The First Generation of Hip-Hop Grandparents

ARTICLE Tamal of Carrying The Culture

As a soon-to-be 50-year-old hip-hop head, I have grown tired of the narrative I've been hearing over the past few years from the Gen Z crowd: “Act your age” or “Hip-hop is for young people.” It's not uncommon for someone to be surprised when I share that I have a hip-hop platform and podcast. “Oh wow, you're still into hip-hop?” is an annoying question that I get on a regular basis. It's as if a magic timer goes off when one reaches a certain age and we'resupposed to leave hip-hop and transition to something else.

The term “act your age” originated in the early 1900s and clearly predates hip-hop culture. It was used at a time when societal norms were drastically different. Previous generations, like the Baby Boomers, were taught to leave most aspects of their youth behind as they grew older. The notion of “having fun” was an idea for kids—not adults. Adults doing activities that didn't fit this rigid concept were often labeled immature or irresponsible. This was the message passed down by older, more conservative generations. But due to hip-hop's organic and unintentional beginnings in the 1970s, there was no roadmap for what it would (or should) look like 40–50 years later. Nobody had a clue it would even be around that long or that it would become an actual culture. Quite simply, generational rules didn't apply to us because we were making them up as we went along—and we still are.

To suggest that hip-hop should no longer be a part of our lives after a certain age is to suggest that it was simply a fad or a phase during our youth—like having an imaginary friend or a favorite stuffed animal. Some have argued that our parents may have listened to rock or disco but didn't wear tie-dye or bell-bottoms in their 40s and 50s. That may be true, but it's not an appropriate comparison because, unlike rock and disco, hip-hop wasn’t just a genre of music—itwas a lifestyle that molded and shaped who we were and, more importantly, who we would become. It checked all the boxes of what defines a culture: distinct guidelines on language, fashion, values, and principles that people live by. Being a young kid during the early years of hip-hop was an immersion into a vast world of music, art, dance, and knowledge that taught us about everything from social issues to how to lace our sneakers or pose for a picture. For some, it saved their lives. Hip-hop became a part of us, not something to simply “grow out of.” Because of this, there was never a transition point where we decided, “OK, I've moved on from hip-hop now.” Those who did were never fully part of the culture to begin with.

Because Gen X is growing up in hip-hop in real time, we are literally redefining what aging looks like. We are the first full generation of hip-hop grandparents, and that looks a lot different in 2026 than it did in 1986. When one thinks of grandparents, the immediate image is 80-year-olds wearing suspenders and trousers, playing bingo, and trying to get the senior discount at McDonald's. But style, mannerisms, and perspective have all evolved over the years, and this is largely due to the influence of hip-hop culture. Wearing sneakers, hoodies, Timberlands, and other gear isn't “dressing young”—it's simply maintaining the same uniform we've always had based on our lifestyle. And for us Gen X hip-hop heads, our activities are still centered around the four elements of b-boying, graffiti, DJing, and emceeing. Just recently, I was teaching my 5-year-old grandson some breaking and poppin' moves. I have peers teaching young kids how to cut and scratch. The bottom line is that we're still actively participating in this culture to this very day. Our throwback parties consist of Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang—not TikTok hits and algorithm playlists. While the hairline may be receding and the body may ache in new places, internally we still walk, talk, dress, and live hip-hop culture as if it were the golden year of 1988. We are fly and we are dope, and we express it in everything we do. More importantly, the values that were instilled in us through hip-hop still guide us today.

Trends come and go. They have a limited shelf life, and as soon as they go mainstream, the clock starts ticking and the expiration date approaches quickly. Cultures, on the other hand, shape a society's values and way of life and are reflected in everything we do. The phrase “act your age” is incorrectly applied to hip-hop because it implies that it's a fleeting trend, similar to Cabbage Patch Dolls. But hip-hop is undeniably a culture, and from its inception, it has influenced many of us in ways no trend ever has. Because of that, it's not something that becomes inappropriate at a certain age. For many of us, it has been a major part of our lives for as long as we can remember. It's not something we can simply cast away—we've been connected to hip-hop since the 1970s. As we have grown, hip-hop has grown with us. So when you really look at the big picture, we are “acting our age.” Gen X has just made it look completely different from what it did 40 years ago.