Hip-hop has been one of the most popular music genres since the early 1970s, and it has had an enormous impact throughout the world. Hip-hop evolved massively with dozens of new influencers and music styles. Many key elements are used in hip-hop— lyricism and storytelling being the primary two. Having the proper wordplay and delivery is crucial, but let’s go over the growth and evolution of the lyrics in hip-hop music.                       

From the early 1970s to the 1980s, we mostly heard lyrics about global issues such as poverty, crime, and racism. The most popular artists from this era included DJ Kool Herc, Kurtis Blow, and LL Cool J—all of whom are considered the founding fathers of hip-hop. During this time, music was still undergoing major but the lyrics remained  unique no matter the topic. For example, LL Cool J was an amazing storyteller and used incredible wordplay to express his feelings about love and relationships. The 1970s music era was only the beginning of hip-hop and created the foundation for future artists. 

The 1990s was the golden age of hip-hop music with new artists such as Tupac, Nas, Biggie Smalls, Snoop Dogg, and many more. These artists impacted the music industry incredibly and are widely considered the greatest rappers of all time. 1990s hip-hop was the definition of storytelling, incorporating various rapping styles and influences. Poverty, street life, and criminal activity were the primary elements of lyrics during this decade. From the 1970s-1990s, the significant change we’ve seen in lyrics is the themes. The 1970s lyrics paid more attention to societal issues, while the 1990s’ discussed gang life. 

With the internet and social media entering the 2000s-2010s, the whole music industry changed, which caused hip-hop to take a different approach. Lyrics were still similar to the 1990s, but with Tupac and Biggie Smalls passing away, music just wasn’t the same anymore. You wouldn’t hear your old-school beats with old-school lyrics; instead, mumble rap dominated the hip-hop scene. Hip-hop artists nowadays have their focus on drug use and smoking which have been surprisingly popularized as of late. Mumble rappers were more focused on instrumentals than vocals, making it less of a rhyming song and more of a party vibe. Trap beats and instrumentals also seem to be earning their spot as well, meaning lyrics may not be a huge factor in music anymore. 

However, mumble rap was not favored by the 1990s rappers. Snoop Dogg, for example, explained on the GGN Talk Show that most rappers are the same and have no unique style. He even made fun of the famous rap group “Migos” by impersonating one of their most popular songs “Versace.” Despite this, mumble rappers like Yeat and Playboi Carti continue to rise in popularity.