Hip-hop music: are there artists that can stand the test of time?

I hate most hip-hop...and the sad thing is..I love hip-hop music.

I'm constantly seeking artists that will inspire me and feel confident in the art form. Unfortunately, all I see are these guys talking about diamonds and expensive cars and big butts.

I found refuge in the underground for a short period of time, but the underground has been tainted with talent-less artists...

The Freestyle Fellowship (a pillar of the underground) recently release a truly sub-standard album and the Pharcyde broke up. The only group outside of the underground that impresses me is Outkast.

These are reccomended listening:

P.A.I.N.T.(2001) -Abstract Tribe Unique

Innercity Griots(1992)-Freestyle Fellowship

B-Boys In Occupied Mexico(2002) -2Mex

 

"hip hop is dead".

Sometimes I believe it.

They already stood the test of time (I'd say 15+ years is alot of time.)

 

hip hop is more alive than it ever has been. you have people now in every city making hip hop where it used to be only new york than only new york and l.a., even people in small rural communities are trying to expand the genre and create something new. i could list off hundreds of new underground bands that should be listened to. but let me just refer you to undergroundhiphop.com. check out the hundreds of new singles that they have, or check out their top 40. it's not all the best stuff you've ever heard or anything, but there is a ton of really good hip hop out there, and i would bet that for every single that actually gets put out there are 50 more bands just doing their thing.

 

While there's always room for new music, I hate hip hop. All the songs are about the same stuff, which I don't care about. And it's really stereotypical, like basketball is.

Personally, I don't think the artists of any music now adays can stand the test of time, unless they recorded over 10 years ago.

 

Vaiderbait, please educate yourself on hip hop, there are many different subjects. You're confusing Hip hop with Gangsta Rap.

 

No, I'm not confusing hip hop with gangsta rap. All rap/hip hop I hear is about 1) how great the artist is 2) how many "B*tches" they get. or 3) shooting cops and breaking laws.

I'm not trying to preach, because I like Slipknot and groups like that, who dont' exactly sing about "good" stuff, but rappers really need to get some fresh material.

Just a side note, I know there are a few rappers out there who sing about other stuff, but they hardly get publicity, because the MTV generation doesn't want that.

 

"No, I'm not confusing hip hop with gangsta rap. All rap/hip hop I hear is about 1) how great the artist is 2) how many "*******" they get. or 3) shooting cops and breaking laws."

That is gansta rap. Listen to a few of the following groups:

Run DMC
Public Enemy
A Tribe Called Quest
Beastie Boys
Sugar Hill Gang

These are some of my favorite groups, and they convey positive messages on the whole. You even said yourself that there are artists nowadays (Outkast comes to mind immediately, because someone already mentioned them) who don't fit the stereotype you've placed on hip-hop.

 

No, I'm not confusing hip hop with gangsta rap. All rap/hip hop I hear is about 1) how great the artist is 2) how many "B*tches" they get. or 3) shooting cops and breaking laws.

a few groups you might want to check out (and who cares if they get publicity, the best groups rarely do in this backstreet boys era):

latyrx
blackalicious
souls of mischief
del/deltron/hieroglyphics
foreign legion
jurassic 5
dilated peoples
atmosphere
roots manuva
celph titled
apathy
beastie boys (one group which i would say has stood the test of time)
swollen members
non phixion
jedi mind tricks
lexicon
the pharcyde
a tribe called quest
de la soul
organized konfusion
demigodz
mr. lif
lifesavas
unknown prophets
public enemy
last emperor
boogie down productions
oldominion
living legends
digable planets
mars ill
animal farm
dead prez
styles of beyond
beat junkies
dj shadow
dj vadim
dr. octagon
the ancients...

i really could go on and on. there really is way more good hip hop out there than what you described, which basically is gangsta rap, it's just that (like you said) most 12 year olds would rather hear about b*tches and killing people than anything with actual substance. so stop watching mtv and go pick up some records.

 

I like all kind of rap really. Underground is hard to get your hands on, even nowadays with things like Kazaa. There are KRS-One or PRT songs I want to download but are never available, and I simply do not buy CDs under any circumstances anymore. I don't know that many groups on your lists, the ones I do, De La soul, J5, BDP, Dilated People's, etc. I like everything I hear from.

But I also like what you describe as gangsta rap, it can still be progressive, even though its sometimes garbage. And even pop rap I'll listen to over any other kind of non-rap music, even if its lyrics are stupid.

