Sermon: Yeah, I wholeheartedly agree with bridging the gap. Whether it’s big or little, it can have a huge effect. I’m not sure how many people discovered Keith Sweat after Drake said he was the light skinned version of him, but the line got a lot of attention. It’s a line like that or a feature such as Ice Cube on The Game’s album that helps. If said guest kills it, fans who listen constantly are going to want to look up the artist. Look at André 3000. He’s got to be getting a lot of love just off guest features that hopefully translates into new fans listening to Outkast.
Akaash: André 3000 is a great example. Every now and then he pops up on a feature like T.I.’s ‘Sorry’ and Beyoncé’s ‘Party’ and kills it. Not so frequent that we get too much of him but often enough that he makes an impact with teenagers who aren’t familiar with anything but ‘Hey Ya!’, ‘Roses’ and ‘Ms. Jackson’. Like you said, the ideal result is that young fans do their research by going back and listening to the entire discography. At the end of the day, everybody benefits.
Sermon: I think the question remains: do you ever see Hip-Hop getting rid of the age barrier that plaques our legends? Where Rock artists are 70 years old and still touring arenas, will Hip-Hop have any of those artists in the next 2-3 decades?
Akaash: As long as rappers stay true to themselves and stop trying to fit in with whatever is going on at the time, absolutely. I don’t think the future is as bleak as the older age groups make out. Hip-Hop is in good hands, right?
Sermon: I believe so. My thing is that these Rock artists are still putting out quality work (I believe), so if Hip-Hop artists can do the same, why not? I envision someone like Tech N9ne touring well into his 60s. Eminem randomly popping up to headline 70,000 people festivals. Kendrick Lamar is another artist I believe will have that longevity if he wants it.
Another thing to look at is a lot of the vets don’t seem to want to be around forever. They’ll take a long break and that hurts them as the genre changes and leaves them behind. We’re unforgiving in that regard. Looking at R&B, Jagged Edge’s The Remedy was an amazing album that got virtually no attention. It was on par with anything out in 2013. It happens. Quality doesn’t always diminish, but popularity does. That’s when you find out who your core fans truly are.
Akaash: Essentially, do the groundwork in your prime and you can last. Have a big enough impact on the generation that comes after you and you will be relevant for decades beyond that period. Also allow things that come after you to be great and appreciate that people need time to grow. Let us evolve.
What do you think about the issue of age in Hip-Hop? Let us know below.
– by Akaash Sharma & Sermon
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