If you were at Coachella this year, then you saw some great performances from a lot new and old artists. I watched some of Kanye's performance online. Dope as usual. But what stole the show for some was Lil B naming his album, I'm Gay. Personally, I don't know how I feel about it because I don't know his angle. But I think that his statement touches upon a deeper movement in hiphop.
You can use any of today's social networking tools to build a name for yourself in the industry and cut out the middle man. But, everyone having access to the same tools and influences creates a lot of artists that look and sound the same. To counteract that, hip hop artists and rappers have emerged that are not cut from the same cloth. Rather, they have woven a tapestry so diverse that, typical labels can't hold them.
Obviously we all know Nicki Minaj at this point. Though she is the top female emcee
It's too early to tell where these artists' futures lie. But I believe that consistency in the quality of your music equals a long career. It's great that you want to do everything but what is the point if you can't do anything well? Good or bad, artists like this bring fresh air to hiphop. Hopefully, this will allow more labels to take risks on rappers that don't fit into the radio-play formula.
- So am I right? Or maybe the caliber of rappers hasn't changed but rather the fans that buy the music. Share your opinion at hiphoppolitician@gmail.com. Also follow me on twitter @HipHopPoly.
