We have a multitude of many different forms of hip hop. Hip hop is so massive that there can be many forms under one roof. In hip hop, you can have beats of different tempo and speeds. Lyrics can be rapped fast, slow or in-between. In many other genre’s if you change up the speed of the track and how its sung then you will actually change the song to a different genre all together. Not so in hip hop, it can change dramatically and still is considered hip hop.
In my opinion it’s time to make subcategories, under the hip hop umbrella. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with hip pop or any other category that I am going to layout in upcoming paragraphs, if that’s the kind of music that you want to make and its feeding you and your family. It has changed your life for the positive then I am all for it, to each his own. Everybody can’t be lyrical masterminds aka true Mc’s. The hip hop community is so hard on each other and so quick to stereotype and use them to assassinate each other’s character instead of embracing the difference. It’s these differences that make the culture beautiful to me.
That’s why I say we should have subcategories under the Hip Hop umbrella. For instance:
Hip Pop- for the dance songs that have a hip hop feel
Alternative Hip Hop – for the hip hop abstract artists
Hip hop – for true MC’s, the artists that are holdovers from the original era
Rap – whatever cannot be placed into the other categories. Anybody can be a rapper but very few are true MC's
There would be nothing wrong with being placed into any of those categories at all. I think a lot of the issues come up when we try to lump everyone into the same box. Really how many now a days can be placed into the same box as a Rakim, a KRS, Chuck D and the like? When we try and do that then the hip hop traditionalists have an issue with it as may interpret it as being disrespectful to the Legends of the game. Also, the new jacks who are being compared and placed into the same categories as the legends won’t feel the constant need to prove themselves worthy of such comparisons. They will have their own lane and won’t have the animosity towards the “old heads”.
They already do this sort of thing in rock music. You have rock, classic rock, alternative rock, heavy metal rock and so on. How much animosity do you hear coming from them? Everyone knows their lane and you won’t have them all competing for the one “big piece of chicken”.
Separating hip hop to different subcategories will also allow more artists/groups to shine and get the recognition that they deserve. This will strengthen the state of hip hop and its reach to the youth who may not see themselves as being able to make it in the game because they are different and have a unique style. It may promote creativity and not have every rapper wanting to be like the hot thing out now, since they feel that may be the only way to win. It will basically be saying “you don’t have to be like Jay Z, 50 cent, Jadakiss, Lil Wayne to win in this game. You can be you and still make it.” What are you thoughts? Let me know either comment below or email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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