really all middle aged dads now. The culture is still strong with 45yo grown office workers. It happens to most music genres. I dont think theres anything wrong with ppl staying liking what they liked as kids. Nothing sadder than a 50yo dude at a young thug concert with a bunch of 17yos.

  17. Caesar….it’s called maturity cake boi. In the past I would have slaughtered your whole steeze (that’s slang for style you new boi/fuck boi) …but I’ll just Uncle Cult you instead ….It’s bigger than heroes; it still goes from Kool Herc/Rock Steady/DONDI …..all the way down to a piece of shit like you! Now simmer down; I’m not the brotha that’s fucking your mommy while while your father watches naked in the bedroom closet…That’s the Next Man brah.

  18. Couple of thoughts:

    @bboycult – true to your name. You’re probably right here: ‘maybe you lost YOUR guest pass.’ Actually I think I just grew old, had kids, got a mortgage. I did watch my five year old daughter try to uprock to CL & Pete Rock in my living room this morning though so maybe the culture lives on !

    @Dino: your point on ‘Breakdancing has less to do with rap and more in common with snowboarding/BMX/Skateboarding’…. I had to think about that but I see what you mean … bboy personalities like crazy legs etc and the whole rosksteady thing were the epitomy of the cultural aspect of hip hop – last time I went to a b-boy event it was pretty removed from the old definition of hip hop culture, more like a x-games thing or whatever.

    …. and I think that ‘bboycult is just bitter that Afrika Bambaataa passed him over…’ call was a bit low !

  19. @oneam ….No lie; I just started teaching this year (middle school mostly) last week these little 3rd grade cats wanted to check my credentials…they asked the starter Q’s ” like do you know how to dab?” Etc…I was like nah I’m a boy 4 real and I thought it just be that….2 lil dudes started making a combo beat on the desk ….and it was FIRE!! ….I was right back in Middle School (literally) I HAD to kick a rhyme …I’m not saying I went in or had flows like water or anything like that but when I was done; they cheered and I haven’t been that happy about HipHop in years!!

  20. That’s a tricky question. Does hiphop culture still exist? Yes. I’ve made so many friends off of hiphop culture. For people that embrace it, it is a common link. Like imagine two Chinese immigrants that end up in some foreign land, if they meet up they’re going to bond over being from China. Same thing with hiphop. If I meet a true hiphopper we’re going to be able to bond on some level wherever our paths cross. Now with that being said, does everyone that carry the torch fully understand it? I don’t think so. I’m sick of hearing people talking about “conscious shit”. When hiphop started it wasn’t about being conscious! Then those same people will turn around and call someone like Papoose wack even tho he drops mad science in his rhymes.

    Hiphop culture still exists but it is an endangered species. The youth of today don’t care about hiphop culture in the traditional sense. Once our living legends get old and die it will become a thing for the history books. And even with all our idols alive and active you see DJ Premier promoting some cornball hipster singer chick instead of a new young emcee. Why haven’t RZA, Pete Rock, Showbiz, Large Professor, etc broken any new artists? We didn’t teach the babies. We let it get lost. It’s all our fault.

  21. as long as we have DJs MCs and b boys there going to always be hip hop culture nuff said

  22. lol @ cult……*salute*……let them find out later u right……

  23. Hip-Hop culture is alive and well in any of the minds and hearts of those who want it there, point blank!

    bboy, $yk, what up!!

  24. $yk…Oska ….It’s always cool to know your OK Computer lights are still on blink brah!

  26. @Caesar ….No; in fact we’re all YOU; you made all 26 comments in this thread yourself…also you’re Robbie too….it a lot like Mr. Robot….all I can tell you is never, never EVER log off this website…we don’t know what will happen to Us/You if You/Us does!?!

  27. My view is that hip hop, like many other things in this modern world, has been affected by capitalism, Commercialisation, accessibility and like many other things is not as special as it once was. But things move on, and that may be a cynical grown up viewpoint.
    I will say though that Hip Hop is alive for me in that growing up in that culture has moulded my view of the world and continues to influence me as an adult today. Perhaps even keeping me younger at heart than I may have been without it.
    @bboycult, no disrespect man but I don’t understand what you’re trying to say and I’d like too. So in the words of EPMD ‘So Wat Cha Sayin?’
    Robbie – grounds for a salute there, songs for the gob!
    Big Mouth – Whodini
    You Talk too Much – Run DMC
    He Say She Say – Show & AG

    And so on

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