Frequent Weighs In On The ‘High 50 Rappers’ Debate

In 2019, Frequent is unarguably one of the qualifiable rap veterans to talk on the present state of the style.

Preceded by his esteemed legacy of three Grammy wins and 16 Recording Academy nods, applauded hip-hop activism, widespread music trade reverence and his personal report label imprint, the treasured hip-hop Chicagoan launched his twelfth studio album, Let Love, in August 2019. Concurrently, this month marked the onset of the web’s viral High 50 Rappers Of All Time debate, triggered by an indiscriminate tweet from “The Brew Podcast”. 

The fiery deliberation across the checklist despatched hip-hop heads butting in every single place. Amended High 50 Rappers rankings cropped up afterward and fueled extra disputes amongst followers, together with one from T.I. and Sizzling 97’s Ebro Darden and Paul Rosenberg. Except for the names on the checklist themselves, many hip-hop followers additionally objected to the qualifiedness of the creators behind these lists. 

After chopping up hip-hop lyricism with Frequent for BET Digital’s Charge The Bars, we felt it was solely proper that he share a phrase on the controversy, too. We spoke with the enduring Chicago lyricist on the existence, significance and impression of bars within the fashionable age of hip-hip music and what it takes to land a spot on anybody’s High 50 Rappers checklist. 

Just lately, Tyler the Creator defined that bars are much less vital than beats and melody. However, not in a way that they do not matter. They simply come final in his inventive course of. Do you agree with this components?

Frequent: Nicely first, I believe Tyler is dope, so no matter he is doing, I prefer it. His final mission—that Igor joint—was inventive. I can perceive the place he is coming from as a author as a result of he is in all probability actually approaching it past being an MC. He is like, ‘Yo, I am a musician, so I will write this track with this melody as a result of I am making songs.’ 

The essence of emceeing, and lyricism and rapping is about bars. It is about having lyrics that impression the individuals and make individuals go, ‘Oh, sh**!’ or, ‘That was unimaginable!’ or, ‘That touched me!’ That is one of many pillars with regards to rap that I nonetheless assume is legitimate. It is the explanation why Kendrick Lamar interprets to any technology, any nationality and any nation. He is appreciated for his lyricism and what he brings. I believe Noname is dope to me as a result of she’s poetic along with her lyrics. It is artists that strategy music otherwise, and so they might not be attempting to be the dopest MC…however they may write songs greater than verses and lyrics. I am a believer that lyrics in hip-hop will at all times be one thing that—for so long as individuals rap—as long as you say dope lyrics wherever you go, that may impression individuals. 

With that stated, do you consider bars are as vital on this present period of rap as they have been within the earlier hip-hop generations? 

Frequent: I do consider that bars are simply as vital, at the least in my eyes and what I pay attention for. Hip-hop has advanced. I believe that the brand new technology of hip-hop has put much less emphasis on bars—not everybody—as a result of there’s a lot entry to different methods of doing it. So, bars have turn out to be much less vital general with what individuals obtain within the music and what they rock to. However, when the artists with bars do stand out, they get celebrated as the highest of the crop. I believe it is nonetheless in the end valued as a result of the brand new technology loves and turns up this music, however these are a few of the individuals who [stand out] as essentially the most proficient…so, I do assume bars are vital on this period, however possibly not as vital as they have been within the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Everyone in that period, nonetheless, did not all have bars. Some individuals have been simply stylin’, and that is what we’ve got now, too. Some individuals simply can type, and it is dope. That is one factor we do not get into the dialogue of with regards to hip-hop, or artists and lyricists. Yo, some individuals’s type makes them even doper, and that is a talent in and of itself. Consonant MCs have type, lyrics, voice. 

Like, a Younger Thug?

Yeah. He is bought types to it. However, I can cite MCs from the ’90s who had type, like Buckshot. He had lyrics too, nevertheless it was type to him. Similar with Grand Puba. He was one in all my favourite MCs. He had a voice and a method to him. I believe that is one thing we overlook once we speak about lyrics and bars. 

There’s been a number of “High 50 Rappers” checklist popping up across the web and sparking intense debates amongst hip-hop heads. In your opinion, ought to lyrical high quality be one of many key components when contemplating rappers that belong on these lists? 

Oh, yeah. For positive. Lyrical high quality is without doubt one of the attributes that ought to land you there. I imply, all people has their very own checklist. High quality says all of it. In the event you ain’t bought lyrics, how might you be within the high of something? That is in any side of something in life. If in case you have no lyrical high quality, you’ll be able to’t be within the high. There needs to be one thing you provide that is distinctive and has substantial weight to it. Meaning I ought to have the ability to hear one in all your songs 20 years from now and be like, ‘Man, that was dope.’ It ought to stand the check of time. 

I can hearken to [Eric B. & Rakim] ‘Within the Ghetto,’ and be like, this is without doubt one of the best. I am not placing this on the identical degree, nevertheless it’s how I may hearken to Dr. [Martin Luther] King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech and it nonetheless resonates. I can learn some James Baldwin and it nonetheless resonates. I hearken to Nas’s “New York State of Thoughts” and it is one of many best issues. You’ll be able to hear something off of Kendrick’s Part.80 and it resonates.

My level is, that lyrical high quality is what takes you to the subsequent technology. Have a look at what number of MCs we have heard who we love for that second, however then, the subsequent yr you are on to the subsequent “scorching” particular person. So, what do you try this turns into timeless? There needs to be high quality within the lyrics. 

*This text has been condensed for readability.