[DISCUSSION] What does Hip Hop stand for nowadays ?

I’m not sure if this fits the sub’s rules, if it doesn’t, the mods can handle it however they see fit.

Even though I’m not from the U.S., I’ve been listening to U.S.-centric hip hop since before I even knew how to tie my shoes. From that point on, it stuck with me deeply and has played a huge role in how I see and respond to the world. Without getting into all the details of why or how, the main thing that always stood out to me about the artists was that they stood for something. They had goals, a vision, and a message. They were relatable to the world around them, and whatever that message was, there was always one, and that resonated to me deeply and is a huge part of why I stuck with it. To be clear, there were always artist which were not really into voicing any deep opinions and were making what some could call trunk or club music, but even they would speak out their minds, if not the music, then in their interviews.

But in light of recent events, and really this past year in the U.S., it feels like that foundation is starting to fall apart. Maybe it’s more obvious from the outside, but I see so many hip hop artists staying silent about the state of the world and just dropping music for the sake of it, or because it’s “time.”

I remember things being very different in the 2000s and 2010s. A lot of rappers and people in the hip hop community openly voiced their opinions, not just about politics, but about the issues affecting all the people from their communities. To me, it was always clear that hip hop stood for something, and artists were judged by their actions as much as their words.

But especially now, a lot of artists who come across in their music as if they stand for something aren’t actually doing anything, they stay quiet and compliant. Honestly, I’m more surprised by the hip hop artists who have spoken out about the recent events.

Maybe it was like this all the time, and it's just me coming around to it. Would like to hear your opinions about this.

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