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Salt 'N' Pepa (1985)
Salt 'N' Pepa is a girl group formed in 1985. They were the first-ever female act to achieve gold and platinum status. In a genre saturated with men, Salt 'N' Pepa stepped up to the plate and were among the first female hip hop artists who were proponents of female sexual freedom and rejecting hypermasculinity. From suggestive songs like "Push It" to commentary about sexual health on "Let's Talk About Aids", Salt 'N' Pepa's unapologetic character and charisma earned worldwide praise and respect. -
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Sociological Concepts Throughout the Golden Age
Hip hop progressively made its way into the mainstream, with records from Tupac and Dre as well as emerging artists like Public Enemy headlining in consumption. The messages behind hip hop helped the genre establish its own mainstream culture, and the unique fashion trends associated with it helped influence the pop culture. Artists like Salt 'N' Pepa were among the first to tackle the issues of gender roles. Stations like MTV helped to push hip hop popularity further through commercialization. -
Run DMC - Walk This Way ft. Aerosmith (1986)
This release was one of the first of its kind. With legendary rock band Aerosmith (who were suffering from a decline in popularity), Run DMC was one of the first to pioneer the concept of merging rock and hip hop together into a hybrid and have it become commercially successful (one of the first top 5 charting songs in hip hop!). Not only did this blend of genres inspire more hip hop artists to genrebend, but it also helped reignite the buzz around Aerosmith and rock music in general. -
N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton (1988)
N.W.A.'s emergence during the Golden Era has undoubtedly been one of the most influential shifts in the paradigm of hip hop. Straight Outta Compton would pave the way for succeeding generations of disenfranchised urban communities by empowering them to express themselves in a creative outlet and strive to make it out of their position. Even the 2015 film broke records of its own, being among the most critically acclaimed and highest-grossing films directed by an African-American. -
Yo! MTV Raps (1988)
Though not especially remarkable for TV outlets to be covering the latest in hip hop news, MTV's premiere of "Yo! MTV Raps" in 1988 was a pioneer in bringing the culture of hip hop into visual documentation on televisions across America. Despite MTV's decline in popularity in recent years, their shows detailing the lives, aesthetics, and unique personalities in hip hop would be the blueprint for shows like Rap City on BET and the esteemed Love & Hip Hop series. -
Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)
The Chronic by Dr. Dre is considered one of the most quintessential records in hip hop history, with arguably more influence on the landscape of West Coast hip hop than any other. It introduced the infamous Death Row Records, home to many platinum West Coast artists such as Tupac and MC Hammer. Artists would emerge with new groundbreaking records in the following years (most notably Snoop Dogg's "Doggystyle" in 1993). At its peak, the label garnered $100 million in profit annually. -
Spotify, Soundcloud, and Streaming Services
Hip hop artists are able to have their content easily accessed by millions worldwide on platforms like Spotify. What was once a privilege to have access to the physical copy of a record, a broader internet audience now has exposure to hip hop music/culture, and with more exposure comes more innovation and growth in the genre. However, sites like Spotify have recently employed schemes to capitalize and profit off artists' work and user traffic, such as poor compensation, pay-to-play, and more. -
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Sociological Concepts in Present Day Hip Hop
Today, the sound of hip hop has greatly changed in comparison to the Golden Era, with more emphasis on trap instrumentals and less emphasis on lyricism. Streaming service usage has dramatically impacted the consumption of hip hop, and this growing influence is heavily reflected in popular culture. With online platforms like Tiktok, cultural appropriation and whitewashing of historically black music are of growing concern, as well as the influence of social media subculture on hip hop relevance. -
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly (2015)
Amidst the era of growing popularity in mumble rap style and trap instrumentals, TPAB struck audiences of past and present generations by surprise. A culmination of blues, jazz, funk, rock, soul, and spoken word into hip hop, TPAB is the unapologetic, pure "Black" album that has earned its place among one of (if not the best) rap album of all time. Kendrick uses storytelling, clever wordplay, and unique flows to discuss issues like police brutality, hypocrisy in the black community, and more. -
Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy (2017)
Leader of the rap collective Odd Future, Tyler and his entourage were known for their edge and rebelliousness. His lyrics during the Bastard era were laced with aggressive homophobia, racism, and more. However, his 2017 release is a much different character, where Tyler embraces his more "feminine" side with lyrics about romance and his own homosexuality (still disputed). Tyler abandons this edgy character and rejects the stereotypical violent, masculine rapper for a new generation of listeners. -
Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs (2018)
SRS is an album that contrasts his more energetic and edgy lyrics from his Odd Future days but instead relies on a subdued flow, short recordings, themes of depression, and unique instrumentation with his own method of sampling, distortion and warping. He has a unique production style reminiscent of producers like J. DIlla and Madlib, and is heavily influenced by MF DOOM. While many mainstream artists shift their style to appeal to the masses, Earl stays grounded in his own creative process. -
Noname - Room 25 (2018)
Like Salt 'N' Pepa's emergence in the Golden Era, Noname is a female rapper who put herself on the map with her acclaimed mixtape Telefone, and solidified it with this debut album. The entire album is rife with commentary on many sociological concepts and the issues concerning them, including race, sex, identity, politics, and more. She explores the anxieties derived from Black stereotypes, her own femininity, the problem of hyper-sexualizing black women, the plights with capitalism, and more. -
Kanye West - Jesus is King (2019)
No talk about ingenuity and innovation in hip hop is complete unless Kanye is mentioned, regardless of your stance on his questionable politics and eccentric character throughout his career. From his brash and abrasive Yeezus, his even more experimental TLOP, to the gospel, soul, and trap influences that constitute Jesus is King, Kanye has always been a trendsetter in the hip hop community, either through his own artistic ventures or by capitalizing on existing styles with a unique twist.
