The State of Hip-Hop Today

So as I was leaving the gym the other day, I ran into a friend from high school. Now, this guy claims to be a "hip-hop head", and he seems pretty knowledgeable about rap music today. Eventually, the talk turned to music, and I offhandedly referred to Illmatic. What happened next left my flabbergasted. He said to me: "Oh yeah, Illmatic, I've heard of that album, it's pretty good, isn't it?" Now, those of you who are reading this blog and have any knowledge of music whatsoever should know that Illmatic is, bar none, the greatest album in rap history. Someone who purports to love rap music should listen to it at least once a month, if not once a week. What struck is me that this is a guy who passes for a fan of rap music among today's youth, of which I am a sad member. That spoke to the sad state of hip-hop music today. I'm not sure how to fix it, all I know is that when kids can quote Drake, and yet have no knowledge of Illmatic, humanity as a whole needs to worry. So I implore you: find someone who hasn't listened to the classic albums from rap's Golden Age, sit them down, and play some of them, one after another. Be a shepherd to these poor sheep.