PETALING JAYA, July 18 — Rapper Altimet hit out at peers who are trying to show the new generation of rappers right from wrong.

The 39-year-old added that the younger generation of hip-hop artists are producing music their own way and believes they have been doing a great job.

“Some of my peers tell me that what these new guys are doing are not hip-hop, not the real deal, not lyrical and it wasn’t like us before … I just tell them no.

“The reason why you guys made hip-hop back in the 90s was because you guys wanted to be lyrical, you guys thought that the rhymes were too simple and it needed some complex lyrics, and that was your way of rebelling and now you guys want them to follow you? You were the rebels and now you are looking down at the people rebelling?” he told Malay Mail.

He said other seniors in the industry should appreciate the new music more and help whenever they can.

“I don’t want to be like them (the critics). I think the boys are doing things their own way. The current local scene has been doing good,” he said.

Altimet, whose real name is Ahmad Abdul Rahman said that hip-hop is the fastest evolving music genre worldwide.

“Hip-hop is the fastest evolving genre ever seen by men. It is faster than pop and even more impressive because of the internet, globalization and the speed we are moving.

“People are constantly bringing in new ways of presenting a song and I think it is great.”

His advice to younger artists is to do what you like to do, be yourself when expressing a song and that he is always ready to lend out a helping hand.

“Stay true to your music. When I started back then we had to pick up bits and pieces from all over, we had to have thick skin to ask questions and even then would be saying we are asking too much.

“Now the tables have turned and a lot of the younger kids ask me for advice and I’m always ready to give them some feed back … I don’t want them to be in the same shoes,” said Altimet.

The Petaling Jaya-born artist also shared the one lesson his learnt throughout his 19-year career.

“Hard work beats talent. If you know how to do it, you can sell anything.

“If you work hard and you’ve got a lot of talent, you are unbeatable.”