Nostalgia In Rap Music

Nostalgia can have a powerful effect on a person’s perspective. Constantly in society, people talk about how great everything was in the past. People were friendlier; food tasted better and more natural; and most of all, art was more sophisticated and meaningful. While most of these statements are influenced by nostalgia, that does not completely discredit them. Many listeners of rap music would agree, saying that the 90s was the pinnacle of rap with the rise of stars such as Tupac, Biggie, and OutKast. These rappers were game changers, artists who produced catchy music with a deeper meaning. They pulled on their experiences of growing up in poorer communities to create soulful tracks meant to convey a message for their listeners.
OutKast is pointing out the obvious, a life with a propensity towards crime with an income reliant on illegal activities leads to a higher probability of experiencing a violent encounter. Most people that take part in crime feel invincible and as if they will never get in trouble, evidenced by the line, “Thinking it can’t happen to you.” This creates a dangerous mindset leading many young black people in Atlanta to make unsafe decisions. OutKast continues the line saying that a lifestyle based off “crooked schemes” is unsustainable. Any person that thinks they can live a long, happy life centered on crime must be “dream(ing)” according to OutKast. OutKast reinforces the dangers involved with a crime filled life by stating that all a fast life can lead to is “floating face down.” This creates imagery of a person dead in a river, a common way that bodies are disposed of. The main point communicated by this line is that the high crime rates in Atlanta create more violence and hence a higher chance to unnecessarily die. OutKast expands on the issue of violence in the communities they grew up in with the song “E.T.”: “Hit or miss, niggas are playing G-d. Trying to rob and steal.” This line is a lot more blunt in OutKast’s criticism of crime and violence. By saying the people are “playing G-d”, OutKast is alluding to the fact that in some instances, people who “rob and steal” end up killing other people. When killing someone, the person is taking on the role of G-d by choosing who lives and dies. No one should have that much power, which shows the corrupting influence that crime can have on people. Overall, OutKast sees lots of people pushed into a violence because of the communities they live in. Violence was, and in many ways still is, a symptom of the racism and rampant drug