I’ve had “S*x With Me” by the makeup lady, Rihanna on repeat and have also had my eyes set on that “Fuschia Flex,” Fenty gloss. I can’t help but yet again marvel over the bad gal’s pivot into fragrance, fashion, and beauty, and as of June 2024 she has launched Fenty Hair. Now Ms. Fenty truly wasn’t playing when she said “b*tch better have my money.” I know that’s right. I don’t know who has my money but #needthat. 

I grew up listening to Rihanna on the regular so it is wild to think about how she hasn’t released music in ages. I’m one of those people who has accepted that she’s just not into the music thing for real right now and I respect that. Even though music is an art, some fans forget it’s also their job. Rihanna has been a signed artist since she was 15, so I’m not surprised that she wanted to explore a different career. It’s also many people’s dream to be their own boss so more power to her. The funny thing about time is how people romanticize the past because Rihanna faced a lot of criticism for her vocal ability and style of music but everyone wants more music all of a sudden?! To be honest, I think people don’t even care about new music for real, they just have fun asking her if she’s releasing new music soon. At least that was until her 2023 Superbowl half-time show hit everyone right in their nostalgia bag. One thing about nostalgia is it tends to sway you from actual reality. I know if 36-year-old mother of 2, Robyn Fenty were to drop a song today that was like the music she used to make then she would definitely receive some vitriol for it.  I can hear the Twitter oop excuse me, X users now, “Rihanna got a whole family but still making music like she single. You a mom.” I mean they say it about Nicki Minaj.  You might be able to please yourself but you can’t please everyone. Hello! If anything I give her props for knowing when to walk away on what seems like her terms. I’m nosey though so I wonder if it was behind-the-scenes issues with her label or if her heart just wasn’t in it anymore and she wanted something else.

As I thought about what it would be like if Rihanna was dropping music at her current stage of life, I couldn’t help but also think about recent conversations in rap that have a tone of ageism. The pop, alt, and R&B heads face less criticism when it comes to being older but in rap, once you hit 35 (30 if you’re a woman it seems) then you’re officially washed, corny, and “too old to still be talking about that.” Fair enough but who or what determines that standard age to retire in music, particularly rap?  There are some cases where I’ve said Future and Drake are too grown to still be rapping about “xy and z.” I’ve also rolled my eyes about how Future is reveled by boys and cringed over grown men dubbing him as the “godfather,”…okay!  With music, in many cases, they’re rapping about their reality and the reality around them, telling stories of the lifestyle and social scenes they intermingle with. Whether we like it or not, it’s somebody’s truth and if the music bumps, it bumps. I may talk my sugar, honey, iced tea from time to time but I still bump some of the songs. Shout out to free will and exercising our ability to not listen to music we don’t like though. 

I also thought about artists deciding to explore a sound outside of their catalog and recalling disappointment from people. When word dropped that Andre 3000 was releasing an album, fans were so excited but the excitement faltered when they learned his album “New Blue Sun” was what they wasted no time calling, a “flute album.” Andre 3000 shared in an interview with Zach Baron for GQ, “I’m 48 years old and not to say that age is a thing that dictates what you rap about but in a way it does. What do you rap about… my eyesight is going bad?” He went on to say, that it’s not necessarily the content that he questions but more so how to talk about what’s going on in his life in an entertaining way. Let’s not forget this is also the same man who iconically sang “Y’all don’t want to hear me, you just wanna dance” in the OutKast song “Hey Ya!” I mean we also call artists entertainers for a reason, that is a significant part of their job and we sometimes think about that part of it secondarily amid our expectations and desires. It would be interesting to see more rappers rap about experiences with aging but in a commercial world where they’re selling a product, lifestyle,  aspiration, and entertainment, they’re going to put out what they expect will do well. Plus we know by now that these record labels don’t play when it comes to getting their return on investment and then some! I try not to judge too harshly because as Coco Jones once said “…and you would do it too for a check.” (I’m not saying I personally would or wouldn’t but this isn’t about me right now!)

Once “Grippy” with Cash Cobain & J. Cole dropped, the memes and Tiktoks were coming for Jermaine! Now the song is lowkey amusing to me but as someone who listened to Cole as a tween (my first, real concert was the Forest Hills Drive Tour by the way), I wasn’t too surprised because he has made songs of that nature before like “Planez.” An added layer to the vitriol he faced is because he’s regarded as a “conscious rapper.”

After all, why suddenly the energy from fans and foes is “You almost 40 with a wife and kids at home. What are you doing on this song talking about grippiness??” but other rappers with families do not receive the same criticism (such as Future as previously mentioned, who is actually a bit older than Cole). I support and encourage rappers to explore different sounds, even if the sound isn’t for me. It’s particularly interesting to see how “older” artists are regarded and I can’t help but think about quotes of knowing when and how to bow out gracefully. Who is the timekeeper?

There’s a cycle of rappers coming in and out like a revolving door, so how much time do you have before the fans and labels determine your time is up? We often don’t see as much criticism in the reverse when rappers, particularly young rappers are rapping about explicit and suggestive material because the culture accepts that it’s their reality and doesn’t use their youth as a way to invalidate them. Chief Keef was 17 when he really started to blow up for his songs like “I Don’t Like,” “Love Sosa” and “Hate Being Sober.” I’m not saying that young rappers don’t face a lot of criticism because they receive their fair share, however, ageism tends to not be a huge part of it. Now we know rap has platformed people who are in the streets for real (not for fake), and as a result, it is commonplace for said rappers to face a life that is cut short due to drugs, violence, or interruptions by continuous imprisonment. Biggie died at 24, Tupac at 25, and Pop Smoke at 20, with countless rappers serving time at the heights of their careers like Kodak Black, Tay-K, Meek Mill, Gucci Mane, etc. I would argue that this phenomenon also plays a significant role in ageism in rap. Youth is a fleeting commodity.

With the news of Fatman Scoop’s passing at only 56, I’d like to say may he rest in peace. I’d also like to say, may we remember to give artists grace as they change, age, and grow in life and artistically and, in turn, extend that grace to ourselves as we go through cycles in life and the circle of life.