He's a rapper who primarily posts on Youtube, but has also done some work in the fighting game soundtrack space. He speaks truth on a lot of issues in my opinion!

“Big dicks in ya ass is bad for your health.” in Check Yo Self by Ice Cube still bewilders me. Is this a threat? A promise?

I went to a hockey game last week, and when the DJ played "We Dem Boyz" by Wiz Khalifa, the crowd went crazy! I didn't realize people liked that song so much lol

Hello. I have been watching YouTube videos about whiteness in hiphop, and have realized that I might not be enjoying the art in a respectful and tasteful way. Most people who listen to rap are white, but I feel there must be a "best" way to enjoy the art as a white person, without detracting from the culture. Watching analysis on the kendrick-drake beef and other hiphop videos has given me the impression that white people are, for the most part, not part of the culture. I'm not sure if this is true, and I don't have the lived experience as a black person to even begin to answer the question.

I feel I am just beginning to really become a rap nerd, as I am watching more rap criticism and listening to more and more rap, and trying to understand it better. I lack a wide background knowledge on racism and critical theory, and am generally lost on the topic of how I should approach black art as a white person.

If anyone has any resources or ideas on this matter, please share them. I am trying to do my best to understand the culture without detracting from it.

Thanks :)

I really like Rakim, D.O.C. and G Rap. KRS isn't as technical but his energy and presence is incredible. 80s had some awesome albums and songs, but it isn't as easy to find MCs with rapid fire flows, punchlines, tongue twisters, clever flow, metaphors, etc. I want to see if I'm missing anybody (Kane is hit or miss for me)

Hi, I dont want JBL foremost

Have heard Tronsmart is good, which for being portable? Do You recommend any?

Might be other brand you like with great bass

Budget 200 USD +-

Listening exclusively to rap, on phone sometime podcast but just as a background before Bed

THANKS!

What are some of the best boom bap albums y'all have listened to. I listen to a lot of hip hop music but I can't really find a Boom Bap album I like. Leave me some suggestions down below.

I feel like most rap beefs in history always have a clear winner in the publics eyes, even though it should be mostly subjective, judging by which diss tracks you like better.

For example:

Jay-Z vs Nas - Nas won with Ether

Tupac vs Biggie - 2pac with Hit 'em up

50 cent vs Ja Rule - 50 with Back Down

Drake vs Meek Mill - Drake with Back to Back

Ice Cube vs N.W.A - Ice cube with No Vaseline

Eminem vs Benzino - Em with Nail in the coffin

Drake vs Kendrick - Kendrick with NLU

Pusha T vs Drake - Pusha with Story of Adidon

So what's a rap beef fans and critics remain divided on who the true 'winner' should be?

Here's a truth nobody wants to admit: Kendrick Lamar's success marks the complete corporatization of "conscious rap" and represents everything wrong with modern hip-hop. He's turned authenticity into a marketing strategy and depth into a gimmick.

Let's look at the facts. Every Kendrick album follows the same formula: vague "deep" concepts, intentionally difficult production to seem artistic, and enough plausible interpretations that music critics can write their PhD dissertations about what it all means. It's conscious rap as designed by a marketing team.

Compare Kendrick to actual revolutionary artists like Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, or even early Ice Cube. These artists named names, called out specific systems and people, and made their messages crystal clear. There was no hiding behind metaphors about butterflies or good kids in mad cities. They said exactly who was oppressing who and how.

Kendrick? He makes rebellion safe for corporate consumption. He'll talk about "the system" in the abstract while taking checks from Nike and Disney. He'll make an album about Black trauma that's carefully constructed to win Grammy votes from white record executives. He's mastered the art of seeming revolutionary while never actually threatening the status quo.

His fans will say "but the complexity is what makes it genius!" Nah. The complexity is what makes it marketable. Real revolutionary art hits you in the chest with its message - think "Fight the Power" or "The Message." You didn't need a genius.com annotation to understand what they meant. Kendrick's intentional obscurity isn't depth - it's plausible deniability.

The industry loves Kendrick because he's the perfect avatar of fake-deep rap. He makes white liberals feel like they're engaging with real issues while never making them too uncomfortable. He lets suburbanites feel revolutionary for listening to songs that sound difficult but don't actually challenge anything.

