![]() The definition of who a rapper can be, and what stories hip-hop can tell, has broadened indefinitely since the mid-2000s. While, a decade later, rap lyrics still tell an artist’s story, each rapper has a different one artists no longer need to write about the “ghetto life” to be signed by a major record label. On his 2002 debut album “Gangster and a Gentleman,” artist Styles P claimed that after a childhood of abuse and poverty, “the best thing that happened” to him was breaking into the crack industry because he was finally “gettin’ everything that was askin’ about.” Poppa Sims, a lyricist associated with the major record label Bad Boy Records, emphasized that in writing openly about violence and drugs, ‘90s hip-hop artists forced listeners to consider the “underlying reasons behind these things…it was survival.” Indeed, the early era of rap publicized the notion that poverty begets crime. Those who did listen to hip-hop, however, found that even as artists were carefully constructing their persona, there was honesty in their lyrics. Rap was the story of the ghetto life and the anthem of gangsters, which prevented hip-hop from joining pop and rock in the mainstream. According to Rauly Ramirez, manager of Billboard’s Hip-Hop chart, ‘90s rappers “would create this persona,” portraying themselves as thugs and gangsters because that was “the character had to be to succeed.” The necessity for an artist to create and maintain this character led to a common theme among rap songs in the ‘90s. Songs were less about an artist’s success and more about his or her rise to it even the most financially successful rappers wrote about violence, crime, and living in poverty. In general, hip-hop in the previous decade had a relatively narrow focus. Perhaps the most striking difference between 1990s hip-hop and more modern tracks is the lyrics. The hip-hop/rap genre, despite having garnered a reputation of violence and misogyny, is a uniquely genuine voice amidst the development of our culture. While some aspects of this evolution are obvious, it is in the subtleties of these changes that the inextricable link between social and musical development is revealed. Indeed, everything from the definition of mainstream hip-hop to the function of record labels to the personas of the artists themselves has evolved over the past decade. In fact, in an interview with ABC, Drake confessed that he was once described as “the furthest thing from hood.” Rappers such as Macklemore have hits about formerly taboo subjects like homosexuality, and artists such as Drake, a former Canadian child actor, prove that being a “thug” is no longer a pre-requisite to success. ![]() Just a decade later, some of the most successful rap hits relay messages formerly unheard of in the genre while the artists themselves come from a variety of backgrounds. and Jay-Z, were known drug dealers and many were convicted criminals. A pre-2005 hip-hop or rap hit can be easily distinguished from a track released in the past decade, and artists who have gotten into the game within the last ten years bear little similarity to what was the norm for ‘90s-era rappers.Įarlier hip-hop music has a distinct tone with a relatively consistent theme of “hood politics,” a term referenced by Nas in his 2002 hit “One Mic.” Meanwhile, the artists themselves maintained strict “gangster” personas: most of the genre’s biggest names, such as The Notorious B.I.G. However, Black Cat's Vice President, Fuzzy, gets offended by Blinky's defamatory and rude comments towards Black Cat and kicks Blinky in the eyeball on his belly, causing him to die and fade away as the victory music from Final Fantasy plays.Even those unfamiliar with the genre can recognize that rap and hip-hop are not what they used to be. Later, Blinky suddenly appears in the Oval Office, stating that he is glowing to blow up the planet and summoning his Martian Armada. Blinky threatens to destroy Earth with his armada if Black Cat doesn't do something to get up in the polls. ![]() Blinky then states that Earth "is going down just like Pluto" if Black Cat doesn't do something.īlack Cat is later seen talking to Blinky again. He is also responsible for Black Cat getting elected president.īlinky is first seen when Black Cat reports to him, with Blinky inquiring what happened to him and stating he was much cooler when he first found him. He is the tyrannical ruler of Mars and the superior of the protagonist, President Black Cat. Didn't I tell you I was gonna destroy this mothaf***a if you didn't get it together?īlinky is one of the main antagonists (alongside Grey Cat) of the YouTube series Politicats.
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