Pictured above: Soulja Toy and Chuck Hamlet
Today’s hip-hop landscape looks a lot like the lunchroom at an urban high school. What began as one thing, has grown into another, much bigger, more fractured thing altogether. While the casual observer might look at the rap genre as one thing, the more dedicated listener will note the distinct sub-categories that the music has to offer. Each category, while separate, will contain a bit of overlap for two reasons. First, each artist is influenced by the art of their contemporaries and predecessors. Secondly, what makes the product that each artist creates palatable for large audiences are the cords of similarity within the biographies of the entertainers and their fans. These shared experiences, stories, and viewpoints are the intangible elements that create the culture of hip-hop.
Here are the categories and their most notable figures:
The Cool Kids
High on pop appeal and low on lyrical content, these are the artists who have capitalized on style alone. They are pop artists as much as hip-hoppers. This class of rapper is very likely to have invented a dance to go along with one of their songs, worn white sunglasses, made songs that deal with their extravagant lifestyles, and catered to their female fans.
Notable Figures: Drake, Wale, Soulja boy,
The Gangsters/Soldiers
There is a contingent of people who have resigned themselves to illegal means of gain for a variety of reasons. The hope is to gain “Kingpin” status and not have to maintain this high risk lifestyle forever. Although the dream is unrealistic for the vast majority of people (like making it to the NBA), it seems that this groups population keeps growing. Here, you can expect to find stories of drug sales, gun play and unrealistic stories of the interplay between high and low life.
Notable Figures: Jeezy, Wayne, Jadakiss, Gucci Mane
The Kingpins
When you think about this group, envision Frank Lucas. They started as bottom feeders with nothing going for them and have built their respective empires on the combination of underworld and legitimate business dealings. They now rub shoulders unapologetically with high society and they rarely forget their table manners. However, every once in a while, they find occasion to remind us where they came from.
Notable Figures: Rick Ross, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, T.I.
The Outsiders (read: Weird Kids)
This group is made up the people who came from circumstances where they were unable to be themselves. Since parlaying their oddities into success, they have begun to garner quite a following among those with odd interests and tested the limits of what is acceptable.
Notable Figures: Kid Cudi, Eminem, Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton
The Disciples
The true believers of the rap game are not likely to get the same commercial attention because of the way that people think about rap. The average high school student buying the newest rap album for their house party while their parents are out of town is no mood to be preached at. For this reason, artists in this category have what could be considered a cult following. In general, people who claim with pride that they listen to “underground rap” they have discovered an artist in this category. Once one of these artist gets a taste of fame, it is not unusual to hear them attempt to make a mainstream. It usually doesn’t go as well as they’d like.
Notable Figures: Brother Ali, Mos Def, MF Doom, Talib Kweli, Nas
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