Death Of Lyricism But Not The Lyricist

Lyricism
--An intense outpouring of exuberant emotion.

Lyricist
--a person who writes the words for songs.


In the old days (1980's - 1998) alot of people listened to songs that had lyrics that you could shake your head to, and reminisce back to a part of your life where those lyrics pertained to. There was a time when you could listen to a song and in the end or at the climax of the song utter "Damn, that's deep". There was a time when rappers were storytellers who spoke of, but didn't glorify the horrible conditions that ran rampant through the African American and Poor neighborhoods. They didn't exploit ignorance like alot of rappers do today just to sell an album and make a buck.

I don't know when artists first started rapping about nothing in particular, and saying anything that rhymed for the sake of rhyming. I don't know when consumers and Hip Hop Lovers allowed artists to short them of good music. I don't know when it was OK to have 2 or 3 good songs on an album along with 8 or 9 trashy songs that the listener probably wont ever like or listen to.

What happened to the Illmatic's, reasonable Doubt's, And Let's not forget the Be's (Common), Biggies story telling albums, and of course the Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill? (You cant tell me Lauryn wasn't a rapper in her own sense. If your still considering Kanye a rap artist, then so is Lauryn who's iller than Kanye is, and ever will be), and Outkast's Aquemini. No More conscious rap? Now Conscious Rap is a Curse free Master P Album. *sigh*

I sometimes have to ask myself, "Is it hard to make an album where every joint on the album is something that can be considered a classic?". Are artists afraid that if they make an album full of classic songs, great songs, songs that tell a story, songs with substance, that they will never ever be able to make another album?

I Was Told By A blog reader Via My Comments -

"[people] get me sick, [Soulja boy] really make good music he makes what ppl want to hear in today's world. Every one is on the go its a fast paced world and no one has time to figure out what the [expletive] you trying to say in your rhymes. People really just want to dance and listen but not listen. They want something simple to hear that's it that's why new york rappers are dead no body give a [expletive] bout your story, [people] just want fun feel good music they can relate to."

I was shocked. He claims that the world is so messed up that people don't want to hear meaningful lyrics, that people are on the go and don't want to hear lyrical content worth listening to. When the world is in a frenzy, THAT'S when people should take the time to (excuse my french) stop bullshitting and listen to something meaningful. Is it my passion for music? My intense love for purpose and substance? If you want to blame that then by all means blame that!

I know that we have to have our CLUB MUSIC, LOVE MUSIC, but whats up with this new NONE OF THE ABOVE MUSIC. Music where people are raping but about nothing, or sometimes about everything UNDER THE SUN!! Drug induced rappers, who speak just like well, ....drug induced people speak. That Music is confusing, more confusing than a Sarah Palin/Lil Wayne Interview.


He says people want to hear music that we can relate to, by a show of hands how many of you can relate to Soulja Boy's Music?

How many of you have "Stacks On Deck"?, How many of you have all of that Ringtone money (That would be a hot Arab money remix)??? I can't relate to soulja boy and I'm sure not alot of you really can. How do you relate to "Crank Dat", "Birdwalk", and The new one "I Hop up out my beeeddd turn my swag on,.. I'm getting moneyy" WHAT? I don't bash Soulja Boy, i simply point out the fact that he is not a rap artists. He's a children's musician. He makes music for kids. He makes music so that he can get paid, and that's it. I cant blame him for raping the rap industry, or using it for a means of getting money, because the rap industry was RAPING listeners before he came into the picture. So i don't blame him for the non existent death of Hip Hop.

I think The death of lyricism started with Bling Bling Rap (Cash Money Millionaires, B.G. and Lil Wayne Mannie Fresh, Yep YALL). Rappers began to see the money in rapping and eventually started to rhyme about the money they were making and the material things that they could obtain with the money. They began rhyming about the cars, the houses, diamonds and gold, and of course the women that came along with having all of that. When this happened there was no need for the passion that was used, and the story telling involved with lyricism, when your lyrics are mainly about monetary success.

Though the lyricist, or person who writes the lyrics to a song is still here, alive, kicking and writing, the lyricism in a song, the passion, emotion, and meaning of the words spit over a nice beat or before and after a hot chorus or a hook has died and gone. I don't know who'll bring it back or if it will come back but I'm sure I'm not alone when i say, I Miss it.