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Julie Goodwin
Professor Patterson
ENC2135 SEC. 11
17 September 2015
Rap: Old School vs. New School
Out of the late 1970s emerged a new genre of music. It had a distinct style, beat, and
content. With lyrics often being compared to poetry, it was no surprise that this genre blew up
and is a dominant part of music and culture to this day. The musical genre of rap, which is a
subculture of hip hop, can be further broken down into two subgenres: new school and old
school rap. With the world constantly evolving, this music genre has made it clear that it will not
be left behind as if it were another disco. As I break down these two subgenres from their
evolution, artists, and content, it will be clear that although they may be the same type of music,
rap has drastically changed, and it may not be for the best.
In the late nineteen-seventies and early eighties emerged a new musical basis that did
not always aim to please the audience, but aimed to confront listeners, fellow artists, and all
forms of authority head on. With the founders of this art form consisting of Grandmaster Flash,
KRS ONE, The Wizard, Africa Bambaataa, and Run DMC, the intended audience were ones
that were predominantly African American who were just an additional generation of their family
who lived in poverty, involved in drugs, and had run-ins with the law speaking of their inability
to leave this vicious cycle (Barnes). Barnes reveals his views on what hip hop was established

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upon, and its evolution from old school to new school, in an online forum about this, stating In
the early days of hip-hop rappers primarily speak of the struggles in their life. (Barnes). As this
music spread, whether being heard in clubs, on street corners, or the occasional air time on the
radio, it was found that more and more people could relate to this music. The music industry was
about to be revolutionized and the impact that would be made could have never been foreseen.
These pioneers had a certain essence about them that allowed you to empathize with them. They
laid down the law in raw poetry set to beats extracted from funk and disco music. As this
phenomenon spread across the country it would soon appear on T.V. and radio. With all the new
found popularity, new rappers emerged. Groups such as N.W.A. (big names including Eazy E,
Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube), Wu-Tang Clan, World Class Wreckin Cru, and Public Enemy charged the
scene as rap became a big money industry.
These groups not only started showing the profit of this industry, but they did not cower
in the face of authority. With N.W.A.s (Niggas With Attitude) burst onto the scene, their songs
were anything but subtle. Song titles including F*** tha Police and the ever-so-popular
Straight Outta Compton gave this group a large fan base and a constant battle with the law.
Upon the groups split in the early nineteen nineties, with the groups individual careers, the
world of rap was going to become monumental for decades to come. Rolling Stone Magazines
biography and breakdown of NWA reminds us that despite the breakup, with many of the
members starting solo careers or forming new bands they would continue in the music industry
for a little longer, with albums topping the billboard charts such as Dres The Chronic (Simon).
Dr. Dre would make the biggest impression on the industry by being a co-founder of Death Row
Records with Suge Knight. This record label would sign a plethora of new school essential

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artists such as Snoop Dogg, and most importantly, Tupac. Hits such as California Love and 2
of Amerikas Most Wanted would be results these artists working together.
The emergence of new school on the music scene would only further populate this
music genre. Upon the comparison of traditionally old school artists and these emerging artists
with a new style, these original new school artists represented more thought out and clever
rhymes. Perhaps this could be as a result of more feuds within the industry, but the working of
stitching different problems together, while also throwing in a few disses, that all came together
so smooth that it painted one clear picture is a phenomenal feature. The songs and freestyles of
the new school put a spin on this basic rap by making you work for the answers. If you wanted to
understand verses you would have to keep up in the news and perhaps some may even contain
words that will send you to the dictionary. This ripple in the style of rap at the turn of the decade
brought about and entirely new culture. Though the emerging artists of the nineties were deemed
new school because they were graced with the still-evolving technologies, upon deeper
listening even the untrained ear could detect a difference in the music of new school and these
newer artists of Snoop Dogg, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Notorious B.I.G., and Tupac.
There is one name in that list that stands out from the rest: Tupac. Maybe he was cursed
with being a few years late of being considered old school, but when you listen to his music
and break down his rhymes, though often more than controversial, he speaks of real issues.
Tupac spoke of what life was like in neighborhoods ridden with drugs, welfare, and crime. He
searched and spoke to fight and take steps toward change, not only for the poor or own gain, but
spoke out for respecting women and womens rights in songs such as Keep Ya Head Up. In
songs such as It Aint Easy he speaks of the popular thoughts of many in his community. The

