What is Hip Hop's Voice?

The other day I came across a link to a video through social media. And the statement attached to this link said this is the current state of Hip Hop Music. When I clicked the linked it led me to a video with a high energy trap music kind of beat with a rapper who literally rhythmically mumbled over that beat. I could not understand not one word that was said. But here's the kicker, I was feeling the vibe of the song because of the music, however the lyrical content was non-existent. I was upset though. I became a little angry and confused because I was unsure is this a real song, by a real artist? Is this serious? That curiosity led me to do more research. The name of the song was " No Words" by Hopsin, and I came to find out that it was actually him doing a parody skit for his album. The point was to expose to everyone the stupidity that occurs in hip hop music currently. A bunch of hot beats with not so talented artists talking or mumbling over it.

Hopsin is an independent artist who has reached a level of success by trying to return Rap & Hip Hop Music back to its authenticity. He's a smart young man with a decent head on his shoulders but also has a very noticeable chip on his shoulder. He's often seen as a hater, but he claims he's far from it. So what is your take on the current state of Hip Hop? Would it vary based on your age and demographic? Or do you agree with Hopsin that things have gotten out of hand and we need to address it?

Me personally I was grew up in the 80's and 90's. My favorite era of Hip Hop would be from 1992-2002. Some would argue that when hip hop's popularity surged the most. One thing I will say about that time is there were a variety of artist being played on the radio. Different styles, and different identities. Everyone was being true to their own form of expression. Something changed though, not sure if it is because of the money, or the idea of being a biter was no longer taboo. It used to be career suicide to sound like another rapper, or even come close to resembling another rapper's style. Now it seems you can't be successful unless you sound like the most successful rapper at the time.

Look at this image below there are so many artists with there own personal fingerprint on the Hip Hop culture it is amazing that it seems that it is no longer the case.

How many of you can name all the rappers whose face are included in that image? Below I'm going to include a slide show of many of the artist that I grew up listening too, that shaped my understanding of Hip Hop as a culture as well as some of the newer artist that are successful in this era. I want you to personally compare the differences between old and new and then think what it means to you. Do you think Hip Hop is better off now than it was then? Do you listen to today's artists for their lyrics or for the beat of their music? Are lyrics even important to you? Let me know you're thoughts and share it with others!

Also below the slide show is the "No Words" video as well.