Over the years the definition of real hip hop has become harder and harder to explain and identify. In the beginning, hip-hop artists were ranked based on their creativity, intelligence, as well as their ability to paint lyrical pictures with clever ryhme schemes. This was the scale that measured the difference between a great rapper and a not-so great rapper. When major corporations got involved with the business side of the hip hop art form, they applied business principles to the rap game that made the industry all about who was the best at marketing themselves instead of who was the best at lyrics or creative writing.

This formed a divide between the old school hip-hop heads who became accustomed to a certain elevation in the music and the newer generation who were only exposed to a generation of artists who knew how to market themselves and make money but with little desire to elevate the art form. I don't blame them though, realizing that most of the younger artists don't remember the days before rap existed, so they have an entirely different outlook on rap.

So when folks ask about real hip hop they are usually speaking of a feeling that they got when listening to artists who created music that opened up the minds of listeners and always raised the bar of the art. Now that I personally use real hip hop to motivate youth in schools, I can see that they are very responsive to the music which gives me hope that the future generations will continue to elevate the music.
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