When did rap become all about lyrics

[hex]

It was never all about lyrics. A lot of old heads on here and irl just promote a revisionist 90s history

No, we don't.

If you look at what was selling in the 90's, who in their right mind would argue it's all about lyrics? Snoop went 4x plat in '93, "The Chronic" went 3x plat a year earlier. BONE went 3x plat. BIG went 4x plat. Pac went diamond.

There was a ton of mainstream rappers that wasn't all about lyrics. The idea that old heads just want some rappity-rap shyt is silly as hell. The dude that Dapped you don't even know any rap pre-2005. I don't want to assume anything about when you got into rap, but that's the kind of people you attract saying things like that.

Fred.

 

[vaudevillevillain]

The type of rap you're describing was never at the fore front. You're acting like Canibus and Lyricist Lounge went diamond or some shyt.

And the problem with saying "one of the first hip hop songs ever...." and then going into some lyrics written 30 years ago....it's like asking why people expect more out of movies than black and white with no sound. Within (roughly) a decade of the bars you're talking about, rap was doing concept albums like "Death Certificate".

Lastly, my generation didn't even give our own artists a pass. I remember a decent chunk of people thought "IWW" was wack when it came out. I remember the first time I heard "Juicy" I was "this BIG guy is aight I guess". I remember "Reasonable Doubt" got completely over looked. I'm sure I'll piss off a few old school stans with these statements, but my point is if we were that strict with our own shyt, why would we give anybody new a pass off GP? It's never going to happen breh.

Fred.

"this BIG guy is aight I guess"

BIG is goat and Life After Death is the goat album. It's literally The Blueprint before The Blueprint

 

[DaveyDave]

never has been, the best rappers and the ones who end up on top 5 lists, who make classic albums etc always have a balance between dope lyrics & dope beats.

 

[patscorpio]

When Kool Moe Dee said so in the 1981 battle with Busy Bee.

Kool Moe Dee – Battle w/Busy Bee (Harlem World, 1981) Lyrics | Genius Lyrics


[Verse 1: Kool Moe Dee]
One for the treble, two for the bass
C’mon Easy Lee and let’s rock the place!
One, two, one, two
Do what you do, now!

Hold on, Busy Bee, I don’t mean to be bold
But put that “ba-ditty-ba” bullshyt on hold
We gonna get right down to the nitty-grit
Gonna tell you little somethin’ why you ain’t shyt
It ain’t a emcee's jock that you don’t hug
You even bit your name from the “Lovebug”
And now to bite a nikka’s name, that’s some low-down shyt
If you was money, man, you’d be counterfeit
I gotta give it you, though, you can rock
But everybody know you’re on the Furious' jock
And I remember, Busy, from the olden-times
When my man, Spoonie G, used to sell you rhymes
Remember that rhyme called, “Ditty-Ba-Ditty”?
Man, goddamn, that shyt was a pity!
Too hot to trot, here to rock a spot
Spoonie G rocked it whether you like it or not
He begged for the rhyme, asks for it twice
He says, “Spoonie G, I’ll buy at any price!”
When Spoonie finally sold it, oh, what a relief
Busy B stole it like a fukkin’ thief
Came out rockin’, the party hard
Got everybody thinkin’ that shyt-sound's yours!
Every time I hear it, I throw a fit
Party after party – the same old shyt!
Record after record, rhyme after rhyme
Always want to know your zodiac sign
He changed the shyt to the favorite jeans
C’mon, Busy Bee, tell me what that means
Hold on, brother man, don’t you say nothing
I’m not finished yet, I gotta tell you something
Too hot to trot, I’m here to rock the spot
I’m gonna rock your ass whether you like it or not
I’ll take the title right here on the spot
How can I take a title you ain’t got?
You’re not number one, you’re not even the best
And you can’t win no real emcee contest
Celebrity clubs and bullshyt like those
Those the kind of shows everybody knows
Celebrity clubs, those are the kind you can win
They’re all set up before he comes in
But in a battle like this, you’d know you’d lose
Between me and you, who do you think they’ll choose?
Well, if you think it’s you, I got bad news
‘cause when you hear your name, you’re gonna hear some boos
‘cause you’re fakin’ the funk, ‘cause you’re fakin’ the funk
And at the end of this rock, you can call me unc-le
Mo Dee rock shock the house
Call me unc-le
Rock the house, y’all

My brother ski dropping knowledge

 

[BK The Great]

nowadays it doesn't, but i prefer skill & lyrical ability over corny these ass drug addict rappers mumbling on records at least it's more impressive.

