The conversation regarding old school and new school rap is a tangled web. There are some artists in this younger generation who complain that "old heads" are too critical of their culture. It's obvious that the rap and hip hop industries are much different than generations of the past as social media and the streaming culture has changed the game for all genres of music. Record labels aren't needed for artists to top the charts, songs are shorter to increase streaming numbers, and social media popularity often trumps talent.
On a recent episode of State of the Culture, Remy Ma shared her thoughts about the emerging generation of artists that are taking over the rap game. Hip hop has gone through various stages of evolution since its inception, but Remy seemed tired of the younger generation of rap artists trying to discredit the "old heads" for being out of touch.
"This is my opinion. I don't really give a f*ck about it. Let me get into my Remy Ma bag," she begins. "Seriously, I really don't care. What I think is that some of these newer artists are f*ckin' trash and they can't compare to some of the standards that were set. They mastered the way to stream and make catchy hooks and the wave that's going on. That's cool."
Budden quickly interrupted to add, "You n*ggas got it f*ckin' easy," referring to the new generation. Remy continued, "The only way to get rid of...to make it seem like what they doing is great is to get rid of the greats before you. If you listen to any of the newer artists that get a buzz or be popular, they always, 'These old people need to do this.' Now, they really want you to go away. 'Go over there. I don't want nobody that can actually critique what I'm saying. Go away, die, never come back, and let us do what we do.'"
It must be noted that there are young artists who pay homage to hip hop heavyweights of the past, but do you agree that the younger generation of artists have an overall lack of respect for those that helped pave the way?