The New Faces of Rap Are Here to Stay

Hip-Hop is an ever changing genre that’s always going to be evolving. It has significantly changed over the past 10 years though. What was once a genre that was dominated by lyrics has now become a more fun filled and flow dominated industry.

If you ask old-heads when Rap was best they’re going to say the 90s and early 2000s. If you ask the youth, they’re going to say Rap has been best these past 5–8 years. The truth lies in the middle.

While Rap obviously had better lyrics 30 years ago, that doesn’t mean it was better. What the new faces of hip-hop have done (will talk about one of them later), is something that the rappers of the 90s wouldn’t be able to fathom. These new faces of Rap have brought in a whole new demographic of listeners, Caucasian suburban teen boys, into the genre. They’ve done this by pushing the limits of hip-hop and incorporating new elements from other genres.

For example, Playboi Carti, has a unique style that can’t be defined as only Rap. What he has done is bring in some elements of rap, trap, punk and experimental rap and put it all to make his own unique sound. This is what makes him one of the hottest artists with the younger generation of suburban boys.

Jordan Carter debuted as Sir Cartier in 2011 before changing his name to Playboi Carti in 2013. What began as his own has remained his own to this day, with no one being a part of the Playboi Carti brand. Carti's use of multiple producers helps distinguish his sound as space-like-atmospheric rap that prioritizes a dreamy, high-like aura that is relaxed and mellow. He was able to capture all kinds of moods by using multiple producers, which work differently and more effectively for some people than others. Carter discussed how the late rapper MF DOOM was influential in his artistic development. In his most recent album, Carter credited late MF DOOM with a major role in his song "Stop Breathing" on "Whole Lotta Red." Carter has been a very unique artist since the release of his self-titled album, Playboi Carti, in 2017. In 2018, he released his sophomore album "Die Lit," which featured a more fleshed-out sound. His most recent album, "Whole Lotta Red," released in 2020, has been his most divisive to date. He drastically altered his style to a more gothic, vampire theme, and the foundation of the sound he had been developing over the years seemed to vanish. This album alone has spawned a slew of clones who have imitated his sound with harsh, hard-hitting beats that become the focal point of the song.

“Like I told you, you can’t put a genre alternative [on me]. My little brother told me that all the time.”

-Jordan Cartier

While Jordan Carter began his rap career as Sir Cartier, he found his style and niche and built his global brand as Playboi Carti. He has now established himself as a major contributor to innovation, music, and fashion, working alongside some of the world's most prominent figures. Although it was perhaps not recognized at the time, Carter's background and influences influenced his vast artistic direction, which incorporated the injustice he faced at the time, as well as the life of wealth he now lives.

There are many more faces of the new school of rap each with their own unique image and sound and Playboi Carti, also known as King Vamp, is just one of many I will be discussing in my coming articles. Even though there is an ongoing debate on if this is even considered real hip-hop, we should all just remember that the genre of hip hop is diverse enough for everyone to listen to what they want to.