The best way to put it is think of a restaurant you went to before it blew it up or expanded. The food is likely gonna be better than once itās a chain. Well w/ hip hip before the money, dudes were genuinely educated and diverse. 5 percenters, Islam, the Bible, etc
Now that hip hop has blown up, those OG rappers are āguidesā for people to follow, so the new model doesnāt actually have to be well read or ādeepā they are just doing a good job of impersonating the intellectuals they grew up watching
Like GZA actually knows quantum physics. Mos def moved to Africa. Plenty of NY rappers were actual 5 percenters. You donāt have that level of investment anymore. So people like J Cole may sound deep to a youngin but to a OG itās like ok heās not saying shyt heās just good at rapping
I will say kendrick is the best of this newer generation heās gets closer to that feeling. Jay electronica is a good example of actual knowledge. But age wise heās old guard so I wonāt count him as new