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- Question: Should rappers perform
over their own vocal tracks?
Not if they want a long career.
My name is Brendan Varan and this is the Booth Review.
(hip-hop music)
A few weeks ago, after the end of Rolling Loud,
hip-hop's current biggest festival,
veteran rap journalist Elliott Wilson shared
a common complaint that spans decades of live music,
artists performing over their own recorded vocals.
Now, the post paints new-school rap artists as lazy,
in essence because they're letting their own recordings
do the work for them while they're up on stage.
In response, the one and only, all gold everything rapper,
Trinidad James chimed in, saying that young artists
just haven't figured out what the rap game
is all about yet.
"It's kids performing for kids," he wrote.
Now this is true, but James also suggested that
younger rap acts don't care if older fans
come to their shows,
and that if you're older than the age of 24,
then you should probably stick to your age range
and go to shows with older artists.
Now Trinidad raises a valid point
but lets start with one basic fact.
Expecting more out of a younger generation of artists
does not make you a salty old-head.
As both consumers and critics, we must hold creators
to a higher standard if we want them to improve.
And the argument that anyone is too old
or too young for any particular form of art
keeps artists from evolving.
Now if an artist is looking for longevity,
graduating from rapping over or lip-syncing to
recorded vocals isn't just an option, it's a necessity.
A career in music relies on touring,
and if an artist can deliver a great live show,
he or she can set themselves up for financial success
off hip-hop for years to come.
Trinidad James is right in that some of the youth,
both artists and fans, just don't care.
They see hip-hop as one big party
with a check at the end of the night.
And if you're an artist that recognizes
that your fans just want to rage,
then go ahead and deliver a live show that promises
and delivers that energy.
But just remember that energy does change.
The younger artists who run around on stage
over their own vocals need to learn
how to capture that energy and re-tool it
into a performance that will allow them to evolve
from fill-in-the-blank rappers to respected performers.
To sustain a career in any business,
you must constantly be increasing
your base and your bottom line.
If an artist doesn't expand and improve
their onstage performance,
the audience will decrease, the money will run out,
and the career will come to a close.
A younger audience with little to no expectations
will eventually grow up into an older audience
with increased expectations.
Maybe the kids just don't care now,
but eventually they'll need something more
than just raw energy.
What do you think?
Are you disappointed when you paid money
to go to a concert and the rapper just performs
over his own vocal track?
Or is that just how it goes these days?
My name is Brendan Varan.
Let us know what you think in the comments.
This is The Booth Review.