30's the new 20? (pt. 1)

So when is old, too old? Let’s say there’s a young, fresh-faced musician who has grown up to become a middle-aged dreamer still in hot pursuit of that illusive but, oh so gratifying 15 seconds of fame. Is it time for him/her to hang it up? There was once a time when artists could ride off into the sunset, knowing that their time was up. They could rest assured that their contribution to music was both unique and noteworthy. While talking with a fellow music connoisseur about the present trend of rappers to remain making music well into their 30s, he raised an interesting point. He suggested that periodically, throughout the relatively short lifetime of rap music, there have always been opportunities to pass the torch on to the younger generation. Moreover, he added that perhaps the seasoned rapper’s unwillingness to relinquish his/her “claims to the reigns of rap” is both the testament of an old generation’s apathy and a new generation’s inability to carry the torch. I would be remiss not to consider the large sums of money to be made in this very lucrative business as a reason for the veteran rapper to stick around. However, let’s assume for the purposes of this post that the evils of capitalism are not such significant factors as to control every rapper’s life. Let’s get deep for just a second. This phenomenon is a symbol of lost hope. Old heads don’t rap because they want to; they rap because, if they don’t, who can they trust to hold it down in their absence? Get @ me with comments for this one…I’ve got to hear some opinions.

Stay tuned for pt. 2

Until next time, do YOU, do music.

-Gilles