Is Today’s Rap Music Just Too Outrageous?

Rap music is overplayed, overdone, and really just bland and uninspiring these days. 95% of rap videos involve the true and tested formula of cars, women, money, and drinking. Its a stretch to call most rap artists actual ‘artists’. Its impossible to tell the difference between the Lil Morons and Lil Moneybags of the rap industry. Most popular rap consist of bragging about drinking a lot, smoking a lot, having sex a lot, or making money.

All rap music isn’t horrible and there are plenty of rap artists who are actual artists. The Beastie Boys for one revolutionized the genre when they blew up in the 80s and continue to do it without resorting to lame raps about drinking and money. Eminem is a unique artist because while most rappers were rapping about material items and money; he was rapping about a troubled life. Busta Rhymes used to be unique when he was making standout rap videos and unique lyrics. Theres also plenty of rappers under the radar that are unique; take Necro who raps about horror movie themes a lot.

The problem then isn’t with the entire genre, rather its with all these people running around thinking their gangster and thinking they are cool because they listen to music about carrying weapons, drinking expensive wine, and objectifying women. There is no doubt that this ‘popular’ rap is influencing some kids and young adults; materialism is at an all time high. All of these kids have to be fly and thugged out just to go to their local coffee shop.

But at the same time rap music has to be taken with a grain of salt. The majority of popular rappers do it because thats whats popular to do. The majority aren’t any more gangster then their grandmothers; and for those that have ‘cred’; what kind of society do we live in where drug dealers and convicts become idols of success. Maybe it shows they can turn their lives around, or maybe our standards for success are just skewed. I think many older rappers look at the current rap scene of the past few years and shake their head; their skills and art is being replaced by whatever hot producer can produce the simplest beat to get drunk to.

In the end though ,rap music will see cycles of increased interest followed by low interest. Its riding a peak now based on simple club ready beats with lyrics that really don’t matter. Many rappers have shifted from violence and shootings to booty and partying because most rap fans aren’t in the streets; their in suburban America in their parent’s cars going to the mall while blasting 50 cent…