Rap Blog: E-40 continues to age like fine wine
11.12.2023 - 14:21
/ thefader.com
Andre 3000’s recent pivot to wordless New Age jams has sparked discussion amongst rap fans and rappers alike about aging in hip-hop, and the value of older perspectives in an industry that’s all too often perceived as a young person’s game. In a GQ profile ahead of his instrumental record New Blue Sun, Andre explained that rapping has increasingly felt “inauthentic” as he approaches 50 — a statement that a range of middle-aged rappers, from Open Mike Eagle to Lil Wayne, expressed disappointment about.
Andre’s feelings are completely valid in regards to his own career; if you have no motivation to write, there’s no point in saying something just for the sake of saying something. But when applied as a standard to rapping at large, it reinforces the limiting perception that rapping is a fundamentally childish thing, a phase to grow out of, rather than a valid form of lyrical expression.
If there’s anyone who in hip-hop today who knows about aging like a fine wine, it’s budding lifestyle impresario E-40, who has taken some time off from his numerous business ventures to drop Rule of Thumb: Rule 1, his first full-length project since 2019’s Practice Makes Paper and his 27th solo album overall (alongside countless EPs and collaborative releases). Rule of Thumb is filled with smooth jams befitting of E-40’s age, like the Cheryl Lynn-sampling “Show Me How To Do It,” but he remains a nimble trickster who delights in throwing his listeners for a loop.
Read Next: E-40 enjoys his courtside seats in new “Front Row 40” video “Off Dat Mob” is a perfect example of how Earl Stevens has maintained his energy with the passing of the years. His flow is unhinged and out-of-pocket, not in spite of his age but because of it, as he’s maintained
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