Off Topic This Is Why Most Rappers Today Suck

They all sound the same.

Obviously the headline to this article is going to get a lot of people talking, but it had to be said. Most rappers today just suck. I can't believe that I'm actually writing about this topic because I never thought it would get to this point, but Rap music today has gone way off course that everyone needs to regroup, refocus, and start from scratch.

Here's why.

Rap Music Is All About Being Unique

One of the greatest things about Rap music and Hip Hop as a whole, is that anyone can be whatever they want to be. If you're a rapper, you can be funny, political, angry, philosophical, or even walk on stage wearing a clown outfit. Producers can take a beat wherever they want, turning it into a hard-hitting track or a mellow jazzy tune. The world is yours. (Nas, 1994).

However, many rappers today forgot about the unique aspect of Rap music and instead focus on other things such as sounding and looking like a popular rapper, and most of it is because of popularity and money.

It doesn't help that the record labels, music fans, and just the music industry overall are pushing a certain style of Rap upon everyone's ears (think Jay-Z and Kanye West), so of course any up and coming rapper will naturally end up sounding like someone else.

Do you remember a Rap group from the early 90's called the UMC's?



Their first album was really good, and their style was fun and uptempo. They wore colorful clothes and rapped about just regular things, and it was that type of style that made me go out and buy their cassette. Unfortunately, they didn't last. Around 1994 they resurfaced with a brand new look, dressed all in black with hoodies and saying they had a street sound.

That was the last anyone heard of the UMC's.

So what went wrong? They were no longer unique.

When they came out with their happy and fun style, it made them unique and they had a style that fit them. When they switched to a hardcore street style, it felt completely forced and they also looked and sounded like every other hardcore group at the time. Wu Tang, Group Home, and Gangstarr were some of the names that came to mind.

It's All About the Influence

Humans are easily influenced. I think it's actually ingrained in our DNA and we're suckers for a shiny new thing from a big advertisement with gold trim. This is why there have been so many times where I heard a rapper sound like someone else.

For example, back in the 90's I had a friend that was a rapper and loved to freestyle. One day we're freestyling and when it was his turn I had to stop him. He was wondering what was going on and I simply said to him, "you sound like DMX". This is because he was heavily into DMX and was so influenced by his style that he blended it into his own.

Now I completely understand if someone gets influenced enough that it becomes part of their everyday life, but it can't happen in Rap music. There are lots of rappers that sound like Jay Z or Kanye, and they most likely do it because they know that style is what is popular and what will sell. You can be inspired by another artist, but don't try to sound like them just because they're popular.

I'm sure there are record labels that have been searching for unsigned acts that sound like Jay Z, this way the label can have their own version of him at a fraction of the cost. I wouldn't be surprised.

What I Miss the Most in Rap

Years ago, Rap music had it all. There was the political rapper (Public Enemy), the funny rapper (Fresh Prince), the philosopher (KRS-One), with the list going on and on.

Why don't we have that today? The sad part about all of this is that I'm not just referring to the mainstream rappers, this mainly applies to the underground ones.

Underground rappers used to always have a certain style, one where they would brag non stop about dominating other emcees. But because of all the influence surrounding them 24/7, it's no longer about that. Yes, there are some underground rappers that are still true, but there are many others that are on the borderline of being underground and rapping about owning a Bentley. This is influence.

Rappers of all levels need to focus solely on themselves. It's the same with beatmaking. I'm always reviewing beats and the same thing applies there too - be unique. Some beatmakers will say that they make Trap beats or whatever, when in fact they should just be saying that they “make beats". That's it.

Don't label yourself because the minute you do, you're not being yourself, instead you're automatically putting yourself into a category and you'll sound like everyone else.

In Closing

Why do you think DMX was so popular? It's because he had a unique look, voice, and style.
Why do you think Rakim is always regarded as one of the best rappers ever? His voice always stood out from the rest.

I can't stress it enough about being yourself and having your own style. There are a million rappers out there today and they're all online trying to be recognized from the rest, so why would you want to sound like someone else? That makes no sense.

Just rap. Do what comes naturally and the rest will fall into place. I guarantee you that if you come out with a style that is different from the rest, you will definitely stand out. Trust me.

 

[JR_]

I can see why all of these things would put people off of rap. For me though, I’ve stopped caring about subject matter because you find those things glorified in movies, video games, etc. I’m not some self righteous dude that can’t enjoy ART because it’s “harmful to society”.

I’m obsessed with orchestral and marching bands. I’m always following what’s going on in the dci competition world. Not because of uniqueness, or how difficult the parts are, but because I love how all the instruments come together to create an awesome energy. Anyone on the outside is gonna say “but it all sounds the same though”.

With any genre of music I listen to because of the vibe it creates and how I feel. I used to obsess over “oh it’s just a basic blah blah blah” and “all they’re doing is blah blah blah”. But I realized hyperfocusing on that and “it used to be so good back then” makes you just a cynical fart.

