On April 24th, Musicares hosted their fourth Humans of Hip-Hop co-creation launch in Chicago with "Generation Next," a conversation dedicated to cultivating and inspiring the next generation of creatives within the community. The Chicago hip-hop scene has long proven to be full of potential, boasting a number of superstars since its 1980s origins.
Two of those renowned artists participated in the Humans of Hip-Hop panel, Common and Lupe Fiasco. They were joined by a few of their fellow renowned Chicagoan hip-hop creatives and mentors, Chris "Classick" Innumerable, Christopher Crater and moderator Add-2 to chat about their respective journeys, what they've learned along the way, and how the hip-hop community can continue to help new voices thrive.
Below, read some of the biggest takeaways from the insightful and necessary discussion.
All photos are courtesy of the Recording Academy and shot by Daniel Boczarski for Getty Images.
"My life can't be dependent on if my record sells or if they respond." — Common
The discourse around sustainability as an artist is becoming more prevalent, especially in today's constantly evolving music industry. As one of the most successful rappers to come out of the Chicago scene, Common discussed the importance of sustaining yourself not only in terms of your streams of income, but in your creativity as well.
He mentioned how hip-hop culture kept him in a box, as he wanted to branch out and include other genre influences in his music. Although there was much pushback around this desire, Common emphasized how he valued his artistry and was not going to let the idea of record sales dictate or stifle his innovative musicality.
"Forget being competitive. Do the basics, master the pre-reqs of your art." — Lupe Fiasco
Known for his multifaceted wordplay and being a force in the conscious rap world, Lupe Fiasco dished out powerful advice for dealing with competition and how to be competitive in the industry.
After teaching at the prestigious MIT in 2021 and 2022, he recounted his experience working with students who felt pressure trying to be the best and compete with their peers. Fiasco related this to the music industry, as many artists and creatives are focused on trying to excel and stand out against the competition.
He mentioned that some people are so focused on trying to be the best that they forget to master all of the prerequisites to their art. Lupe's suggestion to combat all the competitive noise when starting out is to focus on basics and don't skip out on the steps that will contribute to future success.
"We have to slow down, give our artists the patience and the care." — Chris "Classick" Innumerable
A renowned engineer in the Chicago scene, Chris "Classick" Innumerable has had his share of encountering many talented and successful musicians from the city and across the country. Many artists today face the problem of releasing music and projects with the disappointment of little to no traction upon release. When it comes to finding ways to help the next generation navigate the industry, he suggested that artists take their time when it comes to their craft, and for their support system to help care for and guide them into producing quality work.
"There has to be substance. There has to be accountability." — Christopher Crater
While hip-hop is a powerful force in culture, it's no secret that the community faces challenges — and the Chicago scene is no exception. As the Community Engagement Associate at the Obama Foundation, Christopher Crater encounters many young Black men in the city.
As a professional mentor, Crater has access to many resources that aren't highlighted enough by the artists and music figures within their communities. With the influence that artists have, he stressed the importance of youth in the community feeling supported and the value of the community showing up for them.
"We often hear about the artists' struggle, but we don't talk enough about the engineers." — Add-2
As a respected figure in the Chicago hip-hop world, Add-2 is no stranger to giving people their flowers. During a pivotal moment in the panel discussion, he brought attention to not only the struggle of artists, but the struggle of recognition when it comes to the engineers — something all of the panelists agreed upon.
He referred to engineers as the "silent heroes" and posed an intriguing question of what the community can do to best support engineers. The answer was simple: "Come to the studio."
Insightful conversations like these serve as a reminder that community support has long shaped and fueled hip-hop. As these five trailblazers in the Chicago hip-hop scene showed, mentorship, support and hard work are key components to success — and they'll continue to cultivate those within their community and beyond.