How old is too old for hip-hop?: "It never really mattered too much to me/ That I was just too damn old to emcee/ All that really mattered was if your rhymes was ill/ Girl, that's all that really mattered to me." DOOM from Madvillain, "Great Day" How old is too old for hip-hop? Ten years ago, when a rapper reached 35 or 40 he was winding down his career, content to make albums for dubious indie startups and get the occasional "Know Your History" shout-out in The Source. But these days, thirtysomething MCs rule the charts. It's gotten so bad that fans hunger for a legitimate youth movement to sweep the old-timers away, just like New Wave and Punk did to corporate rockers in the early 80s. But that's another topic. Let's take a look at some of the major categories in which our senior artists fit.
1. Old and Classic: These days, rap fans consider the "Stakes Is High" era of 1992-96 as hip-hop's last golden age before "jiggy" commercialism and the rise of the Internet changed the music industry. But our reverence for that time can be a double-edged sword for the emcees who survived those years. We still value them as artists, and we eagerly support their tours. But when it comes to new music, we only want to hear "throwback" jams that sound like their classics. Take Wu-Tang Clan. Nobody likes it when RZA goes all Jerry Garcia with his weird blend of prog-rock, street hop and Eastern mysticism. Instead, they want music that sounds like Wu-Tang back in the '90s, such as Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ... Pt. II. The same goes for Ghostface, who got the fanboys' panties in a bunch with 2006's throwback-heavy Fishscale, then pissed them off with last year's R&B-sounding Ghostdini Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City. Others who fit into this "it ain't broke, so you better not fix it" category include Boot Camp Clik and Hieroglyphics.
2. Old but Still Pop: Whenever Jay-Z announces a new album, like The Blueprint 3, rap fans and critics joke about how old and irrelevant he's been since the glory days of Reasonable Doubt. But after The Blueprint 3 came out and debuted at No. 1, we all shut the hell up. We can argue over the quality of his recent work, but his continuing success is undeniable. As he put it during a memorable speech at the 2009 American Music Awards: "Men lie, women lie, numbers don't." Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Beastie Boys and Three 6 Mafia fit into this category as well. Nas has never been much of a singles artist, but his albums tend to chart in the Billboard Top 10.
3. They May Be Old, but They're New to You: Acclaimed underground artists like Count Bass D and Jneiro Jarel and venerated street rappers such as Crooked I and Andre Nickatina don't get asked about their age. That's because we're just discovering them now, even though they've released music for years. The category also includes DOOM, whose discography dates back to the late '80s and 3rd Bass' "The Gas Face" but who has only begun reaching a mainstream audience via last year's Born Like This and the 2004 frat-house classic Madvillainy.
4. Wow, They're That Old?: I bet you didn't realize Rick Ross, Ludacris, 50 Cent and Will.i.am are nearing 35. Yep.
5. Old but Still Pimpin': O.G.s like Too Short, Bun B, Scarface and Snoop Dogg rarely get criticized for being too old to rap. Why? Little children and adults alike look up to these graying pioneers. So when Uncle Snoop hijacked the teenybop "jerkin" dance trend for his "I Wanna Rock," we happily rejoiced, like, "Damn, Snoop's doing jerkin!" We didn't clown Snoop and say, "Damn, why is this old dude trying to act young?" And Too Short elicits cheers whenever he screams his trademark "b*tch!", even though he's been saying it since 1985.
6. Old but Still Hangin' On: We've long predicted that these aging generals would fall off. Somehow, they manage to stay relevant. Wyclef Jean went dry after producing smashes for Shakira ("Hips Don't Lie") and T.I. ("You Know What It Is"), but his recent association with Haiti earthquake relief efforts brought him back to the spotlight. For every wack album Common makes like 2008's Universal Mind Control, he rebounds with a classic that restores our faith in him. And with a new Def Jam contract, let's hope that Big Boi can get his oft-delayed Sir Luscious Left Foot ... Son of Chico Dusty together before it's too late.
7. Proud to Be Old and Downsized: With decades logged in the game, E-40, Tha Dogg Pound, De La Soul and Fat Joe have seen brighter days. But they've still got a sizable audience, manage to sell out theaters around the country, and occasionally land a guest spot on major hit albums. At this stage in their careers, they can't ask for more than that. A few lucky vets like Redman, Q-Tip and Method Man even have major-label deals.
8. Old and Grumpy: When we joke about "old rappers," we're invariably referring to cranky geriatrics like Ice Cube, with his annoying complaints about how rappers nowadays aren't as "gangsta" as the bloodthirsty bangers of yore, and KRS-One, who histrionically preaches that young folks nowadays don't have enough "skills." Yes, hip-hop isn't what it used to be. But as thriving elder statesmen prove, the best way to educate kids about true-school values is by example.
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