 

[OGBama]

Truth @JR_ is “good art is and can be made by bad people” (likewise for “bad art made by so called good and bad people”) but there is something to be said about “life imitating art” and vice versa. Like you I’m not self righteous but let’s not pretend that glorification (often confused by rappers with “I’m just keeping it real”) hasn’t gotten and isn’t getting “thugs who wanna be rappers to clean up their dirty money” offed on the daily, monthly, etc. and it is why Hip Hop will always get the scrutiny that it does.

 

[JR_]

Truth @JR_ is “good art is and can be made by bad people” but there is something to be said about “life imitating art” and vice versa. Like you I’m
not self righteous but let’s not pretend that glorification (often confused by rappers with “I’m just keeping it real”) hasn’t gotten and isn’t getting “thugs who wanna be rappers to clean up their dirty money” offed on the daily, monthly, etc. and it is why Hip Hop will always get the scrutiny that it does.

I agree 100%, honestly maybe I’m just F’d up. Maybe that’s why I’m able to enjoy the music despite these horrible truths . I will say I agree that most of the music put out is bad, but I still like combing through them to find the few gems in between. I guess that’s why I turned towards making beats. So I can make, listen to and enjoy the stuff I like about modern rap.

 

[2GooD Productions]

But I realized hyperfocusing on that and “it used to be so good back then” makes you just a cynical fart.

Its not cynicism, its just an honest representation of what happened to hip hop. Hip hop is shit now, it all sounds the same.

 

[JR_]

Its not cynicism, its just an honest representation of what happened to hip hop. Hip hop is shit now, it all sounds the same.

You can say that about anything. Its all shit. Everything's shit.

 

[2GooD Productions]

You can say that about anything. Its all shit. Everything's shit.

View attachment 6596

everything in the entertainment world is shit, except for a very few exceptions. Imagination and originality is dead, thats why we only ever get superhero movies and woke remakes.

 

[JR_]

But then again, maybe this is me...

 

[Fade]

Well one of the biggest differences that I've noticed is that there's not much variety or any at all. The 80s had funny rap, political rap, conscious rap, rap/house, rap/r&b, etc.

Look at some of the biggest names in rap music today like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Drake, etc. They're pop artists at best, not rap artists. Yet now everything seems to be mashed together.

Where's the funny rappers? Where's the political rappers? Sure, there's some out there (underground) but nothing close to what we had because those funny/political rappers in the 80s were actually mainstream. They were at the top.

 

[2GooD Productions]

Well one of the biggest differences that I've noticed is that there's not much variety or any at all. The 80s had funny rap, political rap, conscious rap, rap/house, rap/r&b, etc.

Look at some of the biggest names in rap music today like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Drake, etc. They're pop artists at best, not rap artists. Yet now everything seems to be mashed together.

Where's the funny rappers? Where's the political rappers? Sure, there's some out there (underground) but nothing close to what we had because those funny/political rappers in the 80s were actually mainstream. They were at the top.

My first experience with Rap music was the highly political anti establishment Public Enemy. Also Im sure it pretty safe to say, it forever left a mark on me.

 

[JR_]

Well one of the biggest differences that I've noticed is that there's not much variety or any at all. The 80s had funny rap, political rap, conscious rap, rap/house, rap/r&b, etc.

Look at some of the biggest names in rap music today like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Drake, etc. They're pop artists at best, not rap artists. Yet now everything seems to be mashed together.

Where's the funny rappers? Where's the political rappers? Sure, there's some out there (underground) but nothing close to what we had because those funny/political rappers in the 80s were actually mainstream. They were at the top.

That's because in the 80's when rap was blowing up, everyone wanted a piece of the pie. It became over saturated into everything like cereal commercials. Sure it was creative and unique, but because there was so much to explore and so many people were trying to do their own thing. But it wasn't really representative of what was going on in the communities. That's why DMC, NWA and Wu-Tang got so popular. They weren't necessarily original, they were just real. That's why it's those same communities that have so much influence on the industry today. And now, big names in those communities are finally making their way into popular music on their own terms. Back in the 80's you had some big executive telling a young kid from the hood how he needs to make his music. Now it's the hood that are the executives. Which puts it in the lime light.

 

[2GooD Productions]

That's because in the 80's when rap was blowing up, everyone wanted a piece of the pie. It became over saturated into everything like cereal commercials. Sure it was creative and unique, but because there was so much to explore and so many people were trying to do their own thing. But it wasn't really representative of what was going on in the communities. That's why DMC, NWA and Wu-Tang got so popular. They weren't necessarily original, they were just real. That's why it's those same communities that have so much influence on the industry today. And now, big names in those communities are finally making their way into popular music on their own terms. Back in the 80's you had some big executive telling a young kid from the hood how he needs to make his music. Now it's the hood that are the executives. Which puts it in the lime light.

The hood arent the executives though, its young highly educated white people that run the music business. Last I checked, they aint coming from the hood.

 

[OGBama]

The @2GooD Productions last “hood” guys in the music biz were Harrell, Stoute, etc. & they would not exist in today’s climate.

 

[Fade]

That's because in the 80's when rap was blowing up, everyone wanted a piece of the pie. It became over saturated into everything like cereal commercials. Sure it was creative and unique, but because there was so much to explore and so many people were trying to do their own thing. But it wasn't really representative of what was going on in the communities. That's why DMC, NWA and Wu-Tang got so popular. They weren't necessarily original, they were just real. That's why it's those same communities that have so much influence on the industry today. And now, big names in those communities are finally making their way into popular music on their own terms. Back in the 80's you had some big executive telling a young kid from the hood how he needs to make his music. Now it's the hood that are the executives. Which puts it in the lime light.

Yeah that's what I mean, the 80s had so much variety because everyone was just discovering themselves and their talent, trying to fit in. But like anything, it's become over-saturated.

 

[JR_]

Yeah that's what I mean, the 80s had so much variety because everyone was just discovering themselves and their talent, trying to fit in. But like anything, it's become over-saturated.

Even in the 80's rap was oversaturated. I think the beats were ripped off then more than they are today. What was unique was the subject matter. Which is why you had political and funny rappers. But even then they were still rhyming the same words together. There was only a few that stood out and are still icons today.

Much like today there's only a few rappers that have stayed relevant throughout the past decade.

 

[Fade]

Even in the 80's rap was oversaturated. I think the beats were ripped off then more than they are today. What was unique was the subject matter. Which is why you had political and funny rappers. But even then they were still rhyming the same words together. There was only a few that stood out and are still icons today.

Much like today there's only a few rappers that have stayed relevant throughout the past decade.

Yeah but nowhere near what it is today. At least 80s rap was fun and new.

 

[2GooD Productions]

Ill take an oversaturation of diversity over an oversturation of everything sounding the same any time. I used to onow who produced a beat just by recognising their style

 

[Fade]

Ill take an oversaturation of diversity over an oversturation of everything sounding the same any time. I used to onow who produced a beat just by recognising their style

That's a good point. That's when there was only a handful of producers. Of course anyone can start making beats with just their phone while they're on the toilet. Back then you had to know someone.

(In a studio, not in a bathroom.)

 

[JR_]

Ill take an oversaturation of diversity over an oversturation of everything sounding the same any time. I used to onow who produced a beat just by recognising their style

I bet you knew a few producers, like everybody else.... I doubt you could tell exactly who made any beat at any time in history by sound alone. You would have already known the group (death row, bad boy) and known the producer that way. Most of the stuff at the time sounded the same too. The political and funniness that @Fade speaks of was corny and sounded the same too.

Funny how people get all "oh member back in the day", each generation before talks shit on the next generations art. But it's all the same. People just get stuck inside their purist nostalgia bubble and try to argue that what they experienced was the best. The crap/recycled to good music ratio was just as bad then as it is now. For any genre. You just see more of the crap because of social media, technology, and the internet.... like anything else.

I guess the whole "back in the day" complaint gets annoying because even thought it may be true, humanity has always been on a steady decline so nothing new. I mean complaining in general is just annoying. I mean if you're not doing anything to change it it's kinda annoying.

 

[2GooD Productions]

I bet you knew a few producers, like everybody else.... I doubt you could tell exactly who made any beat at any time in history by sound alone. You would have already known the group (death row, bad boy) and known the producer that way. Most of the stuff at the time sounded the same too. The political and funniness that @Fade speaks of was corny and sounded the same too.

Funny how people get all "oh member back in the day", each generation before talks shit on the next generations art. But it's all the same. People just get stuck inside their purist nostalgia bubble and try to argue that what they experienced was the best. The crap/recycled to good music ratio was just as bad then as it is now. For any genre. You just see more of the crap because of social media, technology, and the internet.... like anything else.

I guess the whole "back in the day" complaint gets annoying because even thought it may be true, humanity has always been on a steady decline so nothing new. I mean complaining in general is just annoying. I mean if you're not doing anything to change it it's kinda annoying.

I have already said all of that before. Doesnt change the fact that the whole entertainment industry has become a stain on society of its former self. Its not just about old vs new, my favorite era of music is from the 70's, long before hip hop, auto tune, samplers, sequencers. When music was authentic, with all it flaws, music used to be a means to highlight real issues. Now music is sterile and pushing ignorance and dumbassery.

 

[JR_]

I have already said all of that before. Doesnt change the fact that the whole entertainment industry has become a stain on society of its former self. Its not just about old vs new, my favorite era of music is from the 70's, long before hip hop, auto tune, samplers, sequencers. When music was authentic, with all it flaws, music used to be a means to highlight real issues. Now music is sterile and pushing ignorance and dumbassery.

Has become? The entertainment industry has always been that .