Jermaine Dupri sparks debate about Hip Hop falling off

Amidst all the excitement surrounding rap battles, some are left pondering if the best Hip Hop offerings are all memories. Megaproducer Jermaine Dupri inspired Twitter users to contemplate the state of the genre this weekend.

“Someone just asked me if I thought Hip Hop has topped out where nothing is that amazing anymore. My love for it won’t allow me to say yes, but I wanna hear your thoughts,” he tweeted on Saturday (April 20). The responses were plentiful and varied. One user commented, “Every 5 years, there is a shift. 2025 is going to be different… We are slowly seeing [veterans] come back into the hustle with great songs [and] albums. So, this year a lot has to fizzle out, that’s all. The spirit is still here.”

Another person suggested that “the bar has been lowered due to the commoditization of the art. It’s no longer required to be a great lyricist/rapper to be successful. Almost anyone can be moderately successful.” While a third individual weighed in saying, “The ‘90s were dope, you already know 'cause you were there! That doesn’t mean the magic is gone. The OGs still have that magic, and there’s more than enough talent out there that can drop some bangers or even have those 'Oh S**t' moments at award shows and so on.”

A fourth optimistic fan reminded those responding to Dupri’s question that “Nas just dropped [six] phenomenal projects with [one] producer, Drake and J. Cole had the song of the year, then went on tour together. Yes, Hip Hop is still amazing!”

Last year, Nas and Hit-Boy concluded their Magic trilogy of records with Magic 3, which also marked their sixth collaborative body of work released since 2020.

Drake and J. Cole’s “First Person Shooter” debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart when it dropped last October. The two artists teamed up for a handful of co-headlining performances that kicked off in January as part of the “It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What?” The collaborators have also been in the headlines as of late for their responses to Kendrick Lamar’s diss of rap’s “big three” on Future and Metro Boomin's “Like That.”

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