Head bobbing to sick beats, do lyrics still matter in rap?

With music’s abstract nature, it’s become easy for us to overlook the messages behind our favorite songs. It’s an offense felt across every genre, but most of all, rap.

Advances in technology have facilitated our ability to not only stream music, but also to make our own variation of it. SoundCloud has bred some of the rappers we know and love today. The audio distribution platform has made it possible for virtually anyone to post a song and gain exposure, regardless if done seriously or jokingly.

One recent project that piqued my interest was Future and Juice WRLD’s, “WRLD On Drugs,” which was released earlier this month. The album brags about the euphoria of drug indulgence and is loaded with cloud nine events and names of drugs I’ve never even heard of. Its album art is indicative of the content of the album, displaying a double Styrofoam cup spilling lean on the Earth with various pills splattered across. A world on drugs indeed.

When listening to this album the first time through, I found myself head bobbing to the various beats and sounds. I was obviously mesmerized by the sound and quickly snapped out of the trance when I realized what they were actually saying — something that is not the easiest thing to do with a Future track.

But this should have come as no surprise because nowadays, rap is deceiving. Rappers can spit about murder or indulging in every drug imaginable, yet we still bump these songs because they sound good. They could rap in gibberish, and we would still like it if the beat slaps. This just goes to show how production and auto-tune have become so advanced that it inadvertently lessens the need for actual talent when it comes to spitting bars and constructing a song.

This lack of polish is not exclusive to new rappers. There are many OGs or artists who have been in the game for a minute, whose rapping style falls under this format. Take Migos for example. If you pay close attention, they don’t really rap about anything at all — their triplet flow and humorous ad-libs are what make them hit-makers.

With the sudden influx of young rappers from this new subgenre of hip-hop dubbed “mumble rap,” my ability to comprehend such sounds is being tested. It seems like all you need is some auto-tune, a beat and to add “lil” or “young” in front of your name and you’re a rapper.

Sometimes I wonder why some artists receive the support they do with such simple, incomprehensible sounds.

Artist image and demeanor seems to be another big factor in how fans value and consume music. Tattoos, chains and designer clothes seem to be a staple investment to some rappers. As flashy as they are, the materialistic goods are admirable to fans and can indirectly influence our perception in favor of rappers who we think are dope or are attracted to. As some of hip-hop’s comedians, rappers like Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert and Kodak Black have also accumulated fans from their comical social media presence.

So, what exactly constitutes “good” music?

There is clearly no universal answer to this. People value different aspects of music, whether it’s the production, lyricism or just supporting an artist they find pleasant. Music hits people at different angles, provoking many feelings and emotions. What’s good to someone may be trash to someone else and vice versa. As long as we agree to disagree on what is considered “good,” our opinions about today’s rap can coexist peacefully.

Cydney Lee is a junior psychology major. Her music column appears biweekly in Pulp. You can email her at cmlee100@syr.edu or follow her on Twitter @cydneylee_.