You would have been hard-pressed to name 10 middle-aged rappers still making good music just a decade ago. Fortunately for us, as rap music has grown and matured, so has its stars.

Jay-Z and Beyonce dropped a surprise album this month, titled “Everything is Love.” It showed that Jay-Z hasn’t missed a beat since his amazing performance on “4:44.” His verses contain the same legendary confidence and flamboyant flexes reminiscent of the Hov so many grew up listening to.

Rap is often seen as a young man’s game because of the average age of its fan base and its demand for fresher sounds. This atmosphere makes it seem like successful older artists are hard to come by — and it pushes many older rappers, including Jay-Z, to formally announce their retirements well before their careers truly end.

Today’s successful older rappers are the ones who managed to balance innovation with staying true to themselves. Without compromising their art, they’ve aged gracefully and haven’t lost touch.

The past two years have been a party for “adult contemporary hip-hop.” Rick Ross released his ninth studio album, “Rather You Than Me,” in March 2017. The 42-year-old rapper delivered luxury rap at its finest, as he smoothly flowed during its jazzy, throwback-sounding production.

Fabolous and Jadakiss – both in their 40s– dropped a project in 2017 titled, “Friday on Elm Street,” inspired by classic horror films. Playing on the relationship between the infamous villains Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees, this album had a back-and-forth structure. Despite its lack of commercial appeal, tracks such as “F vs J Intro,” “Ground Up” and “Talk About It” showed that Fabolous and Jadakiss have skills still on par with the best.

Kanye West’s “Ye” came out in June. The album’s profound honesty and inspired, angelic production made up for the lack in lyricism. This project put Kanye alongside The Beatles and Eminem as the only artists with eight consecutive No. 1 albums, when it hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts a week after it was released.

A week later, Pusha T dropped “Daytona.” With amazing beats, clever lyrics and a sharp delivery, there’s no doubt this is one of Pusha T’s best projects. Paired with his timely win against Drake in a three day “rap beef,” Pusha T has once again proven he’s here to stay.

Before “Nasir,” Nas hadn’t dropped an album for six years, so the new release faced high expectations. With seven sample-heavy songs, the album was carried by its socially-conscious messages and themes of empowerment. Nas stayed true to himself, delivering a meaningful album along the way.

And because of this authenticity, what seemed almost impossible a decade ago — a successful league of older artists in contemporary rap culture — has become a trend most fans welcome in today’s landscape.

While some aspects of rappers’ lives — such as Kanye’s public support for Donald Trump, or Eminem’s preachy vibe in “The Storm” — may make fans uncomfortable, hip-hop is built on the experience and lifestyle of its artists.

The continued success of contemporary adult rap artists will expose fans to viewpoints they may be unaccustomed to. The artist’s life will always be reflected in their music. So by staying true to themselves, their music will remain timeless.

Jalen Nash is a junior political science major. His music column appears biweekly in Pulp. You can email him at janash@syr.edu or follow him on Twitter @ja_nash3.

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Published on July 1, 2018 at 5:44 pm