Fast Food and the Truth about Hip-Hop
With the number of times people have said that hip-hop has died and come back to life, it could be a cat named Jesus. And as hip-hop has evolved
d, it has begun to resemble something we all know closely and some of us love: fast-food chains. What are we talking about? Let us explain.
Do you remember when you were a kid, and you’d be with y
our parents driving home from school or an after-school program, and you’d see the red hair of the Wendy’s girl or the beautiful glow of the Golden Arches come into your view? It was almost like you could hear those juicy burgers and fries calling your name. But more times than not, your parents probably shot down your fast food dreams, saying,” Do you have McDonald’s money?” or even the infamous “There’s food at home!” Heartbreaking, we know, we were there. But our parents often didn’t let us fulfill our kid-like fast food cravings because fast food was never meant to be a daily dietary staple. As we all now know, it’s NOT the healthiest option. But somehow, now that we DO have that McDonald’s money, we’re all
probably eating it too regularly instead of taking the time and energy to cook higher quality and healthier options at home.
Do you see where we’re going with this? Fast food is like today’s hip-hop, and today’s hip-hop is like fast food.
Yikes.
The thing about fast-food chains is that they are expert influencers, targeting communities with solid purchasing power through meticulously planned advertising strategies. Everything from their menu choices to the locations they select is carefully calculated to create a daily demand for a product meant to be consumed sparingly.
But do ya’ll hear us?
You can't reap the rewards of manipulated consumption without acknowledging the consequences. And the music industry is the same way, particularly in hip-hop. What once was meaningful packed lyrics, rallying anthems and ciphers about fighting back against racism, injustices, and truth, has turned into water downed mumble raps, repetitive club beats, and rappers with no skin in the game flashing cars they can’t afford to buy, chains they didn’t earn, and creating chaos and noise in a world already overloaded with bogus people famous for nothing but dumb antics.
To harm the body is to sever the mind.
Just as consumer advocates rally against the fast-food industry and hold it accountable for failing to inform consumers about their choices adequately, there are artists and platforms in the hip-hop world advocating for discerning consumers. And it’s about damn time.
We see a transformation in the music industry, marked by a "woke" and conscious trend rooted in a grassroots movement to reintroduce authentic music. Like fast food, quick indulgence in shallow music can leave you empty, but a well-crafted, independent musical experience can keep you returning for more. It would be unfair to blame the entire industry for the state of hip-hop today or every artist, but the ones producing subpar music? We’re looking at you.
We get it; you’re just capitalizing on opportunities. But it’s time for ya’ll to face the music ( no pun intended) and reap the repercussions of your actions.
While the era of mumble rap and its inherent contradiction persists, we look forward to a shift and changing the guard in music toward a revival of genuine music. We’re ready for a departure from the fast-food-style music constantly shoved into the airwaves by the powers that be and look forward to reclaiming what makes music genuinely great.
It’s time to stop eating fast food and start cooking at home.
