The word "classic" when related to music in general is such a loose term. But when coupled with Hip Hop, the word classic is so overused and misunderstood and personal that it has almost no true meaning.

• Define what classic Hip Hop means to you.
• Does everyone define it the same way? (No.)
• Does a classic Hip Hop song have to be a certain number of years old before it can be classified classic? If so, obviously the term "instant classic" is asinine. (It is.) How many years old?
• Does it have to be universally popular to get the tag? How universal? If it's blowin up only in the Boroughs and no one outside NY knows it exists it's not classic to anyone but New Yorkers. Underground can't be classic no matter how dope it is, right? Does it have to be world-widely popular or just huge on American airwaves?
• Is there such a thing as a "certified classic" or am I certifiable for using it myself?
• Use examples of classic Hip Hop. (Songs, Albums, Artists)

Can classic Hip Hop even be defined or will it always be so vague and ambiguous that it becomes nothing beyond an overused buzz word?

Don't just drop names and walk away. Explain why your example is qualified as classic.

Let's Debate.

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1 . To me, a classic is something that way on down the line still sounds fresh . When you hear it , it invokes the same feeling it did when you first heard it .
2. No way everybody defines classic the same !!! A lot of people use the amount of AirPlay a song gets to define weather it's classic or not , and stuff like that means nothing to me personally.
3. I don't have a problem with " instant classics " . I have heard plenty of albums over the years that I knew were classics on the first listens ( Paid In Full , Aquimini , The Unseen , Ridin Dirty , Illmatic , Illadelph Halflife ..... Just to name a few ). But , on the other hand , 5 - 10 years down the road will tell for sure . I still think that you know it when you hear it , unless your a fan because its cool to be a fan.
4. I don't think it has to be universal to be a classic , but it's nice to see a classic joint make it around the world !!
5. Is there a certified classic ? Maybe or maybe not . I feel like when it comes to classics , it's all a matter of opinion . One persons classic is another persons Who Let The Dogs Out ( my apologies to anybody that's feelin that song ) . I got my classic joints , and you got yours . Some of them we may agree on , and some we may never. I say just keep on appreciating them , and they will always be your classics .
... I am writing all this while working , so I hope it makes sense ( lost my train of thought a few times , but I think I got it back on track ) . I hope to hear some more opinions on this.

^^^^ I agree with what Jay Brown said. For me to say anymore would be redundant.


I'm curious to hear a lurkers point of view. CALLING OUT ALL LURKERS!





***please get involved***






peace.

Alright, I'll de-lurk myself but I don't have much to add, I too think Jay got it pretty on point.

As was kind of mentioned, I HATE hearing "this shit is classic!" a week after it dropped. IMO, in order to be classic it needs to settle in first, there's no way around that..."classic" is a term that NEEDS hindsight to be properly applied. If something is said to be classic it should represent the best that the genre/music/system has to offer, if that's not the case then wtf are you talking about? Classic is the quintessential. The problem here is that if something is marked as the best or most completely representative of what a genre has to offer whoever is discussing the classic status have to agree on a bunch of premises. (We can't have a conversation and be on the same page if you think that a certain element of hip-hop for example betrays what the genre represents, ex. if you think ALL Southern hip-hop somehow betrays hip-hop's artform then we're at an impasse.)

Having said that there are obviously some nearly indisputable classics out there (to the point of being cliches)...is anyone gonna argue that Illmatic is a classic hip-hop album? If someone argues that Illmatic isn't a classic then it immediately ends the conversation because we don't agree on some pretty easily "establishable" standards (the things you don't like about Illmatic are the same things that have established a "standard" for classic in my book). I only use Illmatic as an example because its sooo often talked about.

To me the conversation is apart from commercial success, the amount of money an album nets is separate from evaluations of the music itself, if anybody argues that a good-selling album can achieve classic status as a function of sales then he/she is applying a troublesome logic that carries all the way down the line (shit, Black Eyed Peas have sold some records).

Personally I think the term, particularly in hip-hop, is an almost meaningless place-holder.

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vamosarapiar

Personally I think the term, particularly in hip-hop, is an almost meaningless place-holder.

nah - I disagree with the "meaningless place-holder" comment. I think the term separates the good from the wack...particulary if a vast majority, (within the element of judging the music) can agree on it - versus - a couple of people (a minority) who thinks otherwise. But - just like a burned-out, overplayed song on the radio..the term can also be overplayed. It's got to used sparingly, IMO.





peace.