Lil Uzi Vert once said if you're over thirty years old you're lame. Perhaps he simply forgot that he too will eventually join the ranks of the thirty-somethings. Either way, he wouldn't be the first rapper to muse about the process of aging gracefully. Eminem previously claimed on "Soldier" that he'd rap until "the fire inside died and expired at thirty." He's now forty-five and still releasing music. In fact, plenty of hip-hop veterans are putting out solid material, including Royce Da 5'9" and DJ Premier. Today, the PRhyme duo linked up with Billboard to discuss their upcoming project, as well as the concept of ageism in hip-hop.
Royce explains that it's not age that's important, but rather the "cool factor." "I think the main objective for every kid in America and the rest of the world is to fit in. If you’re an OG and you realize that, you'll have less of an issue," explains Royce. "They never talk about Pharrell's age because he's so cool. 2 Chainz is cool. Give them a reason to think you're not cool, then they’re gonna crack on your age."
He continues, throwing a few constructive subs at some of the twenty-year old druggie rappers out there. "I don't know what's up with these new kids. Age is a big deal to them. And my advice to them would be, "Please take care of yourself. Because you can't call me old when I look better than you... If you look like shit and you're 20 years old, don't run around bragging about being 20 years old. You gotta take care of yourself."
For more from Royce and Primo, check out the full feature right here.
