It’s not much mentioned any more, but, like the ancient Greeks’ concept of the universe, hip-hop culture comprises four elements. Instead of fire, air, water and earth, hip-hop has rapping, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti. Over the years, rap has blotted out the other three, while a potent combination of laziness and cupidity means most rappers are content to coast on personality and perceived authenticity, rather than attempt to elevate the art form to undreamed-of heights.
Innovation is now largely the preserve of hip-hop producers, today’s DJs, which is one of the reasons why hip-hop fans have fallen so hard for Kendrick Lamar in the past decade. Not only is the 35-year-old Los Angeleno a technically awe-inspiring rapper but, unlike so many before him, he takes the opportunity that his “Greatest Rapper Alive” status affords to experiment with form, content and stagecraft in ways that the culture has not seen before.
