Xzibit isn't shying away from expressing his frustration with the current state of hip-hop.
During a recent appearance on the Adam Carolla Show, the '90s legend shed light on why there's "no emotional investment" in the genre today, before saying that hip-hop "doesn't have the staying power that it used to have."
“There’s no emotional investment in the music, like when we were putting music out,” Xzibit shared at the 1-hour-and-18-minute mark of the interview. “You had the CD cover, the album cover, cassette. You get to open it, you get to see who produced it, you get to read the lyrics. You’re not guessing. A lot of the things that made us have 10, 15, 20, 30-year-long careers doesn’t exist anymore."
Xzibit continued, “I don’t know if they’re doing it on purpose or not, but hip-hop doesn’t have the staying power that it used to have."
Despite his skepticism, Xzibit maintained that he has faith that a new artist will soon emerge and fill the void.
“Right now, I think the music itself isn’t a good representation of what we’re supposed to be,” he shared. “Not taking anything away from these kids, because they’re feeding their families. They’re not in the street. They’re not doing… some of them aren’t doing anything illegal. But I think there’s a real path right now for somebody to come out with some real content and have that staying power, and show that it’s possible.”
Granted, Xzibit isn't the first rapper as of late to share his frustration with the current state of hip-hop.
Earlier this month, Lil Yachty spoke at Rolling Stone’s Musicians on Musicians event in Brooklyn, New York, and said that the genre is in a "terrible place."
“The state of hip-hop right now is a lot of imitation," Yachty shared. "It’s a lot of quick, low-quality music being put out."
Yachty added, “It’s a lot less risk-taking, it’s a lot less originality… People are too safe now. Everyone is so safe. I rather take the risk than take the L.”
