Growing up, I was exposed to hip hop at a later age. Before I understood the idea of hip hop, I never really liked music the way I do now. I liked a few songs, but it was just a matter of luck. As I got older, eventually, I developed a deep love and passion for music. Out of all the genres I listened to, the art of hip-hop became my #1 genre. Hip-Hop has had a major influence on my life for as long as I can remember. Some of my favorite artists include J. Cole, Logic, the late 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G., Common, Kendrick Lamar, and Rakim. All these people made the art more than what it was. Listening to Hip-Hop helped me realize that we as people have a voice of our own. It also helped me realize that being myself and living life is all I can do with whatever time I have left on this planet. Overall, Hip-Hop has not only influenced me but has lowkey influenced an entire nation. People use Hip-Hop as a way of expressing who they are, how they are feeling, and a whole bunch of other things. Hip-Hop has also been seen as a way to protest social injustices and a way to aspire for change.

What Has Changed?

Hip-Hop has been around for years before most of us were even born. And in those years, the viewpoints of Hip-Hop have changed. Some people support the original, OG, old-fashioned hip hop with long-appreciated icons and old-school songs. Others are into the new school hip-hop with artists showing off their riches, partying with hot girls, and driving expensive cars. In fact, a good amount of people are claiming that hip-hop is dead. At first, I thought the same thing when all these new artists came out of nowhere and started popping. I listened to these artists and could not find anything special about them. It seemed like the same crap. Being flashy, showing off money, and dancing with hot girls. With all of this happening, I can't blame people for losing hope in hip-hop. Since this is what most of hip-hop has been for the past couple of years, people must have lost sight of the roots of this art. People forgot when Grandmaster Flash was tearing it up on the turntables in underground scenes or when Tupac told us to "Keep Your Head Up ". What about when Big Pun became the first Latino rapper to bring home a platinum record? It isn't like that today. In fact, almost none of the stuff I have seen these days is relevant to hip-hop at all. So why should we hang on to tradition we believe is long gone? Because Hip-Hop is more than people think it is. It's not just entertainment and hypes. It is a way of life!

HIP HOP IS FOREVER!

Hip-Hop can never die. What are you talking about? Hip-Hop lives on through our day-to-day activities. It doesn't just live in music. It also lives in dancing, in activism, in media, in city pride, in everything! Hip-Hop is a total force to be reckoned with. With the artists that boosted the movement, some are gone, others are retired. But they are legends for a reason. People die, but legends live on. If people are really passionate about the art of hip-hop, they carry the feeling in their hearts. Yes, it can be that deep. Like me, for example. I dance to hip-hop all the time. I like to rap popular songs at open-mic nights in college. And when I do these things, the spirit of hip-hop flows through my veins for short time. With that feeling, I feel unstoppable. That is the feeling anyone passionate about hip-hop feels. That is how it is supposed to be. So to all the people that say that hip-hop is dead, read this article, and then really think about it. Is Hip-Hop dead? NOPE! And it never will.