Old School Hip Hop Artists Embracing The New Generation

Mumble Rap Vs. Old School Hip Hop

The past decade in Hip Hop music has drawn up many comparisons to the old school Hip Hop artists of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. Hip Hop and Rap are genres that are constantly evolving with the times and unapologetically set a tone in a music. A common theme in Hip Hop today is the older generation of Hip Hop artists hating on the new “Mumble Rap” trend. “Mumble Rap” is a style of rap that originated in the South and spread to other places like Chicago and the New York/New Jersey area. The style usually consists of “mumbling” rap lyrics and sacrificing pronunciation clarity. New artists Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert are a good stylistic example of this trend.

The disrespect has come from both sides between some young rappers and the veteran artists. Back in 2016, Lil Yachty called The Notorious B.I.G “overrated” and claimed that he couldn’t name at least two Tupac songs. He called his haters old and washed up. Lil Uzi Vert caught heat by fellow rappers and fans for refusing to freestyle rap on Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning show. That’s when TDE rapper, Ab-Soul, took it upon himself to take shots at Lil Uzi Vert for doing so. The lack of freestyle ability from the new generation of Hip Hop artists is often mocked and looked down upon.

Lil Yachty’s Highly Criticized Freestyle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2IUdWkWR-4

Lil Uzi Vert’s Highly Criticized Freestyle:

Some believe the beef between old school and new school started back in 2008 when Ice T called Soulja Boy out for “single handedly destroying Hip Hop” mainly because of his “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy)” release. Ice T later apologized for coming at Soulja Boy claiming that he was simply frustrated with the state that Hip Hop was in. Snoop Dogg has even discussed the matter on multiple radio shows stating that all of the young rappers have the exact same sound and flow. He makes a valid point considering none of the “Mumble Rappers” really stand out on their own in the industry. There seems to be a lack of originality compared to most of the old school Hip Hop artists.

Snoop Dogg Impersonates Today’s Rappers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMRkxidQO-M

As much hate that’s going on in the Hip Hop world right now, there are some veteran artists that have embraced the new rap trends. While Lupe Fiasco isn’t really considered an “old school” artist just yet, he has openly embraced the new trends in Hip Hop music. In 2012, he made amends with Chief Keef after their dispute over the lyrical content in Keef’s music. He believed the culture Keef represented fueled the skyrocketing violence in Chicago. Lupe had more of a problem with the lyrical content rather than the way Chief Keef was rapping. Lupe also praised Lil B’s surprise album, I’m Gay (I’m Happy) back in 2011. Prodigy was also asked about what he thought about the “Mumble Rap” trend earlier this year, and instead of bashing the younger rappers he put the blame on the record labels pushing for a certain sound and an easy way out.