The artist who has stood the test of time above all others is Tupac. His lyrics are as meaningful and inventive as any underground artist, but he's so versatile that he can be commercial at the same time. Some of his songs make you want to cry(Keep Ya Head Up, Dear Mama), some plain make you depressed(Hail Mary, Brenda's Got a Baby), some make clubs bounce (How Do You Want It? Cali Love), some make you laugh in amusement(Hit Em Up) Even after his death, he's still strong.

 

you can find songs from every group i listed on audiogalaxy. and that really is just the tip of the iceberg, even for me and i don't know nearly as much about the underground scene as some of my friends do.

as for tupac, i've never really been much of a fan, at least not enough to buy one of his records or anything. one thing about him that has always impressed me though is his voice, there's just something really honest and sincere about his voice which can be rare especially in commercial rap.

 

Vaderbait, as others have said that IS gangsta rap, MTV is not a good place to look for hip hop. Do you look for Rock on MTV? no because MTV does not play any good rock (with a few exeptions), same with Rap, they play the really sh***y kind but not the good kind, try listening to some Political Rap.

there's a whole list with artists above there, Dilated Peoples, Boogie Down Productions, Poor Righteous Teachers, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, I could go on and on.

Listen to it first, then judge.

deltron, audiogalaxy is dead, RIAA made it put a filter on the songs, and you can't get around this one. =(

meh, anyway, to reinforce my point about rap having good lyrics, here's an example,

A Tribe Called Quest - The Infamous Date Rape.


Classic, classic...
Classic example of a...a date rape(4X)

Listen to the rhyme, it's a black date fact
Percentile rate of date rape is fat
This is all true to the reason of the skeezin
You got the right pickin but you're in the wrong season
If you're in the wrong season, that means you gotta break
Especially if a squad tries to cry out rape
You be all vexed cuz she got it goin on
You don't wanna fight cuz you know that you're wrong
So instead you rest your head on the arm of the couch
Envision in your head of a great sex bout
Worthy opponent, all you wanna do is bone it
You ask can you kick it, she says you can't stick
This is the case, the situation is sticky
Should you try to kiss or head for a hickey
Not even, you can ask Steven
If the vibe ain't right, huh, ya leavin
Hit the road Jack and all of that
But if she offers her abode, to drop ya load
Right smack dab in the middle
Get the kitten, I got crazy tender vittles

Uh huh, you know science, you get buckwild
Runnin mad games as if your name was Scott Skiles
Or better yet Magic or even Karl Malone
Regardless who it is, your aim is to bone
If she tries to front, then you start to dis her
If she's with the program, that's when you start to kiss her
Might as well get to the point, no time to waste
Might as well break the ice, then set the pace
You start to talk nasty, now she's ready to bone
Step out of the shower, throw on cologne
All of a sudden, her sugarwalls tumble down like Jericho
She's hotter than Meshach, Shadrach and Abendego
You listen to After 7, break fool after 10
Do your thing at 12 o'clock and when you go again
There goes round 1, ding, there goes round two
Now tell me what the (****) are you supposed to do
What do you know, when the meow is completed
Girly girl cried rape, yo, I didn't really need it

Sweetheart, we ain't goin out like that(2X)
Sweetheart, we ain't goin out like that(zulu)
We ain't goin out like that(zulu)
We ain't goin out like that

Now baby bust it, if you wanna groove
Me and you can do it, it will be the move
I won't cry over spilled milk
If you won't let me take you to the Hilt
I don't wanna bone you that much
That I would go for the unforbidden touch
I'm not the type that would go for that
I'll have to fetch a brand new cat
Baby, baby, baby I don't wanna be rude
I know because of your bloody attitude
I know why you act that way
It usually happens on the 28th day
I respect that crazily
When you're done with the past can you come check me
This ain't a joint to disrespect you
Because one head ain't better than two
Check it out

It's a classic example of a...a date...

 

I'm from LA and we have a tremendous underground scene....I'm very well versed with the underground

 

so DUSHONI, are you familiar with slug and his group atmosphere?

here are the lyrics from his song "scapegoat", this guy is truly an amazing lyricist.

