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Hip-Hop were forced to bow down to Nirvana

Jay-Z has disclosed his deep admiration for Kurt Cobain, stating that ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ caused a temporary halt in the hip-hop scene.

In a conversation with super-producer Pharrell Williams featured in his new coffee table book Pharrell: The Places and Spaces I’ve Been, Jay-Z mentioned the immense cultural impact of Nirvana, indicating that hip-hop needed to “wait awhile” before reclaiming the title of the dominant youth sound.

He explained, “‘Hair bands’ ruled the airwaves, and rock music shifted from substance to style, prioritizing looks over authenticity and the rebellious youth spirit….That’s why ‘Teen Spirit’ resonated so profoundly: it captured the collective sentiment perfectly.”

Moreover, he emphasized that Cobain represented an influence that surpassed hip-hop: “I have always had an inquisitive nature regarding music, and when such powerful forces emerge, they become unavoidable. You can’t take your eyes off them, or stop listening. Kurt Cobain was one of those iconic figures. I realized we had to pause for a moment before asserting our dominance in music.”

He elaborated: “It was strange because hip-hop was rising as a formidable force, yet grunge music interrupted it momentarily. Those ‘hair bands’ were easy for us to surpass; when Kurt Cobain made his mark, it was like saying, ‘We have to hold back for a while.'”

by Wallace McTavish

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