In a recent interview with Pigeons and Planes, veteran west coast rapper and weed aficionado (not to mention anti-gun campaigner and, uh, unique entrepreneur,) Snoop Dogg has brought into question the current state of the hip hop game, with some rather blunt (no pun intended) remarks regarding his fellow rappers – mostly Drake, arguably the most successful commercial rapper at the moment. In promoting his new album, Bush, released May 12th, Snoop spruiked his own unique style, stating that he doesn’t follow the current trend of the music industry, “I love Future. Migos. I love all of them. Drake. They my niggas, but I don’t know who is who when the record is over. When I came out as a rapper, everyone had their own style.”
While Snoop himself has never been afraid to experiment with his sound, most notably with his venture into the world of reggae as he briefly blessed the world with the presence of “Snoop Lion,” the idea of biting styles has generally been lost amongst the current state of hip hop, with many artists finding success with similar styles and flows. It does not bode well with the older generations of hip hop, with Uncle Snoop firmly at the forefront, “If you sounded like someone else, that word was called biting. You biting my style. You biting my shit.”
It is interesting to note that Snoop did not mention his fellow West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar in these comments, who had recently included Snoop on his highly acclaimed release To Pimp a Butterfly, giving the legend of rap a rebirth into the new mainstream. Were these comments just an attempt to draw attention to his new release? Or perhaps the wise old men of hip hop just want to see the music go back to roots, with pioneers such as Kendrick Lamar leading the way.
It’s worth noting that in spite of these comments and certain rappers out there, there are as many new styles of hip hop emerging as ever. Alongside Lamar, artists like Childish Gambino, Chance The Rapper, Action Bronson, Run The Jewels, Vince Staples, Earl Sweatshirt and Schoolboy Q to name a few, have made no secret of their unique flairs, their original flows, blazing production qualities (often infused with electronic music) and the widely varied subject matter of their music. While some artists, like those called out by Snoop are attempting to follow on from pre-existing styles and sounds, there’s just as many rappers doing their own thing. And it’s only a matter of time before they receive the same recognition as the Drizzys out there.