By Malice Intended

Authenticity has been an issue ever since rap music became an economically viable commodity.  In the late 80’s, the focus on “street cred” intensified exponentially.  As the subject matter that some rappers tethered themselves to became more extreme, so did the ways in which these artists marketed themselves.    Eric “Eazy-E” Wright had perhaps a better understanding of the Hip-Hop marketing machine than any other entrepreneur of his day.  That understanding fueled the ascension of gangsta rap up the billboard charts and into the national spotlight.

Rappers began using their criminal pasts as badges of credibility, even going so far as to fabricate them outright.  Jail records, rap sheets, and highly publicized bouts with the law went a long way towards validating outlandish tales of murder, mayhem and drug sales.  That the very notion of a professional criminal maintaining a successful recording career alongside his lucrative criminal endeavors was completely ludicrous never occurred to many of the teens that comprise the core demographic of the music.

As the internet became the marketing tool of choice, the ingenious façade concocted to sell gangsta music began to erode.  The “safe distance” that rappers had always maintained from their fan bases rapidly diminished.  News would break instantaneously via countless outlets, and this information could be accessed at the click of a mouse.  In such an environment, rumors can be verified in days if not hours.  Any inconsistency that exists between an artist’s “rap life” and real life is now examined and expounded upon to the nth degree.

The landscape of Hip-Hop marketing has been irrevocably changed.  The generation of rap fans that grew up believing their favorite rappers to be actual black revolutionaries and heartless gangsters has grown up and moved on to the responsibilities of adulthood.  The up and coming generation of rap fans seems largely unconcerned with whether or not their favorite artists maintain fidelity between their real lives and their stage personas.  As a result, rappers are no longer tethered to a particular type of subject matter or attitude in order to sell an image.

There is a pronounced and obvious upside to this.  The current generation of Hip-Hop fans might be the first to truly take the music for what it is: entertainment.  Street credibility was often an albatross, keeping otherwise multifaceted artists corralled into a certain space.  The artist would adhere to confines of his chosen image under pain of death.

Recent developments, however, have me wondering if what we are seeing is not the evolution of Hip-Hop so much as it is the onset of jaded apathy.  In the wake of recent scandals involving Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and Lil B, one begins to wonder if there is any manner of behavior or deception that fans would deem as unacceptable.  When Lil B threatened Kanye West with anal rape if he didn’t work on new music with him, the internet community barely batted an eye.

Much of what garners favor on urban radio these days shamelessly celebrates debauchery and decadence.  There is also an unprecedented uniformity and redundancy in terms of content.  There are strip club anthems to spare.  It seems like listeners don’t want to be reminded of anything unpleasant or the least bit thought-provoking.  Actual content of any sort is avoided like the plague.

Maturity is a good thing, but apathy is not.  Rappers should not be required to live out their art, but they should be held accountable for what they say.  They should also seek to create music that resonates with listeners on something more than an escapist level.  When divorced from any actual substance or meaning, art becomes nothing but a technical exercise.  Creativity should never be limited by content, but content should always be present and substantial.  As our collective on Hip-Hop evolves and matures, let’s make sure that this music is always about something.

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