Fading.....

I am been listening to Hip-Hop since my secondary school days. The 1st song was Cleanin' Out My Closet by Eminem.

At first, i have no idea what rap was about except for the profanities and raunchy issues mentioned. However, when i listened in depth, hip-hop is actually telling a story about a particular character.

I personally prefer 90's style of Hip-Hop as they rap about true issues happening in the hood. The sound was not radio friendly and this is the true essence of Hip-Hop in my mind.

For East Coast Hip-Hop, the rappers focused more on lyrical dexterity, creativity and the beats are sparse and rough. As for West Coast Hip-Hop, the rappers focused on real-life issues and hard life and the beats are smoother.

I generally prefer lyrical skills but beats are also important. Thus my favourite albums are more of East Coast eg. Illmatic.

But the quality of hip-hop of today is watered down drastically as it is too commercialized. The number rappers who ventured into the mainstream and remained successful is small.

Is hip-hop dying???