The eternal question: Is hip-hop dead?

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My Aim is True: A Music Column

The eternal question: Is hip-hop dead?

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

Tyler Patton

Columnist

October 30, 2009

No, hip-hop is not dead. Sorry Nas. A more appropriate exclamation would be, "hip-hop has changed," because one would have a hard time arguing with that conjecture.

Back in the '90s, hip-hop was an unstoppable force, catapulting from the streets to the mainstream in one fell swoop. Masterpieces like "Reasonable Doubt" and "The Score" were commonplace on record store shelves. Lyricism was valued by artists back then. Nowadays, the radio is dominated by artists like Flo Rida and Pitbull who are more concerned with getting plays in the club than writing good lyrics.

But when was the last time the radio represented an entire genre? To say that hip-hop is dead is to completely ignore and devalue all of the great music being produced today. Sure it's not 1996, but hip-hop is alive and kicking. MF Doom and Mos Def both released great albums this year, and Wale's debut is sure to please listeners next month.

But if it's the lyricism of today's artists that bothers you, then there is one thing you can do: listen to instrumental hip-hop. The genre is severely underrated today and I have no idea why; in my opinion, hip-hop is just as much about beats as it is about lyrics.

Here are three semi-recent instrumental albums that keep hip-hop's pulse stable:

J Dilla - Donuts

Any fan of hip-hop music should own this album. In my mind, the 31 instrumental snippets of Donuts are enough to solidify Dilla as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time. Dilla's craftsmanship is unique, the samples are obscure, and the instances of sheer brilliance are abundant. Within the 45 minutes of the album, there are moments of staggering beauty ("Time: The Donut of the Heart," "Stop"), captivating innovation ("Lightworks") and head-nod worthy bangers ("Waves," "Gobstopper"). You can pick out your favorites and play them to death, or you can listen to the album as a whole if you want to go on a journey through the mind of one of hip-hop's most beloved producers.

MF Doom - Special Herbs Vol. 1 & 2

I used to think MF Doom's biggest talent was his rapping—his off-kilter style and humorous lyrics make him one of the best in the rap game these days—but that was before I heard his beats. Special Herbs is a series of instrumental mixtapes crafted by the masked villain himself. Each and every beat, full of chopped up samples and ground-shaking bass, exhibits Doom's unique take on hip hop.

Flying Lotus - Los Angeles

While Donuts and Special Herbs are collections of rap-ready, usable beats, Los Angeles is a new artist crafting a coherent instrumental hip-hop work of art. The album is best absorbed as a whole, with each song's dreamy soundscape blending into the next. And while I'm calling it instrumental hip-hop, Flying Lotus' second album recalls such electronic acts as Aphex Twin and Autechre. With Los Angeles, Flying Lotus simultaneously made an electronic masterpiece and created a fresh new sound for the hip-hop genre.

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