The hip-hop genre most of us were accustomed to in our youth has certainly changed tremendously. Rappers today, I feel, reference very similar themes in all of their songs — which I will elaborate on. I also don’t mean any of this in a definitively negative way; as rap continues to evolve since its inception and remarkable progression in the 1990’s, so do the ideas commonly alluded to by artists. Here are three types of rappers in 2018 that we all know too well.
The Artist Who Says ‘Ya, Ay, or Skirt’ After Every Line
This artist loves saying the three phrases above. They commonly make vague and ambiguous rhymes and say the three words above to compensate for mediocre lyrics. If you asked one of these rappers to define their flow they would probably allude to how they are unique and don’t care what anyone thinks about them. They have great instrumentals and even better features. Although, their songs tend to contradict this sentiment most of the time. Regardless, this rapper is booming in 2018 and is seemingly the fan favorite for the youth right now. They are usually pretty interesting and have insightful things to say, but their songs can lack depth and common sense.
Sample Lyric:
“Had to cop the audi, then the top, I had to chop it (skrt skrt),” – “T-Shirt” by Migos.
The Artist Who Is Really Depressed And Raps Almost Exclusively About Doing Drugs And Their Ex
This type of rapper tends to only reference doing drugs and their ex. However, for the record, it is not necessarily clear if they really do as much Xanax, lean, Percocet, or fatal pills that they suggest. Also, they skateboard and probably have pink or some sort of colored hair– usually in the form of dreadlocks. I also tend to wonder what their Mom would think after hearing their lyrics. Lastly, I often wonder how they are still alive, and have not overdosed.
Sample Lyric
“You put my heart in a grave, I get no love. No, I need more drugs, way too much. All I ever do is get fucked up,” – “Scared of Love” by Juice WRLD.
The Artist Who Autotunes Every Line Of Every Song They’ve Ever Made
This type of rapper isn’t really new. But, there are definitely way more of these artists in 2018. In concert, they can be kind of a letdown if you are expecting them to recite their hit song. You may go expecting a parallel sound to their studio recording, but the majority of their performance is likely going to be comprised to them saying 1-2 words every few minutes and just dancing on stage. And people will go crazy for this rapper. They are great at getting people pumped up and even better at performing the same song three times in a row, only to tell the crowd that they need to get louder so they can stage-dive at the chorus during the last set (very specific). Without autotune, who knows where this rapper would be? They may not even be a rapper at all. Because of the advanced software they use to make their voice sound god-like, every lyric in their song sounds like the most intense thing. If they rap “I’m going to eat a pizza” it will sound very exaggerated and like ordering pizza is one of the most exciting practices of their life.
Sample Lyric
“We go back, like futons and coupons…..on my mattress, orgies on my mattress,”- “Lose” by Travis Scott.