Hip hop mumble rappers11/22/2023 Now, over 40 years have passed since hip-hop’s beginning, and it seems as if hip-hop has been split down the middle between its listeners. The music genre has morphed since merging with mainstream society, as a myriad of different artists have adopted hip-hop and made it their own sound. The definition of hip-hop has changed since its birth in 1973 at a birthday party on the West side of the Bronx, New York City. From its initial acceptance by our young population to the eventual acceptance by hip-hop stars like Drake and Kendrick Lamar, the popularity of mumble rap has always been an organic process.“Lil Yachty” by Anton Mak is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons) People have not grown into “mumble rap” out of nowhere. The production, performances, and even the eccentric or exaggerated personalities in this music genre are what make it successful. Sometimes, music is about everything but the lyrical content. The songs are simple, and although they are mostly incomprehensible, their incomprehensibility is not of much importance. Rather than bring the difficulties and tensions from the world into their songs, a mumble rapper’s style becomes a manifestation of a liberation from social standards and general principled expectations. The genre provides an escape from the intensities of our current societal issues. They deliver songs on an “as is” basis and sing about their present days, present thoughts, and present states of mind. Furthermore, these types of lyrics relieve the listener from the need to have a working knowledge of hip hop history in order to enjoy a rap song. He said, “A lot of times artists rap with a whole lot of words and metaphors – to simplify it and say all that you are trying to say in a few phrases is a gift.” This statement is not ill placed. Zaytoven, Atlanta Hip-hop producer said it right in a Rolling Stone interview discussing 21 Savage’s album Issa Album. Instead, they are just fine singing about money, sex, and drugs, and for this choice of topics they are often criticized. These rappers, however, refuse to be influenced by the social justice issues that plague our time. In a time where there are increased tensions between political parties and amplified discussions on social justice issues, it is not unusual to have art and music that is politically driven and have artists be vocal with their opinions through artistic expression. Mumble rap is proving to thrive in the distorted social justice landscape that we have today. Many artists, like Desiigner and Migos, have risen to fame from their use of online platforms like SoundCloud and YouTube to release and distribute their work. Its popularity stems from the networks and connectivity made possible by today’s technology and social media. Regardless of what these critics might say, this style of rap has resulted from the unrestricted license to create that these artists have found for themselves. In late 2016 for example, 90s hip-hop star, Pete Rock, along with other hip-hop legends and revered contemporaries like Snoop Dogg and J.Cole, at one point openly criticized the new style of rap, accusing rappers like Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert of making a joke out of rap culture and singing meaningless words. Some might say that this style of music is reflective of contemporary times and thus reflects an increased ignorance of social justice issues and disregard towards historic influences. This style, usually performed with spirited trap beats, is characterized by the use of simple rhyme schemes often accompanied with ad-libs, like “skrrt,” to support the song’s melody. Unlike traditional rap music, composed of bars built from scratch, laced with metaphors and intricate wordplay, and delivered to a population of listeners who will waste no time in executing critical judgement, mumble rap is more relaxed and simplistic performed for the vibes-within, rather than for general acclaim or advancement of a political or social justice statement. Used in reference to the often poorly articulated delivery of the lyrics sung, “mumble rap” is a term sometimes scornfully used to describe a new type of rap.
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