 

[Knicksman20]

If you really think about it you always had to be nice on the mic or you were booed off stage. But I will say that it really started to focus a little more on lyricism when Rakim came on the scene & changed the way emcees approached writing songs around 85/86. He almost made a science. Lyricism was always important but it became a little more important because of the god emcee. There's very few emcees that made an impact like that on the genre.

 

[IllmaticDelta]

If you really think about it you always had to be nice on the mic or you were booed off stage. But I will say that it really started to focus a little more on lyricism when Rakim came on the scene & changed the way emcees approached writing songs around 85/86. He almost made a science. Lyricism was always important but it became a little more important because of the god emcee. There's very few emcees that made an impact like that on the genre.

caz, melle mel and kool moe d all had the same impact on lyrics




I was sittin' on the corner just a-wastin' my time
When I realised I was the king of the rhyme
I got on the microphone and what do you see?
Huh, the rest was my legacy
I was born to be the king of the be-bop swing
To have stallions and medallions, big diamond rings
I own a castle and a yacht, two million in gold
Because rap is the game that I control
I'm like Shakespeare, I'm a pioneer
Because I made rap somethin' people wanted to hear
See, before my reign, it was the same old same
"To the bop with the bop", that street-talk game
So if you ever, let me make this clear
If you ever think that we're steppin' out of here
You ever think you're gettin' up, down, around or in
Huh huh, you better think again, my friend
Because the door is closed and we're in town
And the only place you can go is dowwwwwwwwwwn!
(Oohweeoohweeoohweeooooooooooooooooooooooohh
Step, step, step, step, step off.)

 

[Long Live The Kane]

never was except for miserable nerds...its a war that they'll never win so they're just extra vocal crying about it...its like hardcore conservatives in denial that they loss/are continuing to lose the culture war, and retreat to their echo chambers of crying

 

[CashmereThoughts]

And nothing else. I mean one of the first hip hop songs ever, duke was saying "hip, hop, a hippy, a hippy to the hip hip hop and you don't stop" why all of a sudden can people not listen to songs without some thought provoking mind boggling metaphor or punchline in it. Y'all motherfukkers spoiled. We need to cherish this thing called hip hop and stop separating it into other shyt. Old heads embrace young heads. Boom bap embrace trap. Can't we just enjoy hip hop for what it is, always has been and always will be??

That song was wack and then bytch ass nikkas didn't even write it.

To answers your question. It because out lyrics somewhere in between run dmc and rakim.

Rakim made nikkas have to step they pen up

 

[avon barksdale]

Mumbling?

You Black people who make this lazy argument are the worst.

You black people

 

[mobbinfms]

OP make a thread titled "when did rap become all about mumbling over hot beats" too

Hot Beats? :tochilol:

 

[PhonZhi]

Hot Beats? :tochilol:

most of these new rappers owe their entire success to the guys doing their beats

Hot beat and catchy hook is really all you need these days

 

[mobbinfms]

most of these new rappers owe their entire success to the guys doing their beats

Hot beat and catchy hook is really all you need these days

Trap beats are all trash breh. Let me know when they make the first good one.

 

[Knicksman20]

caz, melle mel and kool moe d all had the same impact on lyrics




I was sittin' on the corner just a-wastin' my time
When I realised I was the king of the rhyme
I got on the microphone and what do you see?
Huh, the rest was my legacy
I was born to be the king of the be-bop swing
To have stallions and medallions, big diamond rings
I own a castle and a yacht, two million in gold
Because rap is the game that I control
I'm like Shakespeare, I'm a pioneer
Because I made rap somethin' people wanted to hear
See, before my reign, it was the same old same
"To the bop with the bop", that street-talk game
So if you ever, let me make this clear
If you ever think that we're steppin' out of here
You ever think you're gettin' up, down, around or in
Huh huh, you better think again, my friend
Because the door is closed and we're in town
And the only place you can go is dowwwwwwwwwwn!
(Oohweeoohweeoohweeooooooooooooooooooooooohh
Step, step, step, step, step off.)

With all due respect not like Ra fam. Emceeing changed drastically after he dropped. Just listen to the music before 86 & you can see the difference

 

[RichYung]

never was except for miserable nerds...its a war that they'll never win so they're just extra vocal crying about it...its like hardcore conservatives in denial that they loss/are continuing to lose the culture war, and retreat to their echo chambers of crying

Thread over.