RJ Payne has a message for people trying to age-out rappers

[Heavy_Handz]

It’s really a generational thing. Back in the 90’s the guys from the 80’s for the most part didn’t age well at all into the 2000’s. It seemed back then there was a larger generational gap between the 80’s guys & the 90’s with the new rugged style. Nowadays it seems that the older guys can still stylistically hang with any era because they come from the 90’s which is clearly the sound most Hip-Hop fans want to hear as they age along so I’m sure there can be guys in the future 45-50 still rocking but maybe not on large mainstream level but always have cult following & make $$

 

[mozichrome]

Is he still down with Benny or nah?

he is not BSF anymore

 

[mr.africa]

The issue is with older rappers feeling like they still have to "act" young.

If you're still making dope music and keeping your skills sharp, no one can deny you. But a lot of dudes get insecure and try to speak about shyt they think will resonate with younger audiences and they get too concerned with being marketable. Just make good shyt and stay true to where you are, and the support will come. It was sad in the late-90's seeing pioneers talking about how they "get jiggy" and shyt like that, lol. They don’t want to look old, but they end up looking like someone's washed uncle in the process.

There's mad dudes in their 40's who are still as dope as ever. Roc Marciano, Kiss, Pusha, Nas, Ross, KA, and dudes like dudes like Spitta, Gibbs and Conway pushing 40. Jay is over 50, etc. If the music is dope, you're fine. But don’t follow what the younger MC's are doing. That's all.

i get what you are saying, but let me ask this
do we treat our legends the same way white people treat their rock legends and what not?
if the music is dope you're fine seems to work for a select few only

 

[CrimsonTider]

The issue is with older rappers feeling like they still have to "act" young.

If you're still making dope music and keeping your skills sharp, no one can deny you. But a lot of dudes get insecure and try to speak about shyt they think will resonate with younger audiences and they get too concerned with being marketable. Just make good shyt and stay true to where you are, and the support will come. It was sad in the late-90's seeing pioneers talking about how they "get jiggy" and shyt like that, lol. They don’t want to look old, but they end up looking like someone's washed uncle in the process.

There's mad dudes in their 40's who are still as dope as ever. Roc Marciano, Kiss, Pusha, Nas, Ross, KA, and dudes like dudes like Spitta, Gibbs and Conway pushing 40. Jay is over 50, etc. If the music is dope, you're fine. But don’t follow what the younger MC's are doing. That's all.

None of the people are mainstream or even making music that making any noise.

that’s the problem. You still want your music to matter

 

[Awesome Wells]

i get what you are saying, but let me ask this
do we treat our legends the same way white people treat their rock legends and what not?
if the music is dope you're fine seems to work for a select few only

I grew up in the 80's, so I always thought the rappers were older than they actually were anyway, lol.

So age isn't really a thing for me. I just want some good shyt I can throw on and zone out to. I would like for the rappers to be treated with the same love and respect that the old rock legends get. Those cats tour forever and well into their 60's and sometimes even 70's. As long as there's an audience for you that's trying to support, I feel like you should be able to keep doing your thing.

 

[Master Teacher]

It’s really a generational thing. Back in the 90’s the guys from the 80’s for the most part didn’t age well at all into the 2000’s. It seemed back then there was a larger generational gap between the 80’s guys & the 90’s with the new rugged style. Nowadays it seems that the older guys can still stylistically hang with any era because they come from the 90’s which is clearly the sound most Hip-Hop fans want to hear as they age along so I’m sure there can be guys in the future 45-50 still rocking but maybe not on large mainstream level but always have cult following & make $$

Melle Mel and all them nikkaz still be on tour what are you talking about lol

also the new artist always respected the prior generation until the 2000's, and the funny thing is a lot of them artist ain't even relevant anymore when Nas and all them nikkaz is still the same status

 

[Mike the Executioner]

It’s really a generational thing. Back in the 90’s the guys from the 80’s for the most part didn’t age well at all into the 2000’s. It seemed back then there was a larger generational gap between the 80’s guys & the 90’s with the new rugged style. Nowadays it seems that the older guys can still stylistically hang with any era because they come from the 90’s which is clearly the sound most Hip-Hop fans want to hear as they age along so I’m sure there can be guys in the future 45-50 still rocking but maybe not on large mainstream level but always have cult following & make $$

I think a lot of that has to do with rap being older and not innovating as much as before. Back then, hip hop was moving at an accelerated pace. Styles and trends aged out within two years or so, and artists were constantly figuring out new ways to write rhymes or produce beats. The 80s rappers had some trouble keeping up with the rapid changes and a lot of them had limited runs. Nowadays, hip hop has settled down and trends last a lot longer than they did before, so it's easier for the older rappers to adapt to the current climate.

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

the last time this shyt was hot in the game it was other old nikkaz like Jim Jones pretending to be young nikkaz asking legends to sit down because they couldn't surpass them...

I have the same advice for every generation of young rapper brehs that feel that old dudes shouldn't rap. just out rap them... if you can't out rap them then shut the fukk up.

 

[DANJ!]

