Q-Tip questions whether hip-hop needs a new subgenre

nme.com:

Q-Tip has commented on whether hip-hop needs another subgenre after fellow legend 9th Wonder says there needs to be.Recently, 9th Wonder said on X/Twitter that he had been telling “folks for at least 20 years now” that hip-hop needs a new subgenre.

The esteemed DJ-producer cited the albums Common and Pete Rock respectively released this year, and said they should file into a category called “Adult Contemporary Hip-Hop”.“Tell that to the moment in music history when they created the term ‘Neo-Soul’,” the North Carolina star said, comparing his suggestion to the creation of the R&B subgenre. “It not only separated it from other R&B styles, but it damn came with a starter kit.”This Common and Pete Rock album begs the conversation I’ve been having with folks for at least 20 years now.Adult Contemporary Hip-Hop needs its own category.Word to DO IT ALL from Lords of The Underground….we’ve been said this homie!!!— 9th Wonder (@9thwonder) July 12, 2024Tell that to the moment in music history when they created the term “Neo-Soul”.It not only separated it from other R&B styles, but it damn came with a starter kit.

https://t.co/70b1q2LnXi— 9th Wonder (@9thwonder) July 13, 2024Q-Tip opined that there isn’t necessarily a need for more subgenres in hip-hop: “Adding [the] ‘ADULT CONTEMPORARY’ category [to] hip-hop programming is divisive.

It would be nice to have everything in one pot BUT… if there is a need to do so, call it TRADITIONAL hip hop as ‘ADULT’ will make [an] AGEIST prejudge.”The A Tribe Called Quest rapper also agreed when a fan pointed out that the suggestion could widen the divide between generations of hip-hop fans.Another X/Twitter user said: “To me, it’s just hip-hop.