How much is hiphop still evolving?

[Elevz]

This morning I was listening to LL Cool J's "Mr. Smith" album, which was released back in 1995. I listened to it and I was thinking to myself, is this really 10 years old? Listening to most of the tracks, they sound like they could have been released just last year. Flow, topics, production... It really doesn't sound dated to me. It made me wonder... How much has hiphop evolved during the past 10 years? Just imagine the changes made between 1985 and 1995. What would have been your thoughts if you heard hiphop from 1995 in 1985? It would have been all so different. A lot of things have changed between '85 and '95. Music from 1985 sounded dated back in 1995.

Now, what have been the changes during the past 10 years? Dre invented the new lowrider sound (2001), Biggie and Pac's murders stirred up the hiphop scene and there have been a few important disses, but it seems to me that there's hardly any big changes overall, for such a long time. Of course, there have been some popular trends coming up, such as conscious rap or crunk (even though that's been around in the underground for longer than most people know). Trends like that will eventually fade away... So what's really changed about the music?

Come to think of it. There's hardly any more experimental hiphop these days. Just wondering, what will the next 10 years be like? Can you now consider hiphop a "grown up" genre of music, or is it really dying because everything remains the same?

[411]

i never really liked ll......sorry.....

[Elevz]

i never really liked ll......sorry.....

Well, it wasn't really about LL there, but that's just an example. There's so much material, released back then, that could have been made just yesterday. Of course, there's exceptions, but it seems to me like half of the rap that's coming out now, is identical to what came out back then.

[-Euthanasia-]

maybe you need to look beyond LL Cool J's catalog to determine the validity of hip hop

[Makaveli R.I.P.]

i hope dre will change the game with detox

[Elevz]

maybe you need to look beyond LL Cool J's catalog to determine the validity of hip hop

Try clicking on the pictures in my avatar, you'll find out that I rarely listen to LL. It's just an example. Think of some other stuff like Big Pun for example. It's 7 years old but it sounds like it could have topped the charts in 2005.

The big question is, what will the future look like, since hiphop seems to be hardly changing? Most likely, Dre will be influental on the sound of the instrumentals when Detox drops, but there's so much more about hiphop that will remain unchanged. Hell, hiphop might even be getting boring, if it hasn't already.

[Jip]

the biggest changes in hip hop have come from dre(or around him), G-Funk started from the chronic, im not sure if 2001 falls under G-Funk but it meets the specs, heavy bass high melody.  That started a new sound, which rolled onto restless as well.  Im sure he will do it again with detox

[Darksider]

there will allways be a little change here and there because people use the styles thats hot...but thats at the same time the problem.......you need a pop song and radio play to sell records...less creativity

[Big BpG]

Kanye's sounds is different from the norm... its like folk music...im not saying he created this sound, but he made this style HOT.

[soopadoopaflykid]

Kanye's sounds is different from the norm... its like folk music...im not saying he created this sound, but he made this style HOT.

kanye's style has been around it goes back to the pete rock type of production