Following the rave reviews of Common and Pete Rock’s new collaboration album, The Auditorium Vol.1, legendary producer 9th Wonder wants to create a new subgenre of Hip-Hop.
In a response to a Q-Tip tweet on July 12, the Jay-Z and Rapsody producer resurfaced the ongoing debate about categorizing different styles of rap music by subgenre. He emphasizes the need for distinct categories within hip-hop.
“This Common and Pete Rock album sparks a conversation I’ve been having for at least 20 years,” he wrote. “Adult Contemporary Hip-Hop needs its own category.” In response, Q-Tip disagreed with creating new categories, particularly objecting to the term “Adult Contemporary,” which he believes could be divisive.
Q-Tip’s original tweet suggested the need of an “Adult Contemporary” sub-genre in Hip Hop. “Adding ‘Adult Contemporary’ to Hip-Hop programming is divisive,” Q-Tip wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “It would be nice to have everything in one pot, but if a new category is necessary, call it ‘Traditional Hip-Hop.’ Using ‘Adult’ may lead to ageist prejudices.”
9th Wonder went into a rant on July 13, which discussed the growth of hip-hop and R&B over the last 50 years. He would reference the popularity of NPR’s Tiny Desk and the newfound love for 90s music. “It’s time to curate our own space and be ok with that,” he tweets. “The reason why ‘your favorite 90s artist’ won’t drop anything is because there is no ecosystem to support, and quite frankly, don’t wanna spend time trying to fight for your attention….”
Read the full rant below.
Common and Pete Rock released their new album on July 12 via Loma Vista. The album features Bilal, Jennifer Hudson, PJ, and Posdnuos. The collaboration’s hit singles are “Wise Up” and “Fortunate.”