Hip-hop artists produce stale music

This is in response to Brian Dillon's Feb. 19 Exponent column on hip-hop music.

I want to add an argument to Dillon’s. I’m not writing to argue whether or not hip-hop (rap) is good or bad music because music is simply a matter of personal preference. I am, however, going to argue that hip-hop today has become unoriginal, tiresome and stale. Hip-hop artists today have failed to create any new sounds or ideas that are different from what has already been done in the past. Hip-hop artists seem to be stuck inside this creative box and no artist wants to step outside it because they know that the same boring material will sell albums. For a historical example, in the 1980s many of the "hair bands" — Poison, White Snake, etc. — were on top of the pop charts. They continued to produce quality songs through the '80s but their sound eventually became boring and repetitive. They didn’t produce anything new and exciting.

Thankfully, Nirvana came along and breathed new life into rock music. Though Nirvana still played rock music they were easily differentiated from the "hair bands" music. I believe that hip-hop is in the "hair band" rut today. Though the hip-hop music may be of the same quality as it has been in the past, it still fails to be truly innovative. It's kind of the "been there done that" mentality. Some diehard fans of hip-hop will probably continue to like the "same old song and dance" of hip-hop. Not me, I’m ready for some new and original ideas and sounds in hip-hop. I just hope in the near future that a hip-hop artist will come along and revolutionize the hip-hop scene as Nirvana did the rock scene. Then I would probably start to care about hip-hop again.

Brian Miles

Junior, School of Liberal Arts

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Hip-hop artists produce stale music

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