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constant wonder of if you will end up in jail like the vast majority of those who come from
where you are is a reoccurring thought every day since childhood. In one of his greatest hits
Changes, you feel as though he is speaking to you personally. He speaks to every single person
in both the white and black communities when he says he sees no changes upon acts of civility
toward one another. He advises all people to change the way we eat, change the way we live,
and change the way we treat each other. The issues Tupac speaks of is relatable for thousands.
Kids who are in places just like him can buy his record and listen to it, temporarily escaping
from the world as he gets lost in the lyrics and knows he is not alone. Who said that what formed
old school was strictly timing? When a rapper as such brings rap back to its roots while keeping
the progression of issues and the industry, confronting problems while the industry and
technology evolved, Tupac was not old school nor new school, but perhaps timeless.
Upon being fed up with all the drama and constant crime that seemed to always
accompany Suge Knight (and still does to this day) Dre left Death Row Records to establish his
own record company Aftermath Entertainment. Leaving behind his protg, Tupac as part of the
deal to escape the crime ridden Death Row Records, Dre soon faced backlash from Tupac after
he and Snoop recorded To Live and Die in LA with Tupac stating at the end of the song
LA, California Love part two, without gay-ass Dre. With a relaxed hip-hop beat and guns,
partying, money, and girls as the subject of raps the beats were beginning to shift to somewhat
laid backed and slower while still enjoyable. Many raps were sparked by and contained verses
that were directed to feuds among the rappers, the biggest being that between Tupac and Biggie.
Often being compared to an election, the entire rap community was picking sides waiting for
someone to throw the next move, whether it be a verse or a bullet.

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Close your eyes and imagine the quintessential rapper. Now if you could describe this
image I am sure it would be an African American male, fairly larger in stature, maybe very
muscular, or perhaps very tall and heavy-set. Despite which of these possibilities you picture, it
is safe to say you would not want to run into this man in a dark alley. Perhaps before their fame
they were a drug dealer or just a kid out of the slums As this rapper has acquired fame your
mental picture may include a thick gold chain with a countless amount of diamonds on it, a gold
and diamond grill that takes you off guard as they flash a smile, and an iced-out Rolex.
Dre shortly took a possible career-ending risk, signing a white Detroit rapper named
Eminem. Rolling Stone Magazine acknowledged Eminem as one of the best rappers and
summarized his appeal, stating in his biography on their website: The combination of Eminem's
unique delivery (many critics and artists, both black and white, hailed him as one of the best
MCs in the world), crossover appeal, and willingness to attack and offend anything in his way
without prejudice quickly established the young rapper as a seemingly unstoppable
phenomenon (Serpick). Eminems quick wit and even quicker rhymes allowed him to not only
be one of the quickest rappers, but most clever in opinions of many. Eminem (and his alter ego
Slim Shady) was relentless and would not hesitate to fire shots in his lyrics at his wife, mother,
or any other rapper. Examples of the latest victims of the rappers lash include Tony Stewart, the
Kardashians, Caitlyn Jenner, Miley Cyrus, Casey Anthony, Hilary Clinton, and Ray Rice. It truly
threw the rap spectrum for a loop when a predominantly African American culture and genre run
by thugs constantly looking for a fight, was taken over by a scrawny white guy who was more
often the victim of beatings, growing up in neighborhoods predominantly African American.
Eminem broke every expectation and stereotype there was within the rap industry.

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With few notable influences following him, rap has changed once again. Could it be
possible there is a new new school in the industry? In the mid two thousands, as Eminem took
a dip out of the scene due to drug addiction, a new era of rappers emerged; Ones lacking
originality, meaning, and depth in their rhymes. Auto-tune, a computerized filter and
manipulation of ones voice to change pitch and other factors, emerged on the scene allowing the
pool of talent to expand to just about anyone with a computer and voice. The audience hardly
being able to decipher what the artist is saying, and a catchy beat are the essentially the only
requirements of todays hits. Throw in a few rhymes that a second grader could put together and
some deem them as the poet Lariat of our generation.
What you hear is what you get with this group. Previously you could listen to a song a
hundred times constantly dissecting the lyrics and still hear a new pun or insult being thrown at
someone just as easily as you catch one the first time you listen to a song. The mind games and
peeling back the layers and meanings of the lyrics to understand an insult thrown at another
rapper was part of the fun. Nowadays these rappers think stringing together some curse words
with different synonyms of the words money, party, drinking, and girls is art, when it is
a pathetic attempt at what rap was meant to be.
The rap industry was built upon the struggles of life and identification of true issues in
society that were relatable for the listener. The great artists made differences. These legends
opened the eyes of those who did not know the struggles of thousands. They acknowledged
problems in our world and worked toward a change by calling these issues to the attention of
their listeners. Iconic rappers used this art as an expression of the struggles of everyday citizens.
Artists and listeners have lost sight of what hip hop originally stood for diminishing the

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sacred art of Hip Hop. (Barnes).

Works Cited
Barnes, Mike. "Thread: Old School vs New School(Hiphop)." Deep House Page Forums. N.p.,
11 Jan. 2011. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
Serpick, Evan, and Simon & Schuster. "Eminem Biography." Rolling Stone. N.p., n.d. Web. 18
Sept. 2015.
Simon & Schuster, and Evan Serpick. "N.W.A. Biography." Rolling Stone. N.p., n.d. Web. 17
Sept. 2015.