Blog
Death of an ERA
Apr
Death of an ERA
Will there ever be another Golden Era in Hip Hop? Now I know a lot of the more seasoned vets will automatically say NEVER! I’ve always said it would never be another golden era, but what era is golden to us is not to others. Some might call the Cash Money/No Limit era their Golden Era and who are we to disagree. I mean, what really makes an era golden? Is it actually the quality of the music that makes it golden or is it everything else going on around the music that makes it golden i.e. lifestyle trends such as clothing, slang, food, cars etc.
How many times have you heard a song from the golden era and thought, damn I was doing so and so or such and such when this song was out. Now, if you weren’t born or even participating in the lifestyle, how can it be a golden era for YOU when you were just merely existing and not contributing to any part of Hip Hop to make it Golden for YOU. Of course we can all have a deep appreciation for a certain time and space, but I think we need to release the chokehold on the term Golden Era and start to share it with our other counterparts that exist alongside of us.
I think the lack of respect for the elders comes from this “if you weren’t there then you don’t matter” attitude that some of them give off, but this is not always the case. Some just feel that what they were doing and did was absolutely the greatest thing on earth and they have every right to feel that way, but at the same time you can’t make others feel like what they’re doing is nothing. Now I do feel like there’s a lot of trash out there, but that doesn’t mean I should disrespect the material that they put out because that’s just my opinion.
So as former defender of the “GOLDEN ERA” ( and don’t get me wrong, I still think my golden era is the best ) I’m saying live and let live… Peace
I’m the boss, I don’t make copies, I make originals.
I feel you on the older folks feelin’ like they (we) have a lock on the golden era, and there is a good argument for that – we started it, rap was more shit talkin’ and political, it was a more social movement compared to today. Rap was coming of age. But that said, the production style, the diversity of artists (gender, race etc) today is way larger and more interesting than back when Cube was still sportin’ his curl. There are a couple of trends right now such as copycat content (strip clubs & dollar bills etc..) and DJ Mustard’s monopoly of the radio that have me thinking we are not in a golden era, but could be turning a corner. I look forward to seeing what hip hop can become and want to be a part of it.