Amira Turner
In the year 2023, hip-hop is arguably the most pervasive genre of popular music. The top 50 charts are full of a wide variety of hip-hop tracks, so it might seem surprising that the genre itself is younger than most of our parents. This August marks the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, when DJ Kool Herc hosted a back-to-school party in the Bronx, combining elements of breakdancing, graffiti, record scratching and beats to create what we now know as hip-hop music.
In just 50 years, hip-hop has evolved more than any other genre. While the key tenets of hip-hop such as rapping, beats, and sampling are still present, you’d be hard-pressed to find a hip-hop song today that resembles the music of 70s hip-hop legends like Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, or Kurtis Blow. In contrast, genres like rock continue to churn out music that hearkens back to the height of the genre. Bands like Greta Van Fleet still release popular music that sounds just like the music released by Led Zepplin in the 70s.
So what makes hip-hop so different? For one, Hip Hop, as a genre and a culture, has a focus on youth.
LL Cool J was only 16 when he released “I Need a Beat.” Tyler the Creator was 19 when he saw mainstream success from his song “Yonkers.” XXXTentacion had reached the peak of his career at 20. Part of this can be attributed to hip-hop’s emphasis on trending culture. Success in the genre hinges on references to the latest pop culture trends and sporting the most popular clothes. Because of this, being young gives rappers a leg up on their older competitors, creating a culture where innovation reigns supreme. Within hip-hop culture, there is no faster way to get labeled an ‘Old Head’ or ‘corny’ than claiming you prefer older rap to the current hits.
Another contributing factor to the ever-evolving hip-hop scene is how easily accessible it is. Becoming a rapper doesn’t require expensive instruments and years of music lessons. In the 70s, all you needed was a turntable, a couple records, a microphone, and the ability to rap. This fact hasn’t changed much, now you can achieve success in hip-hop with basic music software and talent. This makes it easier for more people, as well as younger people, to create music within this space, increasing the amount of music put out in the genre, and accelerating its trend cycle. With so much innovative music coming out, artists that don’t evolve from hip-hop’s original form are left behind.
None of this is to say that hip-hop doesn’t have respect for its elders. While modern hip-hop hits stray far from old-school hits, the genre is still full of homage to its past, particularly through sampling. While City Girls’ hit “Twerkulator” is far from a 1980s rap song, it still features a sample from the classic “Planet Rock” By Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force. Fans of NWA might not find much in common with fans of Megan Thee Stallion, but her song “Girls in the Hood” is an homage to Eazy-E’s “Boyz-n-the-Hood.” So while hip-hop has evolved so quickly that it’s nearly unrecognizable from where it started only 50 years ago, it’s still full of the same core values and admiration of the culture that birthed it.