Rap

The rap industry as a whole has undergone an extraordinary transformation as the times have changed from the eighties to the present time. Different icons in history have passed the torch to each other for better or worse. But, rap has been on a downward spiral since it gained popularity. The rappers became less about the people, more about the money, and the lyrics lacked substance. The industry became what the forefathers of rap never wanted it to be, commercialized.
To ignore the very beginnings of rap would be doing a disservice to readers interested in learning about the change over time of the rap industry. After scouring the highs and lows for a consensus, it became clear who turned rap into a mainstay. The leader of the later-mentioned Public Enemy insisted that “Run-DMC were the Beatles of hip-hop — Run and DMC were Lennon and McCartney, and Jam Master Jay was George and Ringo rolled into one (Chuck D. 1).” It is clear Run DMC does not lack the respect of peers in the industry. The Beatles are timeless in music, and a member of another popular rap group put Run DMC right alongside them. “They brought to rap a solid, almost puritanical point of view, and studiously steered clear of the profanity and violence that is now part and parcel of the music (Linden 176).” A group avoiding violence and profanity in rap is not impossible to find today, but they are few and far between. Not only did Run DMC do all of this, but they also broke a ton of barriers in the music industry.
“They were the first rappers on American Bandstand, on the lily-white MTV; the first rappers to get a major endorsement to headline Madison Square Guarden, to go multiplatinum. /
They forged the first rap-rock collaboration when in 19...

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...apper; after all, he signed one of the best rappers ever in the “Golden Era of Rap”, Biggie Smalls.
In conclusion, the historical arc of rap has been interesting to behold. It began on the streets as friendly competition, and was elevated by the legendary Run DMC with the help of Aerosmith. Run DMC handed the reigns to Biggie and Tupac and they took it to a place nobody could have imagined. Once the two stars were taken too soon by the east versus west coast rivalry, Dr. Dre ushered rap to its lowest point with commercialization. After that, rap became something unrecognizable to its past, full of unnecessary references and negative influences on the listeners. Kendrick lit the match on the fire that was snuffed out by earlier artists. Now it’s up to the rest of rap to join the underground and add fuel to the fire or just let it go back out.