Ratchet, describing a person or activity that is out of
hand, out of control, ghetto or generally whack in some way, The nature of this
word has slowly became fused into the genre we know as Hip Hop over the years
and currently is the state of which our beloved art form is at right now. As I
previously mentioned in a previous article Hip Hop is more than just a genre
it’s an evolving culture that goes through changes depending on the nature of
the culture, that nature being the society of African Americans. Now Ratchet
Hip Hop has always been in existence but wasn't visible during the 90’s because
of the strong substance that hip hop was governed under so there was no
opportunity for just anybody to jump into the that field, the standards were
too high. But as the millennium approaches opportunities were presented for rap
artist’s that didn't have a strong lyrical background but made appealing music
for the current listener because during this time hip hop entered the
commercial world of music where a guy doing a song about butt cheeks wouldn't be getting much air play in 93 or 94 during the early 2000’s that same guy who
would have a urban hit single on his portfolio.
So with this door opened for rappers of this kind where the
majority probably resides from communities of a high ratchet like behavior
Ratchet Hip Hop Was officially born. Now
from my research some examples of foundational Ratchet Hip Hop would be Songs
like Lil Jon Bia Bia, Khia’s My Neck My Back, Ludacris Move Bitch and Juvenile Back Dat Azz Up these
songs were some of the first ratchet liked records to be heavily noticed and
received top chart status but it wasn't the preferred style to go with seeing
that during this time the majority of rappers were in the Gangster Rap phase so
even though these records gained commercial success it still wasn't as
influential as yet.
So as the years passed the popularity grew with mediums such
as the internet which was another gate way for rap artiste to promote their
music and get global recognition and also with the increase in violence, drug
dealing and poverty in urban black communities, these factors also helped to
birth some of hip hop’s most ratchet rappers.
During the year 2010-2011 California rappers like YG with the popular record Toot
it and Boot it and Tyga’s Rack City created this incredibly buzz
globally for ratchet hip hop and in my defense placed this era at the top of
the Hip Hop Food Chain where in the year 2012 Ratchet Hip Hop Is the more
Preferred and Appealing Style To the Current Hip Hop Listener with guys like 2 Chainz, Chief Keef, Waka Flocka,
Problem, Future etc.
Honestly, there isn't nothing wrong with enjoying Ratchet
Hip Hop it’s purely entertainment, hip hop is just at that point now where it’s
mainly about fun records and not so more about delivering a more in depth
message as done during the 90’s. But in my opinion I believe there should be
balance, good and bad, ying and yang, righteousness and ratchetness , balance
out the different styles of hip hop because music is a very influential being to the mind, you'd be amazed how the
type of music you listen can affect how u think, talk, react and behave in
everyday public setting. For example if your friends always calling you ratchet
and u get offended because u know u not but it’s not the case of u growing up
ratchet like, its prob the fact that these days your behavior may contain a
small dose of ghetto because of your everyday choice of music so think about it
it’s just my opinion because Ratchet Hip
Hop is fun to listen but I wouldn't advise anyone to listen to that style of
hip hop alone on a daily basis so broaden your horizons, open your mind and
find that balance.
