Jo
. Okay...I'm not sure how the introduction of this post shall go. Juat.....that it's about rap. Now, I've said that country and pop are the only two forms I generally don't like, and even though I generally carry low opinion of
commercial hip hop, I really do like "good" rap, whatever that could mean - after rock and jazz, it's my favorite form of music. I just notice the general bad opinion about rap, and when one looks at the mainstream, it's easy to understand. Of course, some of it is also cultural differences as well
.
Either case, I'm just sharing a list of several artists - some still around, others not - that I particularly enjoy, and they come from a wide variety of genera in rap (bet you didn't even know "rap genera" existed
): Alternative, political, urban, the ill-defined "Golden Age", etc. I hope that perhaps this will present the thesis that rap is more than just Hot boys and "bling-bling!!!!!"
.
-Spearhead: these guys are great
They have a good balance of political and regular beats. "Do Ya Love" can be interpreted on a number of ways
.
-Jungle Brothers: Don't....look so much for super-deep or political consciousness here
. But these guys are a lot of fun, and they incorporate a lot of alternative souds, some Carribean, and a mix of others
. Though some of the lyrics of their more obscure raps are quite eye opening.
-
The Pharcyde: These guys...*shakes head* I't's really hard to peg them. Sometimes they are so funny....then, they drop something using the devil as a metaphor for...something, haven't quite figured it out yet. Either way, they may sometimes offend you, sometimes make you laugh....but they
always surprise you
-
Digable Planets: They might be familiar to a few of you
. They were one of the most innovative members of the jazz-rap movement of the early 90s.
Those are mostly unknown. The following, however, are not:
-Arrested Development: "Tennessee". That's all I have to say. Their soothing and positive sounds were a breathe of fresh air
.
-A Tribe Called Quest: Without a doubt, one of the most intellectual and cerebral rap gorups of the 90's - and one of my favorite groups, as well
). They dealt with a number of social issues - date rape, the use of the word "n***a", and many others - in a calm, jazz-blend style that reminded me of De La Soul
.
-Busta Rhymes: I'm sure he's probably the most familiar on this list
. His aggressive, ragga-style lyrics contain a lot of humor, inventivness, and a surprising degree of complexity....ah, hell, just remember that he's funny and idiosyncratic
.
And now, for the surprising latecomer:
-Eminem:....Surprising, huh? Okay.....I will say this. I like a lot of his earlier works; he had(has?) a very brutal, mean-spirited edge to him, and he was disturbing without even being overtly violent
. All of that was accentuated by his high-nasal style. I'm just thankful that he was one of the few hardcore rappers that didn't fall into the "gangsta trap". I'm not so sure as to my opinion of him now, though....
As you can tell, I fall mostly into the "old school" crowd; with the exception of a few listed here, I mostly stopped listening to the "mainstream" after Tupac's death - and completly after Bone Thugs became a little...., well, not to my standard, is the fair thing to say, I suppose, and then broke up.
However, there is a lot to this world, and
a lot of good to mine
. These are just the tips of the 'berg - the more accessible ones - and there are plenty more I could pull out....maybe in the Song quotes thread
. Hope this puts a new light on the music genre
Peace
.
Edit: ...I just realized for the first time that I forgot to put "rap" in the poll. 
............
Editx2: Forgot to mention Eminem
. Added him in...
