40 Over 40
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40 Over 40
Five people. Countless opinions. Let’s get into it.
The last decade gave way to an interesting paradigm shift in hip-hop: Storied artists are transcending generational gaps, building careers that don’t necessarily flame out with age. You could blame it on the culture putting some miles on its odometer, with its most central figures in the driver’s seat and aging fans riding shotgun. Or perhaps it’s social media and the streaming era that have allowed artists to take control of their careers. Whatever the reason, artists who might conventionally be considered washed are dropping some of the dopest music out, their personal growth reflected in their raps.
This has…
40 Over 40
These 40 MCs prove relevance is a state of mind
Back in 2006, The Game made clear hip-hop’s sentiment regarding the aging MC. “You 38 and you still rappin’? Ugh!” the then-26-year-old lyricist scoffed on “It’s Okay (One Blood),” in a barely veiled shot at a still-dominant Jay-Z (who turned 37 that year). Around the same time, Cam’ron piled on, age-shaming Hov via his own Max B-featured diss record, “You Gotta Love It.” Those moving toward middle age were seen as fossils, washed-up legacy acts whose only possible fate was being surpassed by younger, hungrier competitors. …
40 Over 40
Aging used to signal the end of a rap career — now it’s a way to forge a tighter bond with fans
I don’t remember the first rapper I ever interviewed — a 20-plus-year career in journalism will do that — but I definitely remember the first rapper I thanked: Common, aka Lon-chikka-Lonnie Lynn. This was back in the Like Water For Chocolate era; as we sat there in a New York hotel room talking about everything and nothing at the same time, I realized that this dude had already made three albums that had hit me at different points in my young life. The hyperactive yawping on his debut, Can I Borrow a Dollar?, slid perfectly into my adolescent, Das EFX-loving…
40 Over 40
Hot lines < hot songs < hot albums. Here are the best of the best.
Summer 1977: The art of emceeing begins. Among the first triumvirate of greats — Grandmaster Caz, Grandmaster Melle Mel, and Kool Moe Dee — the average age is just under 16 years old.
Summer 1986: The first golden era spins up, and with it a new triumvirate of greats in Rakim, Kool G Rap, and Big Daddy Kane. They, too, average out to less than 18 years old. Kurtis Blow, the undisputed king of the early ’80s, is on his way out — and he’s barely past 25. …
