What Is “Real”?

by Jerrica Rucker

            The aspect of authenticity in hip hop has been a hard concept for me to logically think through. Is authentic hip hop simply art that grasps the original ideals on which the culture was founded? Is it the art that comes from artists who have a direct relationship to the founding artists of hip hop? Does modern art qualify as hip hop? This all leads to my quest to discover whether or not it is safe to say that hip hop is either dead or dying.

            Many modern artists declare that they are keeping hip hop alive. My question then is how? What are they doing that efficiently represents the legacy of the hip hop culture? The issues that inspired the hip hop movement were weaved into all of the art that the culture produced. If realness or authenticity in hip hop is simply the accurate portrayal of what is happening in black communities, then is modern hip hop authentic? There are comparable types of modern rap songs and classic hip hop hits. For example, rap songs that promote or produce new dances are comparable to the playful songs that were produced during hip hop’s inceptions. Songs such as  Kanye West’s Runaway—which addresses the burdens of being an artist—discusses a real social issue just as many of the songs produced during the early days of hip hop. Does the connection between these songs make them “authentic”, or is the fact that the modern industry is overflowing with music that doesn’t quite have this connection so significant that the little bits and pieces of “real” hip hop we do see now gets overlooked or is underrated?

            Hip hop pioneer Jay-Z is said to be “fake” because of his current status as one of the wealthiest men in the country. It’s been said that he no longer raps about the “hood” and only raps about having money now which makes him fake.   According to the lecture, Todd Fraley stated that “hip hop authenticity requires that artists stay true to one’s self in matter of thinking and being. Authenticity then demands connections to specific locations/spaces, and/or original sources of rap.” Jay-Z meets the geographical requirements of “authenticity” by simply being a New York native. In his earlier days, he used to rap about the things he experienced living in a black community. Now that he’s worth millions and no longer lives in the “hood”, he raps about what he sees and knows: having money and being on top of the game. Does this make him less authentic than those rappers who used to live in black communities but continue to rap about the struggles of living in these neighborhoods? Is Lil’ Wayne, who no longer lives in the “hood” in New Orleans more real because he still raps about the thug/gangster life he used to live?

Hip hop was founded on keeping it real. In my opinion, Jay-Z is authentic because he keeps it real ultimately upholding the most important value of hip hop. Defining what makes hip hop authentic is subjective in that nobody can define what “real” hip hop is. Everyone just has opinions as to what qualifies as real and what is fake or unacceptable. This is what makes it hard for me to determine what “real” really is and what modern artists are authentic representations of hip hop.