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Hip hop was better in the 90s.
- Thread starter DeSo
- Start date
vonStirlitz
Unconfirmed Member
It was actually better in the 80s to the very early 90s, OP.
Not nearly as much as their used to be, thankfully. It's part of the reason why 90s hip hop hasn't aged well for me. So many of these guys were true scumbags.
pretty done
Member
Really, any time period is better than the shit coming out now.
When like half of GAF is calling fucking cash me outside girl's new songs "low key lit flames yo~~" you know people just don't give a fuck what they're listening to anymore.
MugiwaraCole
Member
Oh God, stop OP.
sir_kevith
Member
I'm tired of Kendrick yelling at me
Andrew Korenchkin
Member
Debatable, but you can't forget the late 80s was the rise of Public Enemy, and Kool G Rap came into his own. The latter is enough to make that much of an impact, imo.
I remember when I first heard Juvenile's "Ha", in the late 90's. I literally had the same face of confusion when I listen to the top hip-hip tracks on Spotify.
Cash Money has catchy nostalgic tracks but nothing great.
Broseybrose
Member
You're goddamn right it was.
You covered the majority of the hip hop I listened to back then, and still there was amazing shit like Digable Planets, and Portishead and Massive Attack / Tricky fusing electronica and hip hop.
Not to mention all the amazing rock and alternative music of the time...
It was amazing time for music.
It's a shame what has happened to music really. I rarely listen to anything made after 2000.
Best from the 00s? Eminem.... 50 Cent for a little bit. Jeezy. Dipset. That's about it.
Lol, I was thinking of that same thread.
The girl signed a multimillion dollar record deal with Atlantic Records last week.
Rumblebones
Banned
When I get back to this thread I better see some respeck on Oddisee's name.
Eric B. and Rakim had done good stuff too.
Broseybrose
Member
OMG YES. Fucking Juvenile 400 Degrees. Classic classic record.
Manny Fresh basically invented Trap music.
This is known, right?
MiketheBSG
Member
Here's my take.
I agree with the OP, but I am reminded of why older people said about music in the 80s, 70s, etc. I don't want to fall into the same trap.
There are some good artists today that I think match with the greats of the 90s and 2000s, like a Kendrick Lamar, but it's rare these days. There's also a lot of sampled music from older times in today's music so it feels less original.
I agree with the OP, but I am reminded of why older people said about music in the 80s, 70s, etc. I don't want to fall into the same trap.
There are some good artists today that I think match with the greats of the 90s and 2000s, like a Kendrick Lamar, but it's rare these days. There's also a lot of sampled music from older times in today's music so it feels less original.
You don't have to hate on current rap to admit the 90s were the creative golden age. Those formative years developed a wide array of different sounds and styles that you usually see in any musical genre's best years. It's the same way with metal, indie rock, various types of electronic music etc.
Enter The 36 Chambers
Member
Always the same people saying this shit when all they do is look to the radio and what's on the charts for good hip hop.
The Internet has allowed us to have a virtual vault of music to suit every taste.
Saying it was better in the 90s means your not looking hard enough.
The Internet has allowed us to have a virtual vault of music to suit every taste.
Saying it was better in the 90s means your not looking hard enough.
Andrew Korenchkin
Member
Of course, I just had to shill G Rap, lol.
Him, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, KRS-One are incredibly important.
Three Six Mafia had a bigger hand really codifying the sound.
Prototype Viktor
Member
the 90's where worse b/c so many of them were in the closet still
the 90's were only great for the diversity of music created during it. in all genre's of it no only hip-hop. the 90's are the 70's Rock of rap
Andrew Korenchkin
Member
I think people were against Cash Money the time they debuted in the public eye.
Velocity:Design:Comfort
Banned
Haha half these posters trying to sound cool and superior and just come off immature like an ac/dc youtube copypaste poster. Bet most of you have spent no time at all listening to hip hop lately.
entremet
Member
Most casual music fans stop looking for new music and just enjoy their catalog favs. This is not a new thing.
In terms of ROI, it's much better to do it. Kinda like finding that great restaurant and going back and back.
chromhound
Member
Trueee
OG Shaka Zulu
Member
Rap radio was miles better in the 90s. A lot of 90s rap had casual pro-Black lyrics or made reference to the struggle. These radio clowns now don't give a fuck. All hedonism.
Kendrick is one of few handful of rappers that could hang in any era, whether it be commercial or a big underground buzz.
Kendrick is one of few handful of rappers that could hang in any era, whether it be commercial or a big underground buzz.
Hip hop is fine now and it was fine then. I think the only quantifiable truth to hip hop today is the focusing of the sound into something singular and commercial when it comes to what gets play on the radio. It's the same trajectory pop and rock followed, it was only natural that mainstream hip hop went the same way.
But like all genres of music today, the internet has given a voice and exposure to sounds of all types. That's part of the reason why I think we're in a quiet golden age of music.
