Hopp Pilgrim
Tyler, The Creator of OFWGKTA fame is no stranger to controversy and Friday morning he was stirring up some more. Tyler’s Twitter account is always a hotbed of discussion for those looking for reasons to knock the 21 year-old rapper/producer/video director. From tweeting R.I.P. to the Columbine shooters to beefing with Chris Brown, his twitter feed has done nothing but fan the flames of his detractors. The over-the-top California native may have even outdone himself with his latest Twitter rant, #F*CKHIPHOP.
It started off innocently enough, with an unidentified Hip Hop fan saying, “Hip Hop is Dead, what happened to the real?” Tyler then launched himself into a full-on tirade, calling the fan a bitter 40 year-old. He goes on to say Hip Hop fans [who look at 80s/90s Rap through rose-tinted glasses] infuriate him. He also has some remarkably disparaging words to add about the Rap music of yesteryear:
It is easy to dismiss these statements as just the mindless ramblings of a 21 year-old, but could Tyler, The Creator have a point? Do we as Hip Hop fans overemphasize the glories of our musical past so much that we dismiss the current greatness we are basking in? It has been said countless times in the past but it bears restating: For every 1 classic album released in the Golden Era of Hip-Hop, there were 5 mediocre albums and 10 terrible albums. This ratio is perhaps even more lopsided today, but there is still great music being released.
As we continue to progress as a culture it is vital that we regularly look back on our past to remember our humble beginnings and great accomplishments. However, we cannot pine away for an era of Hip Hop that is behind us. Hip Hop has come a long way since those historic park jams in the South Bronx; attempting to return there will only be detrimental to our progress as a Culture.
I have been put on the record many times saying, “the greatest and most important in Hip Hop is right now!” Although, I have caught a ton of flack for that statement I stand behind it a hundred percent. The past is written; the history books are closed. Illmatic has been released and the maker of Ready To Die has been buried; A Tribe Called Quest has broken up and OutKast will never make another ATLiens. However, somewhere out there is an aspiring New York emcee who is working on his debut album. Somewhere in the nether regions of southern America, two childhood friends are preparing to turn our collective heads on their ear. Maybe in some faraway country, whose name we cannot even hope to pronounce, there is a teenage girl who just received her first MPC. What will these young minds offer to Hip Hop in the future? What will you bring to Hip Hop now? No one knows – but I for one wait with bated breath to find out. Word.
Good article. There was definitely some trash in the 80’s and 90’s (Vanilla Ice, anyone?). But there were also some classic albums. There still has yet to be an album and flawless and complete as Illmatic though. One problem is that there are no longer any classic albums, especially classic debut albums. There are mixtapes that are considered classics, but mixtapes tend to (and should) get slack.
But yeah, there is definitely some good music being put out today, and there is literally something for every type of fan