The issue of commercialization in hip-hop has long been a major source of controversy in the genre. What started as a movement for teenagers who wanted to have fun and party through its four components (b-boying, graffiti, DJing and emceeing) ended up becoming a profitable field, namely the rap industry, with many business opportunities. As time has passed, most people involved in the industry have sought to exploit these opportunities and, in turn, have neglected to uphold the integrity of the music. To understand how much rap music has changed, you must first understand what it was about. when it started. Gradually gaining popularity throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, rap finally became mainstream with Sugar Hill's Rappers Delight in 1979. However, it was the music video for Run-DMC's song Rock Box that marked the beginning of a new era for rap: The Golden Age. The focal point of every golden age song was the lyrics. Whether it was Rakim, Kool G Rap or KRS One, these rappers constantly referenced a wide range of personal issues and those of the black community, from poverty to racism. These emcees and many others of their time used their songs as a means to convey the problems at hand and sometimes even propose solutions. Rap was a means of self-expression, as well as a means of inspiring or educating listeners. However, during the early and mid-1990s, rap music underwent a change. Despite the fact that commercialization began when rap first entered the mainstream, this was the first time its effects could actually be seen. A new group, known as NWA (N*ggaz Wit Attitudes), entered the scene and created a new substyle of the genre, gangsta rap, with their debut Straight Outta Compton in 1988. The album, ev..... .middle of paper......creating beautiful rap songs with meaningful lyrics will no longer fulfill their potential. It's clear that the commercialization of hip-hop has changed the subject and purpose of the culture immensely, especially in rap music. As the culture and musical genre developed, the potential to exploit them economically became so obvious that the art forms were destined for this imminent commercialization. Unfortunately this has led to almost complete control of the industry by money-hungry executives who don't care about promoting artists capable of preaching knowledge. As a lifelong fan of rap, I've seen this gradual transformation as I've grown up and I can't say I'm a fan of the current state of rap. I have always appreciated the original intent of music and hope that one day the business side will somehow allow the artistic side to once again show its true wonders.