Rap has been a music genre dating all the way back to 1970s, and seems to be getting more popular with each year at San Luis Obispo High School. Rap culture used to exist only in the United States, but in it has begun spreading further all around the world. Many artists around the globe have taken influence from those from the state and making their own version of rap, integrating their culture, and introducing something new to the field. But how will rap continue as a culture and a music genre?
Expression interviewed senior Emma Andersen, who recently attended a rap music festival, for insight of the changing culture of rap.

Expression: What do you think about the changing platform of rap in recent years ?

Senior Emma Andersen: Well, I already listen to French rap and it’s not as intense as that of American rap, like you know how American rap lot of times talk about illegal activity or illegal substance. But French rap is a lot more about having a good time and sing-a-long kind of rap, so I’m seeing more and more American rapper are starting to incorporate more of that aspect to their song.

Expression: Why do you think these foreign rapper are getting so popular like Rich Chigga or the Higher Brothers or the French rapper you are talking about?

Andersen: I think what make them so special is that they are very different from what we had, I recently saw Rich Chigga at Day-N-Night (The music festival) and he talk about how he wanted to come to United State for the longest time ever to spread his music. Now he’s eighteen and could come to United State and do what he love and people like how different he sounds, and I think it’s really inspirational knowing what he did to be able to get to where he is now.

Expression: What do you think will happen to rap as a genre, do you think there will be new trend happening or will rappers from outside United State will influence this field of music even more in the future?

Andersen: Ya I think the one thing that will happen is that rappers will use their skills and popularity to spread political messages to their listeners. Just like how the group Wu-Tang-Klan use their style of spread their political messages and I think that would happen more often.

Expression: So do you think rap is becoming more mainstream unlike how the genre used to be viewed back then as a taboo ?

Andersen: Yeah I definitely think rap is becoming more and more mainstream to many people and I think that’s great and that rap as a genre is growing rapidly which I think is great.