from Make Rappers Rap Again: Interrogating the Mumble Rap “Crisis”
Theorizing African American Music Series | Oxford University Press | August 2025
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“It’s a tribute to how deeply felt hip-hop is that people don’t just sit back and listen to the music—they have to break it down, pick the lyrics apart, and debate the shit with other fans who are doing the same thing. . . . It forces people to lean forward—lean right out of their chairs—and take a position.”
—Jay-Z, Decoded (2010)
Many critics claim mumble rappers aren’t lyrical and that they all sound the same. In the second chapter of Make Rappers Rap Again: Interrogating the Mumble Rap “Crisis,“ I argue those claims are inattentive to the ways Mumble Rap is congruent with several Hip Hop cornerstones, namely illegibility, melody, the DJ, production, and the subgenre. First, I argue it’s hypocritical to suggest Mumble Rap is simplistic then chastise mumble rappers for being too difficult to understand, especially if engagement with the subgenre is superficial. I then claim illegibility is one way rappers honor the situated, carefully curated, and sustained engagement Hip Hop still necessitates. Second, I argue similarity, evidenced especially by the subgenre, is an aspect of Hip Hop that should be understood as a commitment to collectivity rather than an indication of mumble rappers’ simplicity or laziness. Finally, I take a more comprehensive approach to examining the Mumble Rap sound, paying special attention to mumble rappers’ thoughtful lyricism, as well as Mumble Rap DJs and producers and their multilayered, impactful production.
The Songs
The Videos
The Images
Dr. Heidi R. Lewis 