Jay Z and Kanye’s “Otis”: Where’s the Growth in Hip Hop?

Hip Hop has been stagnant and formulaic for quite some time. On the new Jay Z and Kanye video for “Otis,” we find the same old themes. Once again, we learn about how they have expensive cars loaded with female models, multiple luxury watches, and we hear of an effortless willingness to murk someone. Didn’t Schoolly D say all this stuff in the ’80s? (If the name doesn’t ring a bell, look him up.) He did. And, at the time (over a quarter century ago) it was distinct. Is what separates the superstars in this genre from the masses just their material wealth? What about ingenuity and talent? Where’s the growth?

We’ve been hearing the same old tired perspective in Hip Hop for decades now. Talking about how many possessions you have is far from fresh anymore. Todays ruling rappers continue to prove that the lowest common denominator is the easiest approach. However, this doesn’t help grow the integrity of the genre. Instead, it further compacts it, keeping it in a box. It’d be interesting if the most prominent rappers were to present Hip Hop as more than a commercial for luxury cars, liquor, and jewelry. It’d be a pleasant surprise to see the genre reinvented, but that appears to be asking for a bit too much from today’s rap royalty. It’s much easier to keep the status quo, and maintain the same stereotypical themes to watch being played out once again on the shallow throne.

Below is Chuck D’s recent online “notice.” The music may be similar, but the substance is clearly substantial. -Iz-Real