hip-hop legends Eric B. & Rakim Say Rappers Today “They all sound the same”
Eric B. & Rakim are certified hip-hop legends, with albums like Paid in Full (1987) and Follow The Leader (1988) cementing their place amongst the all-time greats. Yesterday, the Twitter account for the duo shared some thoughts on the current state of rap music, and they are not at all positive.
“You are now witnessing the devolution of rap music,” begins the first tweet. “There’s no strength in a song, if they all sound the same,” reads part of a later tweet. Eric B. & Rakim are far from the first entertainers to sound off about the current state of rap, with the likes of Pete Rock calling out Young Dolph, Waka Flock Flame, and Lil Yachty, and Funk Flex also yelling about Lil Yachty.
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While many people on Twitter seem to agree with Eric B. & Rakim’s thoughts, others are pointing out that there is still a lot of incredible rap music being made today. St. Louis rapper Smino responded, pointing out that there have always been wack MCs. “Its alotta n***as rapping better den ever..Y’all jus gotta dig. Like old times. (Also it was some VERY wack rap comin out back n da day) but nobody cared and RAP continued to go up,” he tweeted.
See Eric B. & Rakim’s tweets below.
You are now witnessing the devolution of rap music. The death of poetry and smoothness, they use this. The absence of a message. The inability to create meaningful change through words and verses, but the worse is, they don’t even know they hurt this artful purpose, it’s tragic.
— Eric B and Rakim™(@EricBandRakim) February 12, 2018
When the magic is gone and the rhythm don’t hit like a gong; when the ledge is unknown and the samples is wrong…there’s no strength in a song, if they all sound the same. There’s no harmony in a melody, if you just playing the game…play that chord
— Eric B and Rakim™(@EricBandRakim) February 14, 2018
Eric B. & Rakim’s tweets are also written partly in rhyme, as if they are lyrics, which has led some people to respond in a similar way. To be quite honest, it’s all getting pretty cringeworthy in the replies. Here are just a few of them:
Rappers use to transcend with unique sounds and blends/hear better rhymes and beats from kids less then 10/remember when Cats like Rakim use set the trend/more thought in this tweet and I ain’t even an Emcee….
— Martin Napeahi (@MartinNapeahiSr) February 14, 2018
— MrOneLiner (@PrinceCiroc) February 14, 2018
The magic aint gone, that’s just part of the act, the same way computers got smaller, we traded in gongs for hihats w/o..harming any melodies, rap is now a bunch of phonies is what you c(s)elling me..1/2
— D’elroy du Soleil 🌞 (@comte_delroy) February 14, 2018
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