Hip Hop is Dead

Thesis: Hip Hop is Dead has been said by many old school rappers who feel that today's hip hop has been cheapened and defaced. Nas' 2006 Album titled "Hip Hop is Dead" caused a huge controversy in the the Hip Hop community, especially some negativity from the up an coming artists such as Young Jeezy. Many claim that Nas' album was targeted primarily at the Southern rap sound that is becoming a fad in today's musical society. I will mostly focus on this controversy of is Hip Hop dead? I personally believe that Hip Hop is a movement, therefore it is not right to say that it is dead, but rather that it is evolving.

Evidence: Nas' 2006 Album Hip Hop is Dead. Documentary by Russell Simmons titled "And You Don't Stop". The documentary features a very thorough timeline of the start of the Hip Hop movement, to the new sounds that are being made in the contemporary. I will also try to use lyrics and example from other musical artists in the Rap, Hip Hop, and R&B genres.

Purpose: The purpose of researching the phrase "Hip Hop is Dead" is to show how that phrase is completely false. It is also a way to show how Hip Hop in general has made such an impact on a young audience. Also, knowing that different generations think of Hip Hop in a different sense is really interesting as well. It is really cool to see how Hip Hop has evolved, and the lyrics that were used back in the day seems so much different than the lyrics society hears today.

Audience: The younger generation would definitely be more attuned to hearing the phrase Hip Hop is Dead. However, it is the older generation that began using this phrase. Therefore, it is a very wide range of audience age. Also, it should be aimed towards those who have a love of Hip Hop.