Corona: A Timestamp in Hip Hop
Every so often there are events in the world that shake up hip hop whether we like it or not some being external to hip hop and some coming from the artist themselves. Some prime examples include, the 1977 blackout in New York City which caused an influx of DJs in the area due to looting stores, Ronald Reagan and cocaine in the 80s, the inevitable rise of streaming, and Kendrick Lamar’s “Control” verse. Hip hop is merely a reflection of the people surroundings so it’s only right hip hop has its own ebb and flow that syncs with society.
As you know we are currently going through a historical pandemic as COVID-19 ravages its way through the world leaving millions hospitalized. Due to the infectious disease, we can no longer enjoy music the way we are used to, in an effort to flatten the curve so we can go back to living “normal lives.” No concerts, no meet ups, artists are barley going to the studio, and some projects are even being pushed back. So yeah, Corona virus has effectively ruined the in person interactions that we loved about music. Weirdly enough though, 2020 has been a decent year so far for music and if we get all of the music we think we will it will be a legendary year. What this pandemic is teaching us as consumers and artists is how to interact with each other in a more enjoyable way.
Rap battles, parties, and freestyles/cyphers are all staples in hip hop culture. At first first glance it’s almost obvious that none of those are able to continue to since we are all quarantined and hip hop thrives off of interaction. But in a manner that makes hip hop what it is, it found a way to overcome the obstacle of being separated.
Legendary Producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz took their talents to Instagram Live where they had a battle with their greatest hits. They went back and forth for literally hours (clips can be found on our Instagram and Twitter), it was truly amazing. It just goes to show their quality and extensive catalog of hits. Wanting to continue with their momentum they called it Verzuz and now have weekly battles with producers, artists and songwriters. Notable battles included Ne-yo v. Johnta Austin, Mannie Fresh v. Scott Storch, and Rza v. Dj Premier. One of the battles can now boast up to 200k viewers at one time. That’s Madison Square Garden 10 times. It’s incredible that they were able to harness a platform to give people something that perhaps Hip Hop needed, a boost of competitiveness but also camaraderie.
Tory Lanez Quarantine Radio flyer via Instagram @torylanez
Continuing with people harnessing Instagram’s enormous following, Toronto rapper, Tory Lanez, has managed to bring a party/club like atmosphere to Instagram live with “Quarantine Radio.” It’s obvious that if no one can go to the club to listen to their favorite music with their friends, there is a bit of an empty feeling. At any given moment on “Quarantine Radio” you will find someone dancing, performing, or previewing music. The energy during the Instagram live is unmatched. Lanez gained over 1.5 million followers in one week after gaining traction with his Instagram live. He even managed to secure the most viewers in an Instagram live with over 300k viewers when Drake made a quick appearance. If I could relate it to anything that the world has seen before, it’s like “The Apollo” but live and modern, and Tory Lanez is definitely the Sandman.
An unfortunate consequence of these quarantining time is that we are losing out on cyphers. Although more common in New York’s Hip Hop culture, west coast rapper, Guapdad 4000 took it upon himself to post weekly cyphers called, “Rona Raps” with him and other rappers spitting over infamous beats. Special guests have included, Buddy, Chris Brown, Lil yachty, Wiz Khalifa, and more. “Rona Raps” is special because it maintains as much energy of a real cypher as it can while everybody being separated. None of the raps seem like throw away bars where rappers just say what they can to gain some more followers. You can sense that each rapper wants to have the best verse and is trying to out-rap whoever was before them. Guapdad 4000 found a way to keep the competitiveness and camaraderie going, similar to the Verzuz battles but in a different manner.
Of course this isn’t how any of us wanted 2020 to go, but Hip Hop is still finding a way to make the best out of it given the current circumstances. But going forward we can only hope that artists continue to expand from their current corona success. Everyone that I have talked to mentions how fun these different events are and they hope going forward artist will keep he same effort and energy going forward. Nothing will be the same after Corona blows over, but we can only hope for the best. This can be a defining moment in rap.