Tolerable Rap/Hip-Hop

[Nautical Honors Society]

Oh no! Not a rap thread on such an edgy and non-conforming website as the escapist!

Rap is terrible, and hip-hop sucks, right?

Well, maybe.

I find that good "flow," beat, and lyrics makes rap an excellent genre of music.

But bad hip-hop and rap is just well, bad. (A lot of the top 40 stuff)

I like: B.I.G, Big L, People Under the Stairs, Jedi Mind Tricks, Deltron 3030, Wu-Tang, and Beastie Boys, etc

Your thoughts on this genre? What artists do you enjoy?

 

[APPCRASH]

I do like to drop some fat tracks from MC Chris.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Beastie Boys. I love me some Beastie Boys.

I don't listen to much hip-hop. I like the Beastie Boys, obviously, and I also like Fort Minor which is that dude from Linkin Park's side project. I don't listen to enough to tell you many good one's, though.

I do like to drop some fat tracks from MC Chris.

Ah! How could I forget MC Chris!

I just remembered another one I listen to Project Jenny/Project Jan. They're almost unknown but really talented.

 

[AboveUp]

Digital Underground - Humpty Dance is all I can listen to.

Well, that and Duane and Brando stuff.

 

[riskroWe]

Immortal Technique, Eminem and Scribe are decent.

 

[Gerazzi]

Gorrilaz is my favorite recent dealie. So I'd check that out, but otherwise, you might want to stick to rock.

 

[kawligia]

D.J. Shadow is awesome.

 

[Xyphon]

Unfortunately, people focus on people like Wayne and 50 when it comes to judging rap as genre instead of the ones that actually rhyme about life and things that matter.

Let me introduce you to Atmosphere.

 

[chronobreak]

Since the topic of conversation is on the hippity-hop, allow me to entice you with some of my own melodies. Warning for graphic images/explicit content. I mean really. If anybody likes the hardcore stuff, let me know what you think. If this is too graphic I will remove it.

 

[quiet_samurai]

Old school gangsta rap..... BIATCH!

rap and hip-hop today are shit.

 

[Nautical Honors Society]

Gorillaz, Eminem, and MC Chris too (Oh my how could i forget MC Chris?!?!)

 

[Aardvark]

Only rap/hiphop/whatever groups I've heard that haven't caused me to want to dig my eardrums out with a rusty shard of metal, then set on fire, have been two Australian groups, The Herd and Frangipani and the Floating Circus of Lights, featuring... a whole bunch of different people.

The Herd, mostly because they managed to really piss off a lot of people with 77% and they're actually quite talented, and Frangipani because they're just awesome.

 

[Frankydee]

some hard rock/rap mix. I used to be really into it when I was a lot younger.
and no not any of that whiny linkin park shite.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

Oh snap, you done did it now...God I could name dozens...

Immortal technique is godlike, his more recent stuff is politically charged, and great to listen to. Canibus is an awesome rapper, his flow is consistent and his lyrics are intelligent. Joe Budden is another one who makes some pretty deep tracks, which mostly reside in his mixtapes.

Now where should we start? Nerd Rap or underground hip hop?

Spoiler: ytCracker - Guild Wars

Spoiler: Canibus - Master Thesis + Levitibus + No Return

Spoiler: The Roots - Don't Feel Right

Spoiler: Kanye West (pre douche) - Two Words

Spoiler: Immortal Technique - The Third World + Peruvian Cocaine

INB4 WORDSMITH AND LUPE! (ahem)

 

[DannyBoy451]

Oh no! Not a rap thread on such an edgy and non-conforming website as the escapist!

Rap is terrible, and hip-hop sucks, right?

Well, maybe.

I find that good "flow," beat, and lyrics makes rap an excellent genre of music.

But bad hip-hop and rap is just well, bad. (A lot of the top 40 stuff)

I like: B.I.G, Big L, People Under the Stairs, Jedi Mind Tricks, Deltron 3030, Wu-Tang, and Beastie Boys, etc

Your thoughts on this genre? What artists do you enjoy?

I'd suggest you listen to these guys, they're great.

Spoiler: Aesop Rock

Aesop will make you feel like you can't really speak English.

 

[Logic 0]

Will smith was the greatest rapper of all time.

 

[Cakes]

I'm aware that good hip hop exists, but the problem is that's it's finding needles in a shit stack. I'd really rather not.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

I'm aware that good hip hop exists, but the problem is that's it's finding needles in a shit stack. I'd really rather not.

Well while it's your opinion (seriously I shouldn't have to say that) if you don't listen to the genre, can you really say that? I could say the same for metal, indie, and a host of other genres.

Underground hip hop dwarfs mainstream hip hop, and a good chunk of that sector is full of talented artists. It's not a needle in a stack of shit, it's just perhaps you believe you have to find that needle in the stack of shit while there is a mountain of needles behind you.

 

[UAProxy]

Rap has six basic themes prevalent in its songs. The first, best, and most important is also the least-used amongst mainstreamers: "I have a message and I want/need to say it." Truly meaningful raps are a wonderful thing, and I love them just as much as I love my jazz and rock.

The other five are much more common and reserved for the hacks popular 'artists' you see today. And they're as follows.

1. I'm a gangsta.
2. I'm a playa.
3. I'm rich.
4. Everybody do this dance.
5. Let's get promiscuous.

To most mainstream rappers, these themes are like scrabble tiles: The more of them you incorporate, the better you are. And if you use all five, then you win fifty points. Of course, 'points' is gangsta code for 'kilos'.

Also, because it was warranted.

 

[Fightgarr]

Um... I know its great and all to have a hip-hop thread.
Don't get me wrong, I love hip-hop to the moon. Why the hell is it called 'tolerable hip-hop' though? Why not 'good hip-hop'? Not everyone just 'tolerates' it. Its an extensive musical genre for a reason. People like it.

As for hip-hop I like, I'm a fan of:
De La Soul
A Tribe Called Quest
Jurassic 5
Chali 2na
Gang Starr
Blackalicious
Talib Kweli
Common
The Roots
P.O.S.
and a whole shitload more.

Hip-hop is a great genre if you give it a fucking chance, unlike most of you out there on the website who write it off while only being able to name the three most popular artists. I'm not even generalizing here, there are like 5 Escapists I know of who aren't totally ignorant of hip-hop.

By the way:
Rap = Lyrics. It is not a genre
Hip-Hop = The genre itself. Rap is a lyrical form oft' times used in hip-hop.
EDIT: Sorry. That was overly angry of me. Hip-Hop (or the ignorance thereof) is one of the only things that gets me going here on the 'Pist anymore.