original post written by @itsthecaptain
For years it was widely regarded that “Rap Is The Young Mans Game” and that if you were 30 plus that you should probably hang the mic up and let the young and hungry rock the mic. It was also taboo for you to even THINK about continuing your rap career if you haven’t “Made It” by your 30th birthday. Now to some these statements may very well hold true. However, it seems as though the artist who are “controlling the masses” are becoming more of a standard than an exception to the rule.
There is a good chance your favorite rapper is 30 or older and in some cases knocking on 40 and they don’t have the typical “old school flow”. What has happened in the course of the last 10 years to cause this change? Is it Jay-Z’s undeniable success and him leading the “30 is the new 20” march? Is it rappers like Kanye West and 50 Cent who have opened the market and the target demo for rap music by making timeless albums and club anthems that have played years past their debut? What about the Commons and Skillz who benefited from the Culture of hip-hop being exposed so now there voice is louder?
The answer may not come for a while or may carry strong opinion but its a definite that Hip-Hop is now taking on the timeless tag carried by Rock and Roll and now age has nothing to do with demand or quality of work. Here is video of LL Cool J’s Acceptance Speech at the 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards. LL is now 43 years old..and I must say…This verse is ranking high with some of the top dogs today.
Rappers Like J. Cole, B.O.B, Diggy Simmons, Big Sean, Yelawolf and Meek Mill all show a lot of promise in terms of lyrical ability. However what is the new benchmark? Will we be saying How many hits or platinum albums do you have? or will we be saying “How nice will you be by your 35th birthday?” Young and old are both needed to preserve both the music and the culture but with the trend of 30 plus heavy hitters, how many more “New Kids on The Block” will truly be accepted while they are NEW KIDS?
