My answers are quite similar. First, I miss the diversity of styles, and in particular the concept that hip hop could just be fun and about the music itself. In the 80s and early 90s, there were artists / groups that achieved commercial success without
being subsumed by concepts such as guns, b!tches, and benjamins - Digital Underground, De La Soul, Das EFX, A Tribe Called Quest, Biz Markie, Slick Rick, 3rd Bass, D Nice, etc.
Next, I miss the respect afforded to the lyrical masters that defined hip hop as an art form - Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, KRS One, Kool Moe Dee - I am skeptical that these artists could have achieved the same level of success today.
Next, I miss the respect afforded to the lyrical masters that defined hip hop as an art form - Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, KRS One, Kool Moe Dee - I am skeptical that these artists could have achieved the same level of success today.