Jordan Shelley

CMST 102 Podcast: Instructive

Evolution of Rap
Specific Purpose: to inform about the evolution of rap.
Central Idea: the change in rap from the 90s to present day.

Introduction
(Preview) Hi, my name Jordan Shelley and this is Intro to mass media and I am creating this
podcast on the mass media topic of Music, more specifically, rap.
(Attention grabber) Are you a person who listens to rap music, whether it be frequently or on-
and-off?
(Audience adaptation) Do you notice distinct differences when hearing present day rap compared
to rap from the 90s?
(Purpose) Well, in this podcast, I will be informing you about how rap music has evolved in the
past 27 years.

Body
Looking back at rap in the 90s, beginning with the group N.W.A., all the artists had similar
upbrings, a background of being raised in the hood and embracing the gangster life as a means of
survival. Rappers that rose to fame, such as 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Ice Cube, and Jay-Z
incorporated their rap around the violence, crime, and poverty that surrounded their lives. By
focusing their music on such topics, they forced their listeners to open their eyes to the hardship
people in the hood experienced.

As the years went on, and we moved into the 2000s, artists who were outside of the ghetto life
began to rise to fame. As mentioned by Clara McNulty-Finn, from the Harvard Political Review,
In the years following the release of Kanyes first album, more and more rappers moved away
from gangsta rap and towards developing their individuality as artists. For example,
Macklemore focused his rap around homosexuality, while Drake proved that being a thug is not a
prerequisite to being successful.

Transition:
As we focus on the lyrics and beats of the 90s versus now, we notice differences as well.

Most present day rappers, such as Young Thug and Lil Yachty, focus their attention more on the
beat of the song instead of its lyrics. Matt Errey, from the EnglishClub comments, MCs (from
the 90s) also began improving their raps by using more complex rhymes and by developing
flow, or the ability to rap with a good sense of rhythm and a natural flowing style. While Shane
Gilligan from the Riverdale Review states, Rappers like Young Thug and Lil Yachty do not tell
stories with their songs or speak their mind about societal issues, rather they rap very fast or do
not say real words in order to sound good over a beat.

Conclusion
In conclusion, anyone who hears two songs, will be able to clearly identify present day rap from
90s rap, by the great differences in the message and in the beat. Although many artists like
Young Thug and Lil Yachty have turned their focus more toward the beat of the music instead of
the lyrics, artists such as J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar continue to view the importance of
delivering a clear message to their listeners, much like their 90s predecessors.

I am Jordan Shelley, and this concludes my Intro to mass media podcast on the evolution of rap.
Thank you very much for listening and I hope you found this podcast both interesting and
informative.

Bibliography

Errey, Matt. "History of Hip Hop Music." EnglishClub. Josef Essberger, n.d. Web. 03 June 2017.
<https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/music-hip-hop.htm>.

Gilligan, Shane. "Hip-Hop Metamorphosis: Rap of the Nineties Versus Rap of Today." The
Riverdale Review. Metro North Media Group, 26 Jan. 2016. Web. 03 June 2017.
<http://www.theriverdalereview.com/home/2017/1/24/old-rap-vs-new-rap>.

McNulty-Finn, Clara. "The Evolution of Rap." Harvard Political Review The Evolution of Rap
Comments. N.p., 10 Apr. 2014. Web. 03 June 2017. <http://harvardpolitics.com/covers/evolution-
rap/ (Links to an external site.)>.