Chuck D came up in a era of Hip-Hop where groups were the biggest show in town. Now, individual artists are the stars and he thinks it’s killing the music.
Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, N.W.A, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Geto Boys, Outkast. Yes its true, rap groups are an important reason why Hip-Hop was able to grow into a global phenomenon. Even some of your favorite solo rappers go their start as a part of a rap group. But nowadays, groups are very hard to find. Outside of Migos, can you name a legit rap group [Watch The Throne and Future/Drake do not count], that has made a lot noise in the last few years? Run The Jewels, Odd Future, A$AP Mob and who else?
The always aware Chuck D has noticed the disappearance of the rap group and the effect that it is having on Hip-Hop music. In an interview with Billboard, the Public Enemy co-founder shared his thoughts about the state of Hip-Hop in comparison to other genres. As usual, he made you think.
Mista Chuck to Billboard:
Gadgets and technologies have led us into very individualistic times. You can be an individual and create chaos like that one shooter did in Orlando…you can be an individual and change the future by doing some dumb, crazy bullsh*t. But making positive change is like going up a mountain that’s made out of grease with a pair of roller skates; it requires like-minded collectives. This is why bands work. This is why when a band is in sync – the bass, the guitar the drums – there’s nothing that can match that. One of the tragedies of hip-hop, I think B-Real could share in, is how the journals and blogs and everyone threw hip-hop down the stairs by praising the individual and knocking aside the importance of the group.
Chuck recently joined forces with B-Real of Cypress Hill and Rage Against the Machine (sans Zach de la Rocha) to form the supergroup Prophets Of Rage. He went on to insist that many solo acts are not as great as they think they are and need the support that groups and bands provide.
The group was the only thing that made hip-hop even competitive to the rock world in the first place. But the minute that you started taking the DNA of the thing that worked, it’s the guy and the mic — the guy is Kanye and just Kanye and nothing else — it started shooting down hip-hop as being a legitimate genre and being more of a spectacle. I think it was a disgrace that individual came into the talk of the genre. So the whole thing of “Me, me, I, I” has really brought it down to the point where people feel they have no power ’cause they’re not connected. Hard to bring it up as an individual — that’s why collectives work. So even in the music business where they want to just streamline it to this person we know the individuals of music that are incredible — like Stevie Wonder, Elton John — but so few are at that level where you can’t take your eyes or ears off them. Ninety-five percent of everybody else, you gotta work with somebody to make me interested in you as a fan. I come from a time where cats had to get together and play together to just impress you past fucking 15 or 20 minutes unless they was a super person. So, in hip-hop — I love the genre, I’ll support the genre — I’m dismayed by the individual efforts. I don’t think anybody is that great enough to hold anybody’s attention past half an hour just talking about their damn self. I don’t.
What do you think about what Chuck had to say? Does Hip-Hop need more groups?
