Surfing And Rap: Does It Work?

Do hip hop and surfing get along? Uhhhh yeah. Hip hop and surfing are such good pals, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had friendship bracelets. Just ask Lee Wilson. Or those sonically superior folks over at Log Rap. Hip hop and surfing go hand in hand. Especially the older stuff. Both parties have an emphasis on flow and style. Choppy flow will have you kicked to the curb and ignored. From a bystander standpoint, we wanna find out who can perform at the highest level, while still maintaining complete control. Whether it be on a board or on a verse.

What about this new wave of hip hop? You hear that noise? These past couple years we’ve seen more and more edits featuring hits from Travis Scott, Drake, and Lil Baby. Personally, I don’t like it. The music itself isn’t the issue. I have enough Young Thug and Lil Uzi on my phone to make the nearest boomer have an aneurism. Trust me kids, I’m as cool as a cucumber. The new wave of hip hop just doesn’t seem to fit into the surf film mixture. It’s repetitive, offbeat, and difficult to match clips with.

Up and coming youngsters are cranking out mind-boggling Instagram edits on a weekly basis. Nothing more humbling than watching someone years younger than you absolutely manhandle bombs at Pipe. I’m talking about the Eli Hannemans and the Barron Mamiyas of the world. I swear those kids grew up next to a nuclear waste spill and got superpowers. Or at least grotesquely huge balls. 

My only issue is the music. Me bitching about something, I know right, what a surprise. Just seems like songs are picked from the Top 100 chart and slapped in the background. Add a couple effects when the bass hits and we’re good to go. Correct music selection is important because it creates a bridge between our ears and eyes. A sensory canyon that does not have an easy way across. Sadly, After Effects bundles aren’t the solution to bridging that gap.

Older hip hop has a ruggedness and rawness to it that would compliment the savage water relocation of the upcoming generation. I’m not saying any edit with post-2010 rap music should be canned. All I’m suggesting is we add some new flavors. Put some Lawry’s on it. Swap some Juice Wrld for some Method Man. Some Gunna for Gang Starr. If anyone needs inspiration I have a playlist titled “F*** Lil Yachty” that I would be delighted to share.