Just think: it was once extremely cool to have a framed Scarface movie poster hanging in the condo you bought with your record label advance. But 150 episodes of MTV Cribs later, even Brian DePalma’s mother has to be embarrassed. It's such a cliché.
With hip-hop over 30 years old, there’s not a lot that even the casual fan hasn’t seen or heard. And whenever something or someone novel breaks through, imitation and overexposure aren't far behind. The good news: Hip-hop was born out of re-inventing pre-existing works of art.
The bad news: Those works of art are now online trailers for upcoming snippets of a song that might or might not end up on a rapper’s pushed-back EP. ItsTheReal’s Eric and Jeff Rosenthal wade through the genre’s tiredest tropes to find The 50 Biggest Hip-Hop Clichés.
Written by Eric Rosenthal and Jeff Rosenthal (@ItsTheReal)
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Rappers putting out a street single and then something for the ladies
Rappers rapping about their "haters"
Rappers saying, "Turn up my headphones"
Rappers saying "At the end of the day"
Rappers loving Scarface
Rappers saying they're going to retire
Rappers making songs called "I'm Back"
Rappers saying they're going to take your girl
Rappers bringing "surprise" guests out on tour
Rappers saying that subliminal disses aren't about anyone in particular
Rappers focusing on acting, cause that's where the real money's at
Rappers saying they're about to drop a classic
Rappers saying they're starting a movement
Examples: DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Dphillgood's "XY" movement
You might be a rapper if... you convince yourself and everyone you come into contact with that you and your team are "reinventing the game," "steady grinding," and most-generic of all, "bringing a movement." Do you. I guess. But you know what else is a movement? What comes out of your bowels.