There's something of a disconnect between the mumble rappers of today and the rappers who enunciate properly that came before them.
You can see it when Lil Yachty dismisses Tupac and Biggie, or when Eminem (through Rick Rubin) makes it clear he's not rocking with all the slurred-speech kids and their amazing technicolor hair.
Millennial Kendrick Lamar is trying to bridge a gap between the generations. He spoke respectfully on mumble rap in his interview for this month's Forbes 30 Under 30 cover article.
“I can’t shun a lot of the artists that may not be a Kendrick Lamar,” he said of so-called “mumble rappers” who are helping “evolve” the genre in his eyes. But he also noted that “I tell them every time I see them … be yourself and do what you do but also know who laid down the groundwork. Don’t go on your interviews and dis them and say you don’t like them and you don’t care for them. That’s your opinion, that’s cool but you have to respect them,” Kendrick said.
In the article, we also learn that Kendrick has earned $78.5 million over the past five years, including a career-best $30 million this year.
So he's a good man to listen to.