It’s a new year. And you know what that means…a lot of resolutions that are going to be broken within the next 30 days. (Let’s be honest here we all know that one person who says they are going to work out, live better, budget better are going to be at the bar, drinking beer eating double fried wings) What we do want to talk about though is what we hope will happen in the year. That’s what this post is about what I’m hoping gets resolved about hip hop culture in the year 2013…
Can we see more diversity in the subject matter of the songs we hear?
We all hear the same thing out of most of the music we listen to. The grind of working in the streets till the late night hours, on the corner whippin work. Or how your life now is so lavish that you have to want more cars than the dealer ship or more girls then a playboy issue. I want to see the diversity between artists, venture out and showcase those skills you talk about having. I want to hear about your life growing up with your family. Biggie did it in “Juicy,” yes he mentioned what he did to make money but his main focus was showing how he went from rags to riches. Lyrical diversity is something that has always been something I favored for all artists.
Probability: 55%
Will this be the year of the emcee of the female kind?
Remember all those years back in the 90’s and first part of the 2000’s when female emcees were popping up everywhere and at least doing a semi decent album of sorts or coming out with something so classic that it stays in heavy rotation? I’m talking Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Ms. Jade, Rah Digga, Queen Pen, and Charlie Baltimore to name just a few. They came out with songs, on everybody’s remix. When their mixtape or cd’s were released they were must have they were up there with their male counterparts as far as being lyricist. Now we are in a day and age where that doesn’t happen. A female emcee often has to be over sexualized and give us bubblegum lyrics. I want a female emcee to show how she can hold her own with some of the major musical contributors in the hip hop world without going pop or completely changing her image.
Probability: 40%
Hip hop and Homosexuality…when will we all get along?
This is my going out on the furthest limb. We all know that this has been the biggest debate amongst all who are involved. One side is saying that they will never fully be okay with allowing an artist who is gay by any means fully into the realm of hip hop. The other side is trying to show that even though they are same gender loving, they can be just as lyrical and important to the culture as a whole. Yes I know this whole Frank Ocean came out and said he was bi…isn’t that what you’re wanting? Yeah, but let’s look on the grander scale. He had Jay-Z and Kanye West back him up. Let me see Big Dipper or Deadlee come through put out an album and become just as buzzed and accepted. That’s what I want to see, let’s see how open hip hop is. Last I checked hip hop was the minority being talked about and decimated on. Now that the upswing has happened, the discriminated have become part of the discriminators. Where is that lyrical unity I have heard so much about on many songs? If you can talk about all of your side chicks, why can’t someone talk about his side dudes or side chicks from the female perspective? (Even though that lesbian rapper, gay rapper double standard is another topic) Let’s see hip hop expand its ears.
Probability: Realistically….10%
Those are some of my thoughts towards hip hop in the year 2013 hopefully some of them actually come true and growth for the year happens.
