Where is hip-hop going? Is it progressing? Is it dying off? During an interview that features on his first mixtape ‘Long Term’, Ab-Soul says: ‘I think that as soon as the trend leaves to be a rapper, which is coming soon, we can get back to just getting new flavor, new talent, people that’s really out here doin’ it…’ and many of us can agree with this. Hip Hop is a fluctuating culture that has highs and lows between eras.
Some say that there’s much less meaning in the hip-hop music that’s being released today as opposed to that of the 80’s-90’s. Let’s examine “hip-hop” today. We consider Rae Shrumend and Young Thug to be progressive contributors of today’s movement. We have seen the transitions of gangster rap, conscious rap, trap music, so on and so forth.
This is currently a state of the craft that involves experimenting and rebuilding. Hip-hop can potentially go in a variety directions at this point. Just as Mos Def said on his debut album: ‘We are hip-hop. Me, you, everybody, we are hip-hop. So hip-hop’s goin where we goin. So the next time you ask where hip-hop is goin, ask yourself: where am I goin? How am I doin?’ We are the only ones that are responsible for what comes out of the art, hopefully we will make the best of it, and create something that the future generation can be proud of and appreciate.