Hip-hop shifted from social consciousness to overt celebration of capitalism

Evidence

Critics saw Jay-Z as emblematic of hip-hop’s shift from social consciousness to unfettered capitalism. Even libertarian journalist Conor Friedersdorf castigated Jay-Z as “the most aggressively unapologetic member of the 1 percent in America.” Jay-Z was not just a businessman but a self-professed “business, man”—personhood as a corporation. Hsu noted that he embodied “the luxury goods, the art collection, private compounds, the Oprah-level American Dream.” Music critic Greg Tate lamented that by 2004, hip-hop had ceased to be “an agent of social change” and instead celebrated “the money-shakers and moneymakers.” — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 225

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to reader’s interest in cultural eras lacking identity — this is pre-omnivore-market evidence of a status/consumption values shift within one genre.
• SEED: Angle: ‘the sellout’ narrative as told by hip-hop insiders who actually lived a values reversal — a micro-history of when conspicuous consumption became genre virtue.