Are We in a "Woke Era" of Hip-Hop?

What’s poppin y’all,

I just saw a clip recently where DJ Akademiks was talking about us being in the "woke era" of hip-hop, and while there’s some truth to that, I think it’s a bit overblown.

If we look at the top-charting rappers, none of them are what you’d call "woke." Even Kendrick Lamar, who some might place in that category, really isn’t that at all. His bars, especially the ones about Hebrew Israelites, don’t fit the woke narrative. But if this era even exists, Kendrick is probably the one who kicked it off by calling it out on Drake.

Now, someone like Doechii? Sure, she might fall into this camp, but let’s be real—Doechii is not a mainstream artist. Regardless of how people are pushing her, she’s just not that big yet.

When Akademiks referenced all these people accusing Diddy and tied that to the "woke era," I don’t think that’s the case either. That’s more about conspiracy theories finally breaking into reality.

For years, people speculated that Diddy was gay, but they never had real proof—just gossip. And now, we’re finding out that the truth is way crazier than anyone imagined. Diddy—someone who was once seen as invincible—is literally sitting in a jail cell. That’s not some woke era phenomenon, that’s justice catching up.

Of course, when something like that happens, everyone starts looking for lawsuits, and that’s why we’re seeing random names like Druski thrown into the mix. But that’s not a "woke era" shift in hip-hop—it’s just the chaos of fame.

Right now, hip-hop is in an interesting place. There’s so much diversity in the game that no single movement or group is dominating.

We got close to that with Yeet, but since then, we haven’t seen a new movement fully take over.

For a little while, it looked like it might be Yachty’s crew, but that didn’t fully take off either. The only reason we keep hearing about Doechii so much is because her team is pushing her hard.

I don’t think we’re in a woke era of hip-hop. If anything, it’s just Twitter trying to create a narrative. But the moment you log off Twitter, everything is fine.

Drake is still the butt of the joke, but that’s just Drake being Drake, not some major movement where people actually think he’s a predator.

So in short—Akademiks is overblowing it a bit. However, I’ll admit: I don’t really know what else to call this era either.

What do you think? Does hip-hop even have an identity right now?

• HY

Enjoying HY's Newsletter? 😊 Share it with a friend or reply to this email with your thoughts—we love hearing from you!