Quite surprised by that list. For an intro to conscious rap (and presumably the author is aiming to recommend the best) I’d be looking to Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Nas, Tupac… For a British...
Quite surprised by that list. For an intro to conscious rap (and presumably the author is aiming to recommend the best) I’d be looking to Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Nas, Tupac…
For a British perspective Dave is phenomenal, start with Black from his album Psychodrama (or watch his performance of it at the Brit Awards which was spine tingling), then listen to all of that and all of his second album, We’re All Alone in this Together
Yes, I knew I was out over my skis with this article, but hoped to get feedback and discussion. My usual music preference is melodic, with or without strong percussion. Queen Latifah has been an...
Yes, I knew I was out over my skis with this article, but hoped to get feedback and discussion.
My usual music preference is melodic, with or without strong percussion. Queen Latifah has been an exception for me and I would be interested to find more.
So, if you are willing, can you suggest rap or hiphop that fits the following criteria:
No drugs, no pimps, no anti-woman themes.
I think you’d like Dave. A lot of his music is accompanied by him playing the piano (beautifully) and a beat. He occasionally talks about crime, but it’s more like “this is where my life could...
I think you’d like Dave. A lot of his music is accompanied by him playing the piano (beautifully) and a beat. He occasionally talks about crime, but it’s more like “this is where my life could have lead if not for music”.
Everything's Fine is one of my favourite albums, it's just such a fun and accurate satire of suburban comfort and American exceptionalism by way of black capitalism. The production is genius and...
Everything's Fine is one of my favourite albums, it's just such a fun and accurate satire of suburban comfort and American exceptionalism by way of black capitalism. The production is genius and both rappers bring their A games, Jean Grae's verses are all incredible, even by her standards. It's the first hip-hop album I've heard of made by a romantic couple, and the chemistry is real.
Dirty Computer is probably my favorite album of the last five years. I got to see the show in Atlanta and it was amazing. I don’t know if I’d call it hip hop though. It seems like more of a pop...
Dirty Computer is probably my favorite album of the last five years. I got to see the show in Atlanta and it was amazing. I don’t know if I’d call it hip hop though. It seems like more of a pop album to me (I don’t mean that as a derogatory thing, there’s nothing wrong with a great pop album).
And It Takes a Nation is one of the best albums of all time. Not just hip-hop, any genre. I remember the first time I heard it, my mind was literally blown. It’s so musically dense that even 20 years later, I’ll still hear a random song every once in a while and go, “Oh! That’s where that sample came from!”
Yeah, I genuinely love Janelle Monae's music too, but Dirty Computer felt like a very weird inclusion in this list since it's mostly pop/R&B. It only has one track (Django Jane) that I would...
Yeah, I genuinely love Janelle Monae's music too, but Dirty Computer felt like a very weird inclusion in this list since it's mostly pop/R&B. It only has one track (Django Jane) that I would actually consider as being hip-hop... and IMO it's definitely not consciousness-raising, since it's basically just pure braggadocio.
Seems like you’d need to include immortal technique, Quest, Whodini and maybe 311 on a list like this. Maybe also Rudy Ray Moore? He was kinda comedy, but also progressive and definitely...
Seems like you’d need to include immortal technique, Quest, Whodini and maybe 311 on a list like this. Maybe also Rudy Ray Moore? He was kinda comedy, but also progressive and definitely groundbreaking.
I don’t feel like the recent entries really have the far reaching impact of some of the earlier generations did even limiting them to their own time.
I do understand the criterion is social consciousness, not musicality/art.
Quite surprised by that list. For an intro to conscious rap (and presumably the author is aiming to recommend the best) I’d be looking to Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Nas, Tupac…
For a British perspective Dave is phenomenal, start with Black from his album Psychodrama (or watch his performance of it at the Brit Awards which was spine tingling), then listen to all of that and all of his second album, We’re All Alone in this Together
Yes, I knew I was out over my skis with this article, but hoped to get feedback and discussion.
My usual music preference is melodic, with or without strong percussion. Queen Latifah has been an exception for me and I would be interested to find more.
So, if you are willing, can you suggest rap or hiphop that fits the following criteria:
No drugs, no pimps, no anti-woman themes.
I think you’d like Dave. A lot of his music is accompanied by him playing the piano (beautifully) and a beat. He occasionally talks about crime, but it’s more like “this is where my life could have lead if not for music”.
Start with his performance of Black at the BRIT awards! https://youtu.be/mXLS2IzZSdg
Thanks!. I'll check it out.
Everything's Fine is one of my favourite albums, it's just such a fun and accurate satire of suburban comfort and American exceptionalism by way of black capitalism. The production is genius and both rappers bring their A games, Jean Grae's verses are all incredible, even by her standards. It's the first hip-hop album I've heard of made by a romantic couple, and the chemistry is real.
Dirty Computer is probably my favorite album of the last five years. I got to see the show in Atlanta and it was amazing. I don’t know if I’d call it hip hop though. It seems like more of a pop album to me (I don’t mean that as a derogatory thing, there’s nothing wrong with a great pop album).
And It Takes a Nation is one of the best albums of all time. Not just hip-hop, any genre. I remember the first time I heard it, my mind was literally blown. It’s so musically dense that even 20 years later, I’ll still hear a random song every once in a while and go, “Oh! That’s where that sample came from!”
Yeah, I genuinely love Janelle Monae's music too, but Dirty Computer felt like a very weird inclusion in this list since it's mostly pop/R&B. It only has one track (Django Jane) that I would actually consider as being hip-hop... and IMO it's definitely not consciousness-raising, since it's basically just pure braggadocio.
Seems like you’d need to include immortal technique, Quest, Whodini and maybe 311 on a list like this. Maybe also Rudy Ray Moore? He was kinda comedy, but also progressive and definitely groundbreaking.
I don’t feel like the recent entries really have the far reaching impact of some of the earlier generations did even limiting them to their own time.
I do understand the criterion is social consciousness, not musicality/art.
Thank you for sharing these artists!