This isn't about his technical skills - he's obviously talented. This is about how he's used those skills to turn "conscious rap" into just another marketable aesthetic. He's gentrified revolutionary hip-hop, making it safe for NPR features and corporate sponsorships.

And before you say "at least he's bringing these topics to the mainstream" - that's exactly the problem. He's teaching a generation that real revolution comes with corporate sponsors, that true consciousness means being vague enough to sell sneakers, and that authenticity is just another brand strategy.

The saddest part? The industry will use him as the template going forward. Want to be taken seriously as a "conscious" rapper? Better make sure your message is obscure enough that it won't scare away sponsors. Better make your rebellion marketable enough for Netflix documentaries.

Kendrick isn't the savior of hip-hop. He's the ultimate example of how capitalism absorbs and neutralizes revolutionary art. He's not speaking truth to power - he's teaching power how to sell truth back to us.

And yeah, your interpretation of this post might be different. But that's kind of the point.

I see a lot of people saying that's the only reason Jay Z became popular. I know his first album went gold and 96, but compared to Tupac and Biggie he wasn't selling as much. I think he still would have blown up and had a successful career had they lived longer. What do you guys think?

I feel like when you ask for experimental hip hop the main answer you get is Earl Sweatshirt or Billy Woods or other MF Doom inspired rappers

Who are some rappers or producers that blend different genres with hip hop? Electronic, punk, rnb, idc just anything but sample loop + no drums rap again! I get it, it is really good, but it can’t be the only experimenting thats going on in hip hop

For example, I’d consider someone like 454 to be experimental because of the way he pitches his voice and the rhythms on his beats. Keep A Smile comes to mind

Artists like ZRo and Poodieville. Rappers that mainly focus on the real struggles of life.

It definitely sounds like something DOOM would have already done, so if he has, please direct me to it. If he hasn't, though, are there any examples?

On an old hip-hop journey and realized Ive never listened to anything earlier than run-dmcs first album is there anything worth checking out album wise?

1. Death Certificate - Ice Cube

2. Me against the world - 2pac

3. The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory - Makaveli

4. Way too Fonky - DJ Quik

5. TP2 - R. Kelly

My top 4 listened to songs:

1. Wesley’s Theory - Kendrick Lamar
2. Reborn - KIDS SEE GHOSTS
3. Devil In A New Dress - Kanye West
4. m.A.A.d city - Kendrick Lamar

What about yours?

Im looking albums similar to Ludacris - Word of Mouf, Lil Wayne - Tha Carter 3, Snoop Dogg - Rhythm and Gangsta, or 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin’

First album or first song

Makes me cringe, dunno why but it do. Am I alone? Also for relevance 39yo lifetime rap/hip-hop enthusiast.

i mean the colledge dropout is better than any em album you cant go back and listen to em maybe his fans can but you can pick any random old ye album and you would finish it without skipping once so yea i would rather listen to ye for my rest of my life then ems corny ass he has like what 4 good albums? ye has 10 solo projects not missed once vulture(collab album) cant be counted and v1 wasnt even that bad 6/10 for me v2 is fucked up but if we talking about solo discography no one does it better than ye. em has been dropping mid since like 15+ years.

I’m going with Game… I’ve been arguing on twitter about this all day lol. Bro the documentary is a classic. Production by Dre & Scott Storch. Listen to Westside Story. I’m sorry I can’t put Kendrick above 05-06 Game.

Just wondering if it was common in the 90s for people to insist the genre had already peaked and the new stuff was all trash. For instance did hardcore Kane fans think Nas was trash?

It’s kind of widely accepted now that the 90s was an extremely good time for hip hop but did it feel that way to people at the time who’d grown up on the prior generation?

Surprised I haven't seen any mentions of vinnie paz or JMT/AOTP on here 🤔

Growing up in California I always heard West Coast hip hop/G-Funk and some of Kurupt’s stuff and his work with Daz in their duo The Dogg Pound I often heard growing up. That was pretty much my introduction to him.

How do you guys feel about Kurupt? What is your favorite album by him? What is your favorite song/verse by him? Do you think he was one of the best West Coast G-Funk rappers? How do you feel about him overall as a lyricist/rapper? Would you put him on your list of the GOATs in hip hop? Let me know!

NOTE: Yes I know he originally is from Philly but he