It’s so crazy to me that hip hop has been around for so long and it’s still growing, consisting of sub genres within the hip hop genre, new artists and a new sound but with the same heart. The passion and love for the music will always be there just the methods have changed.
For example, earlier hip hop artists like NWA, Wu-Tang, Tribe called quest, Tupac, Biggie, Guru, Nas and many more all rapped about change and wanting to get out of the struggle that was their “everyday” life at the time.
It’s so mind blowing that the new-school rappers are rapping about change but to a completely different generation, with a completely different sound and with so many different people. The heart of rap will always be there but their methods are different. Some look at new-school hip hop artists and wonder why they cannot be like the old-school guys and to be honest, I’ve done that a few times myself. Kanye releases an album that people cannot understand until its two years later because they don’t understand the reasoning or vision behind his music, his wording or his creative thinking.
I realised that in order for our generation to move forward, we need to stay relevant. Just like Tupac and Biggie wrote for their streets and their nation, our generation needs to be writers, painters, artists, composers or whatever it maybe, that accepts ALL. We need to relate to and be relatable to those who often become outsiders to the “Christian community.” As a nation we should be changing and evolving just like new-school rap is. We should be a generation that when the future becomes the present, only good things can be said about the past.
Jesus teaches us to love our neighbour, there is no exception, but or if after that commandment. “God says love your neighbour as you love yourself.” Loving someone else does not mean you need to be a Saint or “holier” than the Pope. Love because you want to stay relevant to all, love because of the passion inside you to see change.
Hip hop will not die and neither will the love of Jesus.
Godspeed to all of you.
(P.S I still listen to my Illmatic record by Nas)