There is a generation gap but it's not just about older fans being bitter and not evolving. Weak is weak no matter what era and I have to say it, this era has been weak overall. The 80's elevated the game from the 70's and the 90's elevated the game from the 80's. The 2000's has not elevated anything, Hip Hop has regressed and people have the right to complain to see the artform they created and built up being destroyed in front of their eyes. Also Kids no a days a lot of them have no respect for pioneers. Did you ever hear Prince and MJJ call Stevie Wonder and James Brown old and washed up? But can you blame some these kids? When you got young bucks like Nicki Minaj calling Lil Kim washed up. Big Sean and Drake critized a Vet like Ludacris rhyming ability. It's no wonder a lot of these youngin's have no respect.
You can't know where your going unless you've know where you been. I'm not saying all the music has been trash. There has been some great music in the 2000's but the Classic Material has dropped dramatically. Sure there were wack artist in the 80's and 90's but the fact is the good sh!t rose to the top. The Radio was more diverse and played everything. Now the Radio plays the same 10 songs on repeat and the wack sh!t gets in and stays on repeat. There is no balance. Just look at Female Hip Hop. Kids today got Nicki Minaj. When I was coming up in the 80's and 90's we had mad female emcees killin it. Again No Balance. Some of it is on the artist. A lot of it is on the Labels and how the game has changed. Again I don't even blame a lot of the youth cause they don't know any better. But when I was a teen in the 90's loving Biggie, NaS and Wu. I would never fix my mouth to say Run DMC was wack, or Rakim and Kool Moe Dee was old. I had a respect for them. Outside of Biggie and Pac, I don't see the same respect for Rap's pioneers from this generation.