Despite how dominant it is in youth culture, rap is old. The "hip" in Hip Hop was initially slapped on the genre as a pejorative term, as early detractors believed rap was a flash in the pan. Almost 60 years later and rap is more vibrant than ever. However, similar to rap's first crop of critics, fans of hip hop's golden era in the 90s frequently insult modern emcees for their "lack of skill." As the genre has grown, the focus on syllable stacking and triple metaphors has given way to melody centric autotune crooners that aim to "turn up" before crafting an artful web of double entendres.
Even as a modern rap fan, I must admit that current emcees have it easier than their forebears in the game. It doesn't even take an educated fan to spot how much lyrical skills have depreciated over time. In the video linked above, the hilarious rapper and producer Crank Lucas gives a brief walk through the eras of Hip Hop.