It's the caffeine, the nicotine, the miligrams of tar
It's my habitat, it needs to be clean, it's my car
It's the fast talk they use to abuse and feed my brain
It's the cat box it needs to be changed, it's the pain
It's women, it's the plight for power it's government
The way your giving knowledge slow and throwing in subtle hints
It's rubbing it, It's itching it, It's applying cream
It's the foreigners sight seeing with high beams, It's in my dreams
It's the monsters that I conjure, It's the marijuana
It's embarassment, displacement, It's where I wander
It's my genre, It's Madonna's videos
It's game shows,cheap liquor,blunts, and bumper stickers with rainbows
It's angels, demons, gods, it's the white devils
It's the monitors, the soundman, it's the ****ing mic levels
It's gas fumes, fast food, Tommy Hil, the date rape pill
Columbia House music club, designer drugs and rhyming thugs
It's bloods and crips, five and six,
It's stick up kids, It's christian conservative terrorists, it's porno flicks
It's the east coast, no it's the west coast
It's public schools, it's asbestos
It's mentholated, It's techno
It's sleep, life, and death
It's speed, coke, and meth
It's hay fever, pain relievers, oral sex, and smokers breath
It stretches for as far as the eye can see
It's reality, **** it , it's everything but me
On and on and on and on
The list goes on and on and on and on
It's in the air, in the water, it's in the meat
It's indirect, indiscrete, inconsistent, and incomplete
It's on the street, every city and everywhere you go
In every man it's the insanity, the fantasy, the casualties
It's the health care system, it's welfare victims
It's assault weapons, it's television religion, and it's false lessons
It's cops, pigs with badges guns and sticks
It's harassment and a complex you carry when you're running ****
It's wondering if you get to eat
It's the winter , the weather
It's herpes, and it's forever
It's the virus that takes the lives of the weak and the strong
It's the drama that keeps on between me and my seed's mom
It's that need to speek long, It's my hunger for attention
It's the wack , who attack songs of redemption
It's prevention, It's the first solution
It's loosing the retribution, it's mental pollution, and public execution
It's the nails that keep my hands and feet to these boards
It's the part time job that governs what you can afford
It's the fear, It's the fake
It's clear it can make time stop and leave you stranded in the year of the snake
It's the dollar, yen, pound, it's all denomination
It's hourly wages for your professional observations
It's on your face and it's in your eyes
It's everything you be
But it ain't me mother ****er, it ain't me
On and on and on and on
the list goes on and on and on and on

 

slug sole..I've seen those guys at project blowed..they're pretty cool...Abstract Rude's my favorite rapper..

 

atmosphere is just slug and his producer ant, they have a spankin new album out called "god loves ugly". it's excellent!

 

he also does music with sole sometimes....they're part of some crew whose name eludes me....

 

unknown prophets maybe?

 

"Hip hop is dead."

What exactly do you mean by this statement, the culture, the music? Judging by radio, music video, record sales, the reaction of young America it seems very much alive to me.

LOL, How can you take someone seriously who claims rap has no message other than gangsta, YET his a response to more 'real' music is Slipnot, what are they but probably another rap rock wanabee group. They're not FRESH, as the claim was and equally as worthless as the "gangsta" rap stereotype claimed that somehow all rap fits into.

Speaking for a fact, people who like rap rock and constantly flame rap music, I have no respect for your opinons on music. I'm happy that most people would rather hear about money, women, and cars as opposed to some self-pitying losers with Vanillia Ice equivelent mic skills screaming about how much of losers they really are. Eminem's diss to Everlast would apply beautifully here ("they can't rap or play, but they try to do both.")

 

how novel? A hip hop thread in the JC.

I agree with everyone here that MTV/BET/VH1 is the scourge of true hip-hop everywhere. It was over the minute they pulled the plug on Yo!MTV Raps. Is it a coincidence they're all owned by the same company now?

I will say, though, that I'm still a fan of so called "gangsta rap". I don't know, I tend to like any music that pisses the Man off. I owe a huge debt to N.W.A., Public Enemy, and Tupac for bringing news from the streets to some poor Midwestern kid stuck in the nightmares of Suburbia.

As far as the underground goes, I try to keep my ears to the streets. Having a computer definitely helps nowadays. I kinda wish they would stay underground though. Success tends to impede artistic growth.

There are some mainstream acts that still get me though. I like Jay, Eminem, Outkast, Nore, Lauryn, Snoop, DMX. I tend to stick with artists as long as they stay true.

Some MC's are walking a thin line though. I never bought the "whatever black people do to make money is cool" argument. Busta and Ludacris need to stop pushing Pepsi before I listen to them again. I don't know, it seems like Coke products have always been cool, but everything else is crossing the line.

And someone please tell Irv Gotti and Ja Rule to SHUT the &@#$ UP! They bite from everybody. Fakest crew ever!