We dont agree often, but i agree with you 1000% on this

 

anybody like spm? he's got some killer shit but not gonna lie, since the allegations against him i lost my taste for it. i've got a hard time separating art from artist

 

I used to like it growing up (80's early 90s) but I can't stand the recent stuff.

 

Modern rap is still good, just not the stuff in mainstream. Here they mostly play battle rap. We already had that discussion in general in another thread. For good modern music you have to dig deeper and not just restrict yourself to what is played on tv, radio or general in mainstream. Mainstream is just the diluted rest. There's randomly a great song that makes it into mainstream every few years. But that's it.


I still love the old stuff I grew up on, like this  

 

And this is one of my all time faves  

He's got a relatively clear voice, although I think he sounds like he has got a slight english accent. And he's rapping about political stuff, just like what rap used to be.

 

In the words of The West Texas Rednecks from the days of WCW, rap is crap

 

I've been getting into it fairly recently. Started off with Childish Gambino, but now I mainly listen to Kendrick Lamar, Vince Staples, and Run the Jewels. It's an oversaturated market for sure, but finding a good rapper among the sea of bad ones feels rewarding.

 

I'm not a rap lister but i respect what those artists do and create. I'm an old metal head and mosher from the 80's and beyond up till the early 2000's then im done. I'm also a grunge guy as well and that started for me in the early 90's. So basically all ive said is my favorite music.

 

It is my go to response to things like this..

 

Ok there is very very little in the way of rap i enjoy. Most of it is a bit ironic like "I like big butts", Fresh Prince, Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer type that is so bad it is amusing. But anything Gangsta, modern, etc is not my thing at all. Nor do i like ultra metal where it is screaching and screaming into a mic. Ugh. That is even worse. Give me 80s hair metal type stuff. Give me KISS, GnR, Poison, etc. Give me Huey Lewis, Michael Jackson, Styx, Journey, etc. Devo. Basically look at GTA Vice City. That soundtrack is what took me back to a love of 80s music. Even the rap station wasn't bad.

But San Andreas was the worst music for me. I don't care for rap/hip hop. Almost every station of the radio was that. There was one talk station and then one country western. Only listened to the talk station. A few stations is fine, but give me classic rock.

 

Ah yes, WCW, purveyors of quality and taste who-

... nevermind. Might not want to trust the opinion of a promotion that got consumed, I guess.

I see this opinion a lot, and... it's not that I disagree with it, there's a ton of amazing stuff that'll never hit radio or the ears of anyone who isn't digging deep to look at it, and there's a ton of absolute garbage that gets way more attention than it deserves, but I can't help but feel like as Rap has gone more mainstream, it has also opened up the doors for some of the more artistic, and frankly, GOOD rap and hip-hop to make its way to a mass audience. Maybe because that mass audience is more aware of hip-hop and accepting of it, or more because there's now just enough space in the marketplace and resources by producers being devoted for it to break through, as opposed to previously accessible or marketable examples of the genre, I don't know. But the point I want to make is that I think in a lot of ways, the mainstream might be as healthy, if not healthier than it ever was.

 

No. I tried in the 90's, but it didn't stick.

 

Yes. I'm pretty open to most music genres.

Missy Elliott appears to top out on my playlist of that genre.

 

I like ooooooooooold rap music. I'm talking Fresh Prince, Run DMC, Public Enemy, and older. All modern rap is too simple and all sounds the same. There are a few gems out there, but they're few and far between.

 

I tend to agree with most of you guys about the 80’s to early 2000’s being the best of the genre. And if you are in your 30’s like me, then you woulda been in your prime young years to grow up with it!

And to this day it’s what I primarily listen to when I do!

One thing I’ll give the mumble rap trend these days is that the beats are pretty good, even though you can understand anything haha.

Obvious suspects are Biggie, Pac, Cube, Dre, Snoop, NWA, OutKast, Jay-Z, old Eminem, 50’s first album is still good (that’s cause Dre and Em produced most of it lol). Hell, even Kanye’s first two albums were good!

But lesser known more conscious rappers such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Jeru Da Damaja, Gangstarr, Atmosphere, Blackalicious, Immortal Technique and the list goes on! Check those guys out, for real lyrics, ones you can actually understand and have some meaning to them.

Then there’s UK grime, which I’m pretty into, but def harder to understand, with their accents and UK slang, but Dizzee Rascal is about the only one I get lol

 

I listen to just about anything so I've had my share of favorite/good rappers. Too young to actually appreciate anything older than Ice Cube/ Dr Dre era stuff like vanilla ice, as good as they are. Eminem was cool to me along with snoop, ciara, d2 and stuff like 3 six mafia.
Lately I've been listening to artists like yelawolf, doobie, rittz, snow tha product, taz, chetta, bones, Lil peep, Brennan savage, etc. They aren't really the cleanest lyrics but the stories are good and sometimes relatable if you've been in tough times. Hell, the new trap style isn't bad either if you don't take the lyrics too seriously, as I've had to hear it with younger friends and at parties. Migos, 21 Savage, Designer, and Lil yachty types all just sound like thugs really and I sometimes laugh at how cool they act but really they just act awkward everywhere else, whether its talk shows or interviews. The standards have changed I guess, but I can stand most of it. Kinda helps listening to other odd genres like dubstep, trance, metal, black metal, deathcore, and slam/grindcore because you learn to just appreciate what you can and just have a good time listening. Not every rapper actually slings dope and has shooters just like not every death metal band lives in the depths of hell ripping limbs apart and whatnot.  
And another thing is that there are rappers like NF that really try and tell their true stories still. They just don't get pop recognition anymore.
Keep bumpin what you like yall. 

 

Damn homie, I did not know a single person in that second list of artists you listed! Maybe I’m just old haha

I don’t like trap though, I do like electronic music. Dn’B is still my go to, and it’s not that popular in the states, still huge in the UK and Europe. EDM these days is so blended and mixed with other genres that it is almost genreless. Back then you had clear, albeit basic divisions of electronic music. House, techno, trance, hardcore, dn’b.....but I digress!

 

Age can be a factor when it comes to rap lol and I feel ya on how blurred the lines are now too.I can't say I've heard of those in your second list either hehe (most def, blackalicious,atmosphere). Worth a try eh?
I really just listen to some rappers because of how different my friends' taste in music are. I'll hear one genre in one place and another totally different genre somewhere else and get into it for fun and try to keep an open mind no matter the topic. If I hear a random artist, no matter what genre, and it clicks with me I'll listen to them again.
But all in all I still lean toward classic rock(60s-80s) and nu metal rock to deathmetal. Gets me pumped hearing a good riff along with some badass lyrics. 

EDIT: Hearing atmosphere(slug) right now. Good stuff. Better topics than the likes of chetta or bones that's for sure. I like how upbeat the style is.