Uncle
Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme
Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for
Miami New Times.
This week, Luke says hip-hop artists are never too old to stop
rapping.
Rick Ross recently celebrated his 36th
birthday. Some folks might think the Boss is getting too old to make
rap music. But Ross is just starting to hit his peak as a hip-hop
entertainer. When pop music fans think of artists with longevity,
they usually come up with rock bands like U2 and the Rolling Stones.
However, why should hip-hop artists who are getting up in age ebb any
differently? Rappers have shown they can stand the test of time even
when people have written off hip-hop as dead.
Just look at the top performers in the game. Jay-Z and Eminem are 43 and 40. Neither dude is showing signs of slowing down anytime soon. Jay-Z just did a wildly popular album with Kanye West, Watch the Throne. And Eminem received two Grammy nominations this year after getting ten nods, more than anyone else, in 2011.
The Beastie Boys are no spring chickens, but they're still going strong. The same can be said of rappers Snoop Dogg and Nas, both of whom first experienced success when they were in their 20s and 30s during the '90s, the golden era of hip-hop. Collectively, the original members of the Wu-Tang Clan are older than the real Shaolin monks who inspired them. Yet those cats are still touring and packing stadiums. Even Dougie Fresh at 46 is still killing it on stage.
Hip-Hop is not some kiddie fad music anymore. The fans who got hooked on rap in the '80s are now inching closer to their 40s too. Does that mean the doctors and lawyers who as teens used to listen to Uncle Luke are chilled-out now? Hell, nah. You'll see them at one of my concerts alongside their teenage children getting down to booty music just like those families that used to follow the Grateful Dead around the country.
As long as Jay-Z, Eminem, the Beastie Boys, and the Wu-Tang Clan can continue performing at a high level, there is no reason they should hang up the microphone. You don't see the NFL telling Madonna or Prince that they are too old to perform in the Super Bowl halftime show. A great entertainer, regardless of age, will always draw fans.
People think you have to be a young buck like Drake to have a great career in hip-hop. But us old artists perform at a higher level. In fact, the young artists mentored by the O.G.s like Pitbull and Kanye West were brought up by myself and Jay-Z, respectively, understand the value of performing. Unlike Drake, who's following around younger rappers who can't perform a lick. They just want to rap about wearing gold chains, how much money they have, and riding around in Bentleys.
Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes. Follow Luke on Twitter at @unclelukereal1.
