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50 years of Hip Hop- How Come?

Having been a music fan for over 50 years, it’s been fun to see all the different musical genres that have come and gone in popular music.

In the the 50s it was Rock n Roll. Then in the 60s we had Psychedelia, in the 70s Punk, in the 80s New Wave, in the 90s Grunge. It was always interesting to see how music changed into the next new thing.

At the latest Grammy awards, which I did not see, there was a segment called 50 years of hip hop.

I’ve personally never been a big fan of the genre, there are some songs I have liked, but that’s ok. Everyone has their tastes. What I am surprised about is Hip Hops longevity. It just seems like for the last 25 years a lot of music hasn’t really changed much. There has been no " next new thing"as far as I can tell.

How Come? Anyone feel the same way or care to comment. Am I just getting old??

 

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baldachin's avatar
baldachin
10 posts
 

Drug money has and continues to fuel hh. As usual, follow the.....

 

 

 

 

ghasley
2,434 posts
 

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to adjust the eyeholes on their hood and see this thread…..

kingsleuy's avatar
kingsleuy
175 posts
 

68 y.o, here.

50 years of Hip Hop?  A dance groove?  Never heard of it.  Nor would I attempt with my bad knees and hips.

mapman's avatar
mapman
21,866 posts
 

I love to listen to music. No qualifiers. That’s what the fancy hifis are for. 

hickamore
567 posts
 

Some of us don't accept the notion of "genre." Useful for some purposes, yet so much of the best lies between or beyond. Experts say Purcell is pre-Baroque. OK, but he sounds Baroque enough for me. The War On Drugs. Rock? I would say yes. Purists might say techno-pop or some such. "Genre" definitions grow tiresome.

Not ALL definitions, though. Whether hip-hop qualifies as "music" is a seriously legitimate question. What are the elements of music? What distinguishes music from the spoken word? If the word is spoken to a rhythmic cadence, is it now music? Or must the voice be sung to recognizable notes? Do we need a melodic element? A harmonic element? At what point does Homeric recitation become music? And before you answer, why did Bob Dylan win the Nobel in Literature?

So, is it futile not only to attempt defining genres of music, but to attempt defining music itself? The Socrates of Alcibiades, Symposium, Meno, etc., would love to hear your answers.

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