But like all genres of music today, the internet has given a voice and exposure to sounds of all types. That's part of the reason why I think we're in a quiet golden age of music.
I agree. The radio today is garbage. There are plenty of great underground acts, but you can't ever convince me the popular state of hip-hop is not garbage.
I'll take 90s Public Enemy over Kendrick and current Public Enemy any day of the week too.
The it was better argument is a covert way of saying you liked hip-hop when New York was the center of the universe so I can't jive with your argument. Hip-hop got way better when Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Texas, Atlanta, Florida, Mississippi, Oakland, LA, Watts, etc. got the same level of respect and prestige as New York.
It's not that hip-hop was better in the 90s but artists wanted to differentiate themselves from other artists. They wanted to be better. Biggie wanted to be better than Method Man. X wanted to be better than Hov. Hov is better than Nas and Nas lost. Busta wanted to better than Redman. Eminem wanted to better than LL. <--- All these artists sound different and actually care about hip-hop history. They know their shit and will bust your ass on some hip-hop history shit if you step to them foul.
Today with the exception of Logic, Joyner Lucas, and possibly Russ these younger mainstream artists sound the same, rap the same, and dress damn near the same. There's very little substance in their content and this makes them disposable prone to a little run lacking longevity. It's not an age thing as MGK, Wale, B.I.G. Sean, Drake, Kendrick, Q, Jay Rock, Kyle Lucas, Logic, Cudi, etc. make an effort to differentiate themselves striving for greatness.
It's not that hip-hop was better in the 90s but artists wanted to differentiate themselves from other artists. They wanted to be better. Biggie wanted to be better than Method Man. X wanted to be better than Hov. Hov is better than Nas and Nas lost. Busta wanted to better than Redman. Eminem wanted to better than LL. <--- All these artists sound different and actually care about hip-hop history. They know their shit and will bust your ass on some hip-hop history shit if you step to them foul.
Today with the exception of Logic, Joyner Lucas, and possibly Russ these younger mainstream artists sound the same, rap the same, and dress damn near the same. There's very little substance in their content and this makes them disposable prone to a little run lacking longevity. It's not an age thing as MGK, Wale, B.I.G. Sean, Drake, Kendrick, Q, Jay Rock, Kyle Lucas, Logic, Cudi, etc. make an effort to differentiate themselves striving for greatness.
SoundofSilence
Member
No lies detected.
Vicetrailia
Member
The 90's is far better but, I appreciate the diversity of hip hop today. It's just harder to get to the sweet stuff.
davidwhangchoi
Member
Vanilla Ice.. without him we wouldn't Dio's lover. Iggy and Abdul would still be alive.
radios shipping overview
Member
Pinko Marx
Banned
I'll say they made a different style of rap in the 90s that they don't do a lot of anymore, and that NY Boom Bap. The sound now is without a doubt Trap. But that's just the mainstream. There are still plenty and plenty of NY Boom Bap rappers out there.
Soodanim
Gold Member
RTJ and Gambino are good, but it seems like the current trend has gone way down South, and I never really liked that too much even before it took over. I miss the 90s East Coast style(s).
I don't want to spend my free time trying to sift through the absolute shit that the industry spits out trying to find one or two good rappers, it's more effort than it's worth. There's so much stuff I haven't heard from pre-2005 for me to care about new rappers for the most part, anyway.
But if anyone has suggestions for technically good emcees that flow well and use beats closer to the 90s Preemo style than Southern style, then I'm all ears.
I don't want to spend my free time trying to sift through the absolute shit that the industry spits out trying to find one or two good rappers, it's more effort than it's worth. There's so much stuff I haven't heard from pre-2005 for me to care about new rappers for the most part, anyway.
But if anyone has suggestions for technically good emcees that flow well and use beats closer to the 90s Preemo style than Southern style, then I'm all ears.
sans_pants
avec_pénis
The 2000s were a real dark time for hip hop, and the 90s were mostly gangster and only some of the beats really hold up
Now is best but there "aren't as many classics" because that's not how anything works anymore
Now is best but there "aren't as many classics" because that's not how anything works anymore
sans_pants
avec_pénis
Let's also remember how nostalgia works. you can't just list a few classics that came out over a decade and ignore all the trash from the era
There is so much trash in this era it's not even worth talking about. What are you even talking about? You think there is less trash now lmao? I don't think so. Any random with a recording thinks they are Chuck D now lol.
There is plenty of great stuff in both eras. But for the mainstream it was better back then just like rock as well.
sans_pants
avec_pénis
I'm saying there is a ton of trash in every era. Sorry Dad, mainstream music is dead. It doesn't matter anymore
The thing is today anyone with a MacBook can make a semi-professional sounding track and put it on SoundCloud. That's why there's so much trash now.
There was plenty of other stuff like Tribe, Outkast, Common, and Roots in the 90s dude.
The first half of the 90s was mostly gangsta.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
10 years from now someone is gonna say Hip Hop was better in the 2000s. It's all meaningless.