Political or "conscious" hip-hop

[Guest Redhawk]

I know everyone has their low-profile political rappers in their hometown, but as far as mainstream hip-hop goes -- meaning that which may have a video or that which can be found in record stores nationwide -- who is still around? The Public Enemies are dying, so is Common the top guy now? Mos Def? Anyone? Weigh in with your thoughts.

[Perfxion]

Conscious rap and Bling rap are both dying breeds. People rather hear G-Unit or Crunk Musik. Nothing else is selling as well as that is. Mos Def is still the shit and great, but will not hold a candle to the selling power of 50 or Lil Jon. The only quality rapper out of this breed is Game.

 

The only other style growing up is H-Town with that chopped and screwed shit. And I will stress that rap music is shit. Mike Jones sucks, Pall wall sucks, Slim thug sucks, Flip is ok but overrated.

[Slayer]

What is the current trend anyway?

 

Aside from the politically aware rap, I also miss the light-hearted rap of the later 80's, before it got all serious and self-aggrandizing

[Chuck Woolery]

Wait, out of the four H-Town guys you think Lil' Flip is the one with talent?

 

Are you retarded?

[Lord of The Curry]

Conscious rap and Bling rap are both dying breeds. People rather hear G-Unit or Crunk Musik. Nothing else is selling as well as that is. Mos Def is still the shit and great, but will not hold a candle to the selling power of 50 or Lil Jon. The only quality rapper out of this breed is Game.

 

The only other style growing up is H-Town with that chopped and screwed shit. And I will stress that rap music is shit. Mike Jones sucks, Pall wall sucks, Slim thug sucks, Flip is ok but overrated.

Game is singlehandedly resurrecting west coast hip-hop. That's the next big thing right there.

[tominator89]

I get the feeling that a lot of the current rappers are to hip hop what Winger was to metal.

[Carnival]

Here is a few still around. Dead Prez, Paris, Jedi Mind Tricks, and Non Phixon.

[Ripper]

They are plenty around. Sales do not dictate what is big in a genre. It dictates what is going to be on the radio. Women and white people are the biggest buyers of hip hop, and it is usually the ones that have the most commercial song possible. That doesn't mean that hip hop doesnt' still exist. Its just means that something else got more exposure.

 

And honestly, Public Enemy and KRS-One never sold half what NWA, and Hammer did. This isn't a new trend, with the most commercial stuff selling more. There is just as much cerebrial rap now as there was in the 80's if you don't watch MTV and get to music store.

 

And dude, seriously. Slimm Thugg is about 1000000000000000 times the rapper Lil Flip is and I don't even like Slimm Thugg. Hell, I would listen to Paul Wall all day before I listened to flip.

 

And those guys aren't the H-town music. Bun B(the MUTHA FUCKING MAN) and Scarface(or Getto Boyz in general) are always what houston is all about. And chopped and screwed R&B kicks as. OG Ron C makes some banging ass fuck action cds.

[Skywarp!]

I've heard Blackalicious is pretty deep, but the only song I've heard is "Feel This Way". I liked it, though.

[Lord of The Curry]

People need to listen to more Madvillain and Quasimoto.

[Nighthawk]

Women and white people are the biggest buyers of hip hop,

So white women would have the biggest hip hop collections?

[The Czech Republic]

I guess if we're considering Mariah Carey and other such non-threatening female R&B artists, maybe white women buy lots of hip-hop

[UZI Suicide]

Theres still some good "socially concious" hip hop out there... Common, Mos Def, Nas, etc. Its not big in the mainstream but its there.

[Guest Brian]

How long has KRS-One been around? 1987? He's got to be bordering on mainstream.

[ant_7000]

Conscious Rap isn't dead, its just not a part of the Mainstream/Commericial aspect of rap, Radio plays a few token rap songs that are thought provoking. I looking foward to Common's new album next week. I heard some of the tracks and I like it so far.

[ant_7000]

Women and white people are the biggest buyers of hip hop,

So white women would have the biggest hip hop collections?

70% of White People do buy Rap albums. Teenage girls black and white listen to the radio all day long and make majority of the song requests.

[Nighthawk]

I know, man, I barely listen to the radio at all, and on the offhand occasions I do turn it on, I've heard Trick Daddy's "Sugar (Gimme Some)" like 10 times. It's nice to see him finally getting some recognition, but it's always a little annoying when someone I've liked for a long time finally blows up.

[MikeJordan23]

How long has KRS-One been around? 1987? He's got to be bordering on mainstream.

1985. And yes he's mainstream. Oh and the GOAT.

[Ripper]

Talk to the Majority of hip hop buyers and they will stare at you blankly if you mention KRS-One. He isn't mainstream.

[Red Baron]

You guys really gotta listen to K-OS

[snuffbox]

I think our current epoch of pop-gangstas (50's valium-paced cheesed out flow, Ja Rule, Mike Jones, the Game) will be remembered as as big a joke as teen pop and hair metal.

 

There is plenty of intelligent hiphop right now though, just none of it hapens to be on mainstream radio...Th Roots, Blackalicious (and everything else from Quannum), Jurassic 5, De La Soul, Saul Williams...

[Jorge Gorgeous]

I know, man, I barely listen to the radio at all, and on the offhand occasions I do turn it on, I've heard Trick Daddy's "Sugar (Gimme Some)" like 10 times. It's nice to see him finally getting some recognition, but it's always a little annoying when someone I've liked for a long time finally blows up.

Trick Daddy isn't just now blowing up. Hes had quite a few big radio songs before this current crop (Dro in the Wind, Whats Up just to name a couple)

The Slip n' Slide All-Stars are hardly Anticon.

[Nighthawk]

Well, if he was Outkast, his previous hits would be "Rosa Parks" and now this is his Stankonia. There's middle ground between unknown and mainstream.

[Carnival]

How long has KRS-One been around? 1987? He's got to be bordering on mainstream.

1985. And yes he's mainstream. Oh and the GOAT.

We all know the GOAT is in Milky's sig...not marilyn.

[snuffbox]

How long has KRS-One been around? 1987? He's got to be bordering on mainstream.

1985. And yes he's mainstream. Oh and the GOAT.

We all know the GOAT is in Milky's sig...not marilyn.

Gift of Gab, Black Thought, Biggie, and Tupac are better than Eminem. Right now though, after Em, radio-rap goes way downhill.

[Guest Brian]

Is there any political or conscious mainstream music anymore?

[Slayer]

Other than "Bush sux0rs" music, I don't think so

[Guest Brian]

Bush sucks needs depth, and if it has depth to it, then it flies.

[snuffbox]

Bruce Springsteen's new record is plenty deep. Bright Eyes has made several quality concious recordings.

 

If one is retarded enough, the great 'protest' music of the 60's could simply/childly labeled as "Nixon suxors". When the majority of popular culture (the medium by which our generations are remembered) are voicing dissapproval against a polititian it DOES have depth. This is the rebellion against what alot of people feel is wrong. These artists are speaking what is on the minds of many people...the music is (often, but sometimes not) good...this is what our culture is saying, and in some cases it is deep.

 

Unfortunately, most everything on mainstream radio lacks any real substance or honesty. It is a true embarrassment, not unlike some our American leaders.

[Slayer]

the great 'protest' music of the 60's could simply/childly labeled as "Nixon suxors".

Probably more like "Vietnam sux0rs"

 

Unfortunately, most everything on mainstream radio lacks any real substance or honesty. It is a true embarrassment, not unlike some our American leaders.

I'll say. When MTV's idea of scathing satire is "American Idiot", that's an embarassment