How Rap Music Has Changed Over The Years
Rap music has changed in many ways since the beginning of the music genre. Artists and beats sound a lot different now than a couple decades ago, and the times changing has a lot to do with the source of this change. Early rap had different topics of discussion, and rap music now has evolved in the way we hear music and find it relatable. So what has ultimately led to the big change? Let’s go over some of the reasons why what you hear today isn’t at all like the past.
Chris Alvarado/Twoworldmedia: Modern era rapper Denzel Curry performs live for his fans
Production
Production technology has changed durastically over the last couple of decades. Producers have much higher quality of music equipment to help make the best quality sound of music. Streaming platforms are also a cause for the higher quality sounding music. Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music have changed and upgraded their production and sound quality from when they started. Technology is more accessible than ever, and you can see that in all the apps that make it easy to produce high quality audio. On top of that, auto tune has also made a big jump, and has been used more than ever in todays day in age.
Chris Alvarado/Twoworldmedia: 90’s rapper Vanilla Ice performing live
Genres
The story that a song can tell is a very powerful voice to be heard. Nowadays, rappers speak from the heart a lot more than decades ago, where trends were more popular than now. Rap music in the past has mainly focused on the party scene. Artists like 50 Cent, Usher, Ludacris and more have specialized in this genre. Lyrics are more subsidized now, and it’s a big part of what makes rap music so much different. There are many more sub genres of rap in todays music that wasn’t around as much. There’s a lot more meaningful lyrics that go into upbringings and emotional moments.
Chris Alvarado/Twoworldmedia: Lil Yachty performs live for his fans at Thing Fest
Mainstream
Rap music has become more of a mainstream genre over the years. It’s used for many events, and is often commercialized a lot more frequently than classic rap music. Artists like Kendrick Lamar and Drake are played by all groups of people and interests. The genre has made its way up a ladder of popularity that has made it one of the most popular and most used genres of music. Social media has also helped the genre grow into mainstream. Instagram and TikTok use rap music consistently enough to rise the market it brings. Same with the radio, as many still enjoy rap music coming on over there favorite radio stations, which then pumps that music into their brain.
Music is changing within the changes of generations. Rap music is the biggest however, because the culture is so complex, so change will always create the biggest ripple effect within this genre. How will rap music change in the next ten years? I guess we will just wait and see.