I think a lot of that has to do with rap being older and not innovating as much as before. Back then, hip hop was moving at an accelerated pace. Styles and trends aged out within two years or so, and artists were constantly figuring out new ways to write rhymes or produce beats. The 80s rappers had some trouble keeping up with the rapid changes and a lot of them had limited runs. Nowadays, hip hop has settled down and trends last a lot longer than they did before, so it's easier for the older rappers to adapt to the current climate.

THIS...

Case in point: in this last decade, even nikkas as mediocre as Tyga were able to hang around for waaaaay longer than they ever would have back then. Dudes like that woulda been in and out within a matter of two years. Big Daddy Kane was the gotdamn man in '88-'89, hanging by a thread by '92, trying to bounce back in '93, and disregarded by '94. His music played a part in that of course, but it was also the constant changes in rap. He himself admits that he wasn't staying abreast of the situation back then and was falling behind times. It was much more fast-paced- right now, you can drop a song that sounds like you made it four years ago. Rap ain't much different now than it was in 2017. But in say, '93? '89 was like an eternity away.

But at the end of the day, a lot of older rappers that'll never be as "big" as they were in their prime have been proving that they can still do what they knew how to do. Black Thought is still killin', Method Man on the Conway joint, Queen Latifah on the Rapsody album, Busta Rhymes' latest shyt, Rakim on Busta's intro, etc... whether they can make a great album is another thing, but people tend to think that being older automatically means they lost the ability to rap or perform. Some have definitely declined over time, but some have gotten better especially at performing, because experience tops age in many cases.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Never heard of this rapper, but the song was fire.




The other posts in the tread didn't lie though.

RJ is dope. I didn’t know about how until a year or so ago. His EPs from 2020 were fire.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

I think a lot of that has to do with rap being older and not innovating as much as before. Back then, hip hop was moving at an accelerated pace. Styles and trends aged out within two years or so, and artists were constantly figuring out new ways to write rhymes or produce beats. The 80s rappers had some trouble keeping up with the rapid changes and a lot of them had limited runs. Nowadays, hip hop has settled down and trends last a lot longer than they did before, so it's easier for the older rappers to adapt to the current climate.

I think a big part too is just that it’s a well established genre at this point, and all the talk of it being a passing fad is dead and gone.

That’s helped people realize that artists feeling a need to retire if they aren’t young is silly. Art/music isn’t like sports.

 

[Art Barr]

the last time this shyt was hot in the game it was other old nikkaz like Jim Jones pretending to be young nikkaz asking legends to sit down because they couldn't surpass them...

I have the same advice for every generation of young rapper brehs that feel that old dudes shouldn't rap. just out rap them... if you can't out rap them then shut the fukk up.

Anybody talembout age is a huff ass rap fan and rapper.
trying to get sway.
So someone can listen to their unskilled homebody scary trash.
I never seen none of these people at a venue in my life who bebtslking all this bullshyt. It is always some house duck scsry ass homebody and toy running their mouth at a home based environment.


Art Barr

Art Barr

 

[Artfull Dodger]

A subject touched on by Master Ace n Marco Polo

In summation, we a nation of generations
A variation of ages, we goin' through different stages
Same book, but we readin' from different pages
Enrolled in the same school, but studyin' different majors
Not sayin' you can't get a degree
But you're in need of a cheat sheet and you should get it from me
You see, life's what you make it, and can get it to be
It was me who paid that fee so you could get it for free
Look, it's so dangeorus when you dealin' with strangers
Started speakin' they language, now you're drivin' to vanquish
Not realizin' that you fell for the ok-
Back then, we fell for the Benzes, fell for the rope
Put some Gucci on the trench and we fell for the coat
But the game is still dirty when we yell for the soap
Y'all see it as jabs, y'all see us as dads
See us as concerned, don't see us as mad
Look, I get heated, the same mistakes are repeated
The hard-headed, conceited get broken down and defeated
It's not needed, 'cause it happened to us
Now your budget is almost gone, from rappin' to bust
These are words you can trust, but you try to refute
And none of it makes sense 'til it's time to recoup
In the meanwhile another will get anointed
We're honestly not bitter, no really, we're disappointed

 

[SoulController]

A subject touched on by Master Ace n Marco Polo

In summation, we a nation of generations
A variation of ages, we goin' through different stages
Same book, but we readin' from different pages
Enrolled in the same school, but studyin' different majors
Not sayin' you can't get a degree
But you're in need of a cheat sheet and you should get it from me
You see, life's what you make it, and can get it to be
It was me who paid that fee so you could get it for free
Look, it's so dangeorus when you dealin' with strangers
Started speakin' they language, now you're drivin' to vanquish
Not realizin' that you fell for the ok-
Back then, we fell for the Benzes, fell for the rope
Put some Gucci on the trench and we fell for the coat
But the game is still dirty when we yell for the soap
Y'all see it as jabs, y'all see us as dads
See us as concerned, don't see us as mad
Look, I get heated, the same mistakes are repeated
The hard-headed, conceited get broken down and defeated
It's not needed, 'cause it happened to us
Now your budget is almost gone, from rappin' to bust
These are words you can trust, but you try to refute
And none of it makes sense 'til it's time to recoup
In the meanwhile another will get anointed
We're honestly not bitter, no really, we're disappointed

no one speaks on this like Ace, which is appropriate because he seems to get better with age. or a very minimal fall off