Hip Hop is Dead: Authenticity and the Aesthetics of Hip Hop Music

Paul Gilroy put a lot of emphasis on the power and aesthetics of hip hop music and argued that hip hop allowed the terrors of slavery to be kept alive and cultivated in social forms. A musical genre that belonged to a very particular subculture in a particular geographic location has expanded globally. This expansion partly relied on white consumer culture and thus hip hop has been appropriated in order to appeal to suburban youth.

Hip hop artists have reacted to the assimilation into the mainstream and many believe that there are contradictions that lie in the commercialization of hip hop; Hip hop emerged as a form of protest against the mainstream and now it is a part of it. The appropriation and commercialization of hip hop is often seen as posing a threat to its authenticity. Anytime I hear about the debate of authenticity in hip hop I always think of Nas’ controversial album, “Hip hop is dead.” In an MTV interview, Nas said:

“When I say 'hip-hop is dead', basically America is dead. There is no political voice. Music is dead ... Our way of thinking is dead, our commerce is dead. Everything in this society has been done... What I mean by 'hip-hop is dead' is we're at a vulnerable state. If we don't change, we gonna disappear like Rome. I think hip-hop could help rebuild America, once hip-hoppers own hip-hop ... We are our own politicians, our own government, we have something to say”

Hip hop is a culture and thus it is always in flux and subject to change. Since the 1970’s hip hop has indeed evolved and new digital technologies have been integral to the aesthetic changes within hip hop music as the beats we hear now are often just simulated. I think hip hop has become standardized as songs are starting to sound more alike and the lyrics of most of the songs we hear on the radio seem to be saying the exact same thing such as, “I’m @#%&# Rich” or “I saw this fine girl at the club.” Considering the conditions in which hip hop emerged as a genre, it makes me wonder: What happened to hip hop? Hip hop is no longer educating and informing people. Instead, it seems as though hip hop artists have one goal in mind which is to create one hit song that will increase album sales. When I think of modernity I think of progression. In the case of hip hop, it is ironic that the progression in digital technologies has ultimately led to the regression of hip hop music. Artists such as Nas would argue that hip hop should go back to the past when beats were made with instruments and turn tables; where hip hop artists were not only interested in making money and pleasing music executives but were more interested in creating music and using it as an outlet to express their feelings regarding the political and social circumstances in which they lived.