To honor the genre’s 50th anniversary, WIRED contributor C. Brandon Ogbunu and Grammy-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco paint two scenes of how the duality of AI will shape the art form in five decades.
From vinyl to photos, blogs to music streams, chronicling 50 years of culture involves reckoning with what can and cannot be saved—and the tools that can do it.
They started out as dubbed cassettes of live performances. Decades later, they’re still integral to the careers of emerging artists.
Rap was born in New York City; its current hub is Atlanta. The next big scene? Milwaukee, where a new generation is taking creative control.