Authenticity
Authenticity is defined as a quality of being genuine or not corrupted from the original, truthfulness of origins. Authentic rap closely linked with the conscious original version rap, is a sub-genre of hip hop that focuses on social issues. It is not necessarily overtly political, but it discusses social issues and conflicts. Themes of authentic hip hop include religion, aversion to violence, African American culture and advancement, the economy, or simple depictions of life in the projects/ghetto that reveal the struggle of ordinary people. Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" was an early and hugely influential political and conscious hip hop track, decrying the poverty, violence, and dead-end lives of the black youth of the time. I consider rappers like Jay-Z and Lil Wayne to be authentic as well because their lyrics tell a story about their life. Hit records such as “Hard Knock Life” by Jay-Z and “Tie My Hands” by Lil Wayne tell listeners about their life and their feeling about current issues.
On the other hand, I have a very hard time listening to rappers such as Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy because his music is made specifically for dancing and doesn’t have any message for the listener. After listening to every word on his hit record “Crank That Soulja Boy”, I was not able to find a single statement that can possibility be interpreted to having any sort of message. The entire song is a description of a dance move that was popular for a short period of time and listening to the lyrics of this song helps me understand why people consider hip-hop not being authentic anymore. I am not in any way stating that all the rap industry should be authentic and have a message, because I understand that there needs to be diversity in the genre. Records such as “Lollipop” by Lil Wayne and “Big Pimpin’” by Jay-Z are essential for the success of hip-hop and selling records is always essential. However, when several rappers’ careers are determined entirely on describing a creative dance moves, hip-hop will be losing its spark and will be replaced by a new more rebellious dominant sound, just like jazz and rock-n-roll have before it.
Discussion Question: How does authenticity in Hip-Hop or lack of it influence record sales? What does this mean to the future of Hip-Hop?
By: Semir Mela
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