Ever since I wrote a column on so-called “hipster rap” I’ve betting the occasional e-mail from journalism students looking for quotes or background for their own pieces on the phenomenon. I got one the other day that actually started me thinking. Given that Jay-Z’s rapping over samples of Justice and M.I.A. and Wale’s putting out a record with a Lady Gaga cameo rubbing up against collabos with Dave Sitek from TV on the Radio, what qualifies as hipster rap anymore? Because simply digging some of the same music as skinny-pantsed white kids obviously doesn’t quite separate a rapper from the rest of the pack these days.
