Rap music has changed drastically throughout the years, and not for the better. Don’t get me wrong, I love rap music. I love listening to the beat, the free verse, and the rhythm that makes you want to blast the stereo.

But lately, it seems like rappers have been spitting out irrelevant and unimportant verses. I mean, what happened to the rappers like Tupac Shakur who rapped about rights, equality, freedom and being yourself?

His music is so inspiring, like these lyrics from “Me Against the World”: “Be grateful for blessings. Don’t ever change, keep your essence. The power is in the people and politics we address. Always do your best, don’t let the pressure make you panic.”

Nowadays, it’s all about drugs, sex, violence and “blowing” money, because why not? It seems like the hype is all that matters, and these rappers are getting paid to spit verses that are literally stupid.

I’m sure there are rappers who actually rap about things that matter, like Ben Haggerty, who is known as Macklemore. Other than rapping songs about the hype like “Thrift Shop,” he produced a song that put emphasis on gay rights, called “Same Love.” By Macklemore sharing his beliefs and experiences involving gay rights, he brought awareness to many people by popularizing the gay rights movement.

Honestly, even though that song became overhyped, I would rather listen to that than Lil Wayne’s song describing homicide. I honestly don’t know how anyone can relate to a song about murdering someone. Do serial killers need a theme song to kill someone? Really?

I’m not saying rap music should be all about fighting for a difference. Even though that may be nice, I’m saying that once in awhile it would be great for rap to have a positive influence on someone.

For example, Kanye West is a popular rapper who of course raps about the hype, but also raps inspiring messages. Kanye West’s “Hey Mama” allows listeners to relate to Kanye’s life. The lyrics tell a story of Kanye’s experiences and never-ending love for his mother. Aside from his “hyped-up” music, this song is beautiful and quite emotional.

Music is a part of most teenage lives. While most teens, including myself, enjoy listening to some Kendrick Lamar music at a party or a dance, the music industry needs to produce more inspiring rap music. Producers may just as well hire a homeless man and teach him to cuss in four different ways, if that is what music is about.