The Rap and Hardcore Metal scene has been gaining quite a noticeable amount of traction from fanbases both on and offline for a little bit of awhile now. This may seem like an extremely obvious observation and there's really no denying it. In fact, I completely agree with it! To an extent. I'm sure a lot of you are like me taking witness in the sudden influx of praise these artists have been getting from each of their respected scenes. However, its come to my and a lot of other people's attention that these same artists, BOTH from Hardcore and Rap, have also been coming together for themselves and for a lot of us this has seemingly come completely out of the blue. From song collaborations to opening up on tour, the subcultural merge between Hardcore and what is mainly the underground side of Rap somehow managed to get both their audiences to come together and create a space where each of them can coexist despite being in totally different subsets. In favor of this, as of late
there have been an increasingly apparent number of niche artists such as Ghostemane, Scarlxrd, City Morgue, Denzel Curry, Cameron Azi, Bones, Kim Dracula, and Nascar Aloe who've been making a name for themselves and emerged in this new scene in just a duration of more than a decade. Even with each of them having their own sense of style, this peculiar category of the art and its artists has done an epic job blurring the lines between what is currently ongoing in Hardcore-Rap. As surprising as this occurrence is for both you and I, realistically it should've been expected to happen much sooner than we could have realized; subtly yet surely.
The moment I realized this pattern of Hardcore-Rap was really not a moment
at all but something I've happily been experiencing in my personal life. A lot of you may not know but I come from a little area known as the DMV or "DC, Maryland, and Virginia". Now the DMV, in my controversial opinion, is the heart and soul for so many artists and creatives alone that hold influence both culturally and musically (with credits from Philly who have their own AMAZING scene). Due to our notable music scene, artists from all across the board never skip a beat in coming here for a show which for me is ACTUAL music to my ears. In May and June of this year I had the pleasure of going to many of these shows, both big and small with no disappointment in between. Something to keep in mind when you open yourself to a wide range of genres is remembering you're also opening yourself to a wide range of experiences including crowd work, concert etiquette and culture and this is in regards to all genres. So imagine my reaction going into shows consisting of rappers like Ramirez, Pouya, BONES, Eddy Baker, Xavier Wulf, City Morgue and seeing bands likeVein.FM on the lineup, singing along to Papa Roach, Drowning Pool, Limp Bizkit, System of a Down, and Metallica blasted from the speakers, and looking around at my peers to see them dressed as if they were taking a trip to their local goth club. If you were to tell me in 2016 that both of these genres I adored heavily would collide in just a few years, I would've NEVER believed you! Now I know, I know, some of you may find what I'm saying "corny" or "not that big a deal", maybe you find it down right disrespectful to the legacies for these two genres to cross and I genuinely respect your opinion about that! All I ask of you is to take into account everything that could come from this and why it could be one of the best things to happen in music right now.
Your Favorite Artist's Favorite Artist
This unexpected crossover may have some pushback and criticism from both sides of the fence for many reasons of their own especially when it comes to “gatekeeping” or faux pas actions coming from people who don’t know how to act in the scene. While this may come to be true, we cannot let these sorts of opinions hinder what could come from this new scene! Maybe you don’t realize it now but this movement can potentially shift the perspective of how we see and consume music whether its as regular listeners or through labels. This can allow artists and musicians to not put themselves in a creative box. The more steps taken to make this shift happen the more beneficial it will absolutely be for everyone involved. Again, you may be saying to yourself “this won’t affect me so why should I care?” It’s really much more straightforward than you realize.
Think of some of your favorite musicians of all time. Whether they’re Alternative, R&B, Jazz, Metal, Old School or New School Rap, it doesn’t matter. Now think of the artists who were able to influence them artistically and personally. Chino Moreno of Deftones is without a doubt my top favorite musician in the WORLD and he has given credit to Kool Keith, Cypress HIll, and Public Enemy as some of his biggest vocal influences. Destroy Lonely lists Deftones along with The Cure and Crystal Castles as huge contributions to his sound. Corey Taylor of Slipknot always gives praise to Mike Patton and his band Faith No More for inspiring him to pursue music whereas Mike Patton cites his own virtues, from Sade to Earth Wind & Fire, for inspiring him. Faith No More is often credited for kick starting the early stages of nu metal, a genre that has helped Zillakami encompass his part in City Morgue after stating Slipknot as his number one source of influence and inspiring the direction of the duos sound so much so that Corey Taylor even managed to feature for a split second on his solo song "Chewing Gum!”
“One-hundred percent. That's what it's meant to be. It's more of a modern take on it. It's more trap, more 808s and hi-hats.”
~~ Zillakami on his music being a “revival” of the late 90s Nu Metal sound
[Revolver Magazine, March 2019]
If you haven’t already noticed, the examples I’ve given you show a clear cut pattern of inspiration that knows no boundaries. These artists have given us some of the best music to come from our lifetime and to deny them the recognition [of inspiring each other as well as ourselves] just because they come from different genres does much more harm than good. The subgenre of Nu Metal was quite literally created from the influence of both Metal and Rap, showing this isn't a new thing! To restrict ourselves from exploring an entire world of music leads to a permanent commitment to prevent ourselves from also expanding our experiences to the entirety of art.
HATEKEEPER, HATEKEEPING
"Who are you to point the blame? Wanna change the rules but never played the game
I said who are you to sow the seed of doubt Just a last ditch effort, better make it count before your time runs out"
In my lifetime I am truly lucky enough to be able to witness and take part in a world where more people, specifically Black people and other marginalized communities, have been given the space to break out of their expected societal roles and find solace in the art that gives them comfort and expression. It’s no wonder why OG fans go as hard as they do to protect their space from newcomers in the scene. Since the beginning of the pandemic there’s been a wave of fans who don't particularly understand the significance of why things are the way they are in the scene and messing it up for everyone else involved. Take for example the culture; rules of moshing, holding of spaces for certain demographics, praising straight edge values, and so on. These boundaries are typically always set in place no matter the circumstance. Unfortunately, as of recently there have been several instances challenging said boundaries, what with newer fans counteracting them by participating in drama-inducing activities like “crowd killing,” being cliquey with one another, and promoting unruly and violent behavior that isn't aligned with the audience (especially if increased by substances). The incoming double-genre crossover may arguably start to contribute to this more when fans from an entirely different subculture have no idea what they’re getting themselves into and their only form of education on the scene comes from social media. A decent amount of people are willingly going in blind and in return generating complaints about the state of the scene from both sides. Due to this newly noticeable shift within the community, there’s been talks about bringing back a reinforcement of gatekeeping for the exact reasons stated. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, gatekeeping involves a cultural action that limits who is able to gain access to a certain lifestyle and its customs. Keeping this in mind, a part of me really agrees with the call for action if absolutely necessary. To neglect the sanctity of a community, especially one striving to be as inclusive as possible while still upholding its traditions, who are others to come around and change it? On the other hand, I also believe that a lot of these new fans are simply misguided and could use direction when trying to navigate the scene instead of being bashed for their ignorance. In a recent interview I’ve had the absolute privilege of conducting with Move BHC frontman Corey Charpentier (gasp INTERVIEW?! Shhh!!!) where he expresses the same belief, stating as older fans of the scene, specifically in Hardcore, we have the opportunity to teach these kids right from wrong and educate them instead of allowing them to get all their knowledge from something like TikTok which doesn’t nearly scratch the surface of representation for what to expect.
"Look, I never asked for your opinions or permission
You look down upon the world like it was built for your derision
Sent here to compromise, appropriate, spread your lies
Claimed to be an ally, you're the enemy that I despise"
-- Hatekeeper by End It (2022)
Within the next 5 years I believe there will be a renaissance of cross-cultural (moreso subcultural) music that will trend for us to see that is similar to Hardcore-Rap and it may just be starting with and because of what we are seeing now. I stress the importance of this transition repeatedly, again because of how major it can be to show the general public a great example of the possibilities that can disrupt our art, music, and creativity overall in the best ways possible. The artists that I mentioned prior were not afraid to think outside the box and put forth their best efforts in creating some of the best material in their respected crafts. With such a mindset, who knows what we're bound to see in the next 10, 15, 20 years? That's the beauty of such a phenomenon as Hardcore-Rap and in my honest opinion, I pray that we continue to see more of this and it gives its deserved and respected credit.
How do you feel about this new culture crossover? Do you disagree with it? Do you find it unbelievably outrageous yet super cool? Let me know on the blog's forum and in my comments!
Thanks for reading and keep a look out for some verrrry nice content you'll be able to see sooner than you think!
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