History Main / HipHop

-->-- '''Isaac Hayes'''

* ControversyProofImage: Exceptions being '''[[Music/{{IceT}} Ice-T]]''''s cop killer controversy, which for all intents and purposes ruined his mainstream career as a rapper[[note]]Even though the Music/BodyCount album was '''HeavyMetal''', not rap[[/note]] and ''Nelly'', due to the tip drill controversy. Possibly Music/PublicEnemy as well thanks to Professor Grif's comments about Jews.

* ItsPopularNowItSucks: Hip hop is often overlooked by music fans because of its immense popularity. The low quality of its mainstream artists doesn't help at all.
* LighterAndSofter: Current form of hop-hop is accused of this. Not just for specific artists but the genre as a whole, according to some.

** In Australia, talents like Music/{{Diafrix}}, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu16zcw82dk&feature=relmfu 1/6]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_55ZdsfNqlI N'fa]] (who worked with HeathLedger, believe it or not) head the very small number of African-Australian emcees. [[UsefulNotes/FirstAustralians Indigenous]] hip-hop is another significant minority subculture.

* ComicsRuleEverythingAroundMe
* ConfirmationBias / DontShootTheMessage: ''A lot'' of people, casual listeners and purists alike, tend to love or hate hip hop (and its subgenres) based on its messages, imagery, and other factors more so than the actual music itself.

* CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority: A good chunk of hip-hop's music image is this.
* ConspiracyTheorist: A lot of Political Rappers veer into this.
* CrapsackWorld
* DarkerAndEdgier: Arguably the ''GoldenAge'' era, even the alternative movement.
** The genre as a whole has gone through this: compare the clean-cut Fresh Prince with Lil Wayne.
*** Of course there's no agreement on whether or not this generation is darker, as some have the exact ''OPPOSITE'' opinion.
* DeaderThanDisco[=/=]GenreKiller: Censorship, ExecutiveMeddling, LighterAndSofter, and MisaimedMarketing of HipHop is what arguably killed the GangstaRap, HardcoreHipHop, ConsciousHipHop, AlternativeRap, and PoliticalRap sub-genres in the mainstream. Specific reasons are;
** Stronger radio and video censorship towards HardcoreHipHop, GangstaRap, and PoliticalRap. Creator/{{MTV}} even refused to play a certain Music/PublicEnemy video because of a political statement. This become an extreme wall banger when you realized how the sexually explicit videos were rarely if ever banned, but violence and political statements were apparently where they drew the line.
*** Some even say West Coast hip-hop specifically was blacklisted because of the East Coast/West Coast rivalries, and because of this it never recovered. Then there was the death of 2pac and the collapse of Creator/DeathRowRecords and its [[TheRival rival]] ''Ruthless Records'' thanks to ExecutiveMeddling (according to Music/BoneThugsNHarmony). After that West Coast rap in general, gangsta or otherwise, was persona non grata.
*** There was a BET memo that said they wouldn't play PoliticalRap because it's ''too intelligent for its audiences''.
** ConsciousHipHop, likely due to the Afrocentric overtones not being [[ButNotTooBlack broadly]] [[MultipleDemographicAppeal appealing]]. The beginning of the end was probably when the mainstream ignored Digable Planets's more Afrocentric album ''Blowout Comb'', and Arrested Development's follow up album ''Zingalamaduni''.
** AlternativeRap was killed due to the same reasons as ConsciousHipHop, exceptions being that it has a mainstream-friendly package like Music/TheBlackEyedPeas and Music/KanyeWest.
** [[TakeAThirdOption Alternatively]] the above genres just weren't popular ''enough'' [[PopCultureIsolation outside of hip-hop's core audience]]. So basically MoneyDearBoy...
* DeepSouth: Quite a few rappers are from Atlanta and other Southern areas.

* IAmSong
* InherentInTheSystem: Some rap songs cover this.

** This largely depends on who you ask. Often if you ask somebody if they like rap music, whether they say yes or no, it's hard to tell whether they know if you are referring to mainstream "glam rap" or underground hip hop, the latter of which is generally what most music enthusiasts consider when they think of "rap".
* JustifiedCriminal

* ListSong
* MalcolmXerox: A none Strawman version.

* MobWar

** AlternativeRap was killed due to the same reasons as ConsciousHipHop, exceptions being that it has a mainstream-friendly package like BlackEyedPeas and Music/KanyeWest.

** Stronger radio and video censorship towards HardcoreHipHop, GangstaRap, and PoliticalRap. {{MTV}} even refused to play a certain Music/PublicEnemy video because of a political statement. This become an extreme wall banger when you realized how the sexually explicit videos were rarely if ever banned, but violence and political statements were apparently where they drew the line.

* PopCultureIsolation: The genre at it's core is mostly known by urban audiences

*** Some even say West Coast hip-hop specifically was blacklisted because of the East Coast/West Coast rivalries, and because of this it never recovered. Then there was the death of 2pac and the collapse of DeathRow Records and its [[TheRival rival]] ''Ruthless Records'' thanks to ExecutiveMeddling (according to Music/BoneThugsNHarmony). After that West Coast rap in general, gangsta or otherwise, was persona non grata.

* NWordPrivileges: Black rappers use the word "nigga" constantly, White and Asian rappers do not. Hispanic rappers, oddly enough, do use the word however.

** This is a bit of a generalization if you ask me. Not every rapper uses the N word in every song.

** {{Trap Music}}

* TheGoldenAgeOfHipHop

*** There was a BET memo that said they wouldn't play PoliticalRap because it's ''[[ViewersAreMorons too intelligent for its audiences]]''.

** AlternativeRap was killed due to the same reasons as ConsciousHipHop, exceptions being that it has a mainstream-friendly package like BlackEyedPeas and KanyeWest.

-->-- '''Music/IsaacHayes'''

-->-- '''Isaac Hayes'''

* Jazz Rap (a form of rap mixing Jazz music, made famous by a ATribeCalledQuest)

*** Some even say West Coast hip-hop specifically was blacklisted because of the East Coast/West Coast rivalries, and because of this it never recovered. Then there was the death of 2pac and the collapse of DeathRow Records and its [[TheRival rival]] ''Ruthless Records'' thanks to ExecutiveMeddling (according to BoneThugsNHarmony). After that West Coast rap in general, gangsta or otherwise, was persona non grata.

* ControversyProofImage: Exceptions being '''[[Music/{{IceT}} Ice-T]]''''s cop killer controversy, which for all intents and purposes ruined his mainstream career as a rapper[[note]]Even though the Music/BodyCount album was '''Music/HeavyMetal''', not rap[[/note]] and ''Nelly'', due to the tip drill controversy. Possibly Music/PublicEnemy as well thanks to Professor Grif's comments about Jews.

* IntercourseWithYou

Old school hip hop comprised four ingredients -- [[GenericGraffiti graffiti]], DJ-ing, MC-ing, and beat boxing (Breakdancing is another staple, but not within the context of hip hop music, just hip hop culture). Nowadays, it is often viewed as 'another name for rap'.

'Conscious' hip hop artists such as Mos Def, A Tribe Called Quest, or even Common, may be used in a soundtrack to give an urban yet indie feel.

[[redirect:GenreMotif/HipHop]]