Real spit
The younger generation might not feel like this, but the older heads will surely agree with everything GZA is saying. For whatever reason, something struck a nerve with the Wu-Tang wordsmith and he took the time to write about lyricism in hip-hop. Considering he released one of the most lyrically classic albums of all time (Liquid Swords), he has the right to talk about this topic.
In his essay, he breaks down some of the artists that paved the way for hip-hop as a genre and why they never boasted about being from the streets or how much chains they wore, because their street credibility was enough. They just tried to get better at their craft and tried to be the best MC they could be at the time. In the beginning, the genre was just about a message and telling the stories of the streets.
“Music is forever changing. Hip-hop is not going to be what it was 15 or 20 years ago. Everything changes. There are different sounds, different dances. But at the end of the day, to me it’s all about the lyrics.
I’m sure there are great lyricists out there today, but when you look at mainstream hip-hop, lyricism is gone. There are some artists out there that think they’re great storytellers, but they’re not. Nowadays there are certain things I don’t hear anymore from rappers: I haven’t heard the word “MC” in so long; I haven’t heard the word “lyrical.” A lot of rappers think they’re hardcore or say they’re from the streets and there’s that thing where they always say, “I live what I rhyme about, I rhyme about what I live.” But you don’t always have to do that. Because for me it’s not about telling the story — it’s about weaving the tale.”
Read the entire article over at Medium and let us know your thoughts on what GZA was arguing about in his piece. Do you think rappers have lost the art of lyricism?
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