Do lyrics even matter anymore in hip hop???

[bigrodthe1]

Serious question...cause I know damn well cats don't listen to this autotune generation for the wordplay but even for an old school cat like myself my favorite album so far this year is the Snoop joint and he not even really "rapping" on it so tell me do lyrics even matter to y'all

 

[West Coast Avenger]

No that shyt doesn't matter anymore...only thing that still remains is you have to have a hot beat and a nice flow...

 

[The Ruler 09]

To me absolutely and s lot of others, it depends on the demographic, lyrics will always matter to me.

 

[Scientific Playa]

yes, evolution example 'Do you there' caught my ear this year.



I got this girl in Florida
I smash her friend whenever I get bored of her

Skizzy Mars - Do You There Lyrics | MetroLyrics




Sugarhill Gang - Rappers Delight Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Everybody go, hotel motel holiday inn. Say if your girl starts acting up, then you take her friend

 

[Couth]

its rap music. Whole point is the lyrics. So lyrics will always matter.

But rappers are starting to put just as much emphasis on flow which is a good thing in my opinion.

And its like now a days lyrics are more about expressing yourself. Whereas before lyrics were more about expressing your lyrical ability.

i still listen to old keef, future, gucci, and i be in awe of some of their lyrics. Not cuz they're so complicated or using crazy wordplay, but just cuz the way they put things together is so perfect

 

[Ghost Utmost]

Matter? No. They matter to me and like 75 other people nationwide.

A majority of people have a low IQ

 

[H.J.Duck]

personally it hasn't change to me. what I listen depends on the mood I'm in / what I'm doing if I'm drinkin or partying I don't wanna listen to the same, more "lyrical" stuff I listen to w/ my headphones when I'm alone w/ my thoughts just like I don't listen to the same stuff in November & in June


in general though, I think people don't pay attention to lyricism as much anymore. it's more about 'sound' & image of the artist. I mean even though I respect the top tier artists today, someone incredibly talented as Kendrick or Drake doesn't concentrate on lyricism as much as the (respected) top tier artists 15 or 20 years ago did It's not necessarily a bad thing either if we get musically great albums like TPAB

 

[pointproven214]

to me yes and no it does matter because for me if u not saying anything good on a song then it don't matter but if the your flow is wack and the beat is wack then it don't matter if u have dope metaphors.

 

[SuburbanPimp]

To me it definitely does, to the masses not so much....

As much as I love dope beats and some of the ignorant turn up music....

Nothing is better than listening to a song for like a 3rd time and catching dope lines I might have missed or when it finally clicks when finally get a full understanding of a song....

 

[boskey]

Biggest myth of all time is that a hot beat is all you need to make a hit. Lyrics matter more than beats and that will ALWAYS be true in hip hop. Even if people prefer more remedial lyrics over complex shyt, the actual words still matter the most.

DJ Mustard can have 100 hits, but he will never be able to sell an instrumental album. People don't dance no more...

 

[Mirin4rmfar]

No that shyt doesn't matter anymore...only thing that still remains is you have to have a hot beat and a nice flow...

But lyrical like Cole, Kendrick etc. Are the only ones eating off albums. The hot beats with just flow just get club plays and social media play etc. i never heard cole at a club But Future gets played tons.

 

[Eternal Tecate]

Words have never meant shyt, all that matters is the manner in which they're said.

 

[West Coast Avenger]

But lyrical like Cole, Kendrick etc. Are the only ones eating off albums. The hot beats with just flow just get club plays and social media play etc. i never heard cole at a club But Future gets played tons.

Excellent point....but alot of those other artist who are not lyrical eat off that show money....like Migo's for example...just because they are not selling albums doesnt mean they are not popular....one single is all you really need nowadays...

 

[Heelish]

Matter? No. They matter to me and like 75 other people nationwide.

A majority of people have a low IQ

"The dumb are mostly intrigued by the drum." - MK

 

[SAINT]

Yes, but it depends on the rapper. No one listens to young thug, rhq, and future for lyrics and introspective music. Their music attracts listeners through instrumentals and flow pattern. However, listeners want J.cole and Kendrick to be lyrical. When you hear young thugs music you don't judge it by what he's saying, but how he's saying it. Meanwhile Coles and K.Dots music is judged by their lyrics. If every rapper sounded like Cole, or k. dot or nas hip-hop would become very stale just like if every rapper depended only their beats. Just look at the fall of drill music. The variety is what keeps hip-hop interesting in my opinion.