The evolution of hip hop has drawn from many genres and spawned more than just rappers. Artists such as Run-DMC or Kendrick Lamar have shaped hip hop and left an impact on the culture. While each decade seems to have given us a different feel to the music, the 90’s are revered by many as the “Golden Age”. In the 90’s, hip hop was judged on lyrical content and “consciousness”. Artists such as Nas, Mobb Deep, Tupac, and A Tribe Called Quest pushed the envelope on just what hip hop could do for minorities living in impoverished neighborhoods. They told their lives through the music that resonated with many that lived in similar conditions. In the 00’s hip hip really hit mainstream and record companies looked to really capitalize on the art of this culture. In 2006 Nas released Hip Hop Is Dead which criticized the state of hip hop during the time. Nowadays the culture seems to have had a conscious uprising with lots of new hip hop artists stepping up to the mic. One such example, is Joey Bada$$ and the group Pro Era.
Joey seems to be the actual brain child of the 90’s golden age of hip hop. I first heard his music December 25th 2012. I’ll get into why I remember the specific date in a bit. I had first heard his name a few months before that after hearing multiple trustworthy friends talk about him. The first music video I saw of his was Survival Tactics featuring Capital Steez. My first reaction was amazed. I felt this grittiness and anger that I would normally associate with 90’s artists such as Mobb Deep or early 50 Cent. They had this demeanor to them that reminded me of this time in hip hop that seemed lost. The incredible thing was, it didn’t feel copied. It didn’t feel like a bunch of kids trying to recreate something. It felt genuine. They were students and FANS of the genre so anything they put out was honest. From then on I would search up some of their most viewed tracks and get a feel for the rest of their work. Unfortunately, I might not have heard their music for a long time if it wasn’t for an unfortunate moment.
On December 24th, 2012, Capital Steez took his own life. I have a friend who went to high school near him and befriended him. He knew him personally and he went on to post a somber status expressing his disbelief on his passing. If I rememeber correctly, his facebook name was under Jamal Dewar at the time so I had no idea who it was. I clicked on it and saw that he was the artist Capital Steez who was a part of a group called Pro Era. I found his track Free The Robots. It had this tone to it that just made me listen. He was speaking on mental enslavement, corruption, drugs. Basically, he was questioning and trying to awaken in everyone to the truth going on in this world. It was something that in a funny sort of way, had me brainwashed into wanting to watch it again and again. I clicked on the “suggested videos” side bar on youtube and found Survival Tactics. After that, I kept my ear to the Pro Era group and just what they had in store next.
I went back to listen to Pro Era’s Peep The Aprocalypse. From the mixtape, Like Water instantly captured my attention. It was produced by Statik Selektah who has worked with artists such as Terminology, Strong Arm Steady, and Sean Price to name a few. It featured the late Steez and would later have a music video released. School High was a long track featuring the great Emcees in Pro Era that weren’t just Joey or Steez. It had a real mellow and smooth instrumental. It had the theme of being a kid in high school. It was relatable to me since it hadn’t been too long since I had graduated, and missed it from having been in college now. Truthfully, I recently revisited this project and discovered the song “Start To Finish” which I had somehow missed my first time listening. It’s a song that features Joey and another of thei Emcees named Rokamouth. It also is produced by one of their members named Chuck Strangers.
Joey has released the projects 1999, Summer Knights, and his first album B4.DA.$$. 1999 has tracks such as Waves, Killuminati, and Suspect. Summer Knights was the next step in his career that has tracks like 95′ Til Infinity, the Caribbean influenced My Yout, and Hilary $wank. His album B4.DA.$$ was another step forward that solidified his place in hip hop. Christ Conscious, Paper Trail$, and the incredibly powerful Like Me. CJ Fly also released his project Thee Way Eye See It. Kirk Knight and Nyck Caution both recently released their projects Late Knight Special and Disguise The Limit, respectively.
The reason why I appreciated this group even more was because of who they were. They are collective formed in Brooklyn in 2009. In a time where fans exclaimed that New York had no sound, they rose to prominence and showed how the new age could take over the soundwaves. They had a group that could do it all: rap, produce, market, create clothing, establish a brand, direct music videos/short films. They embody what made the 90’s legendary and what millennials represent. They took full advantage of the internet and used it as their own. They give me hope that this decade has been the start of what will become a powerful force in shaping the sound and landscape of hip hop.
Got A Million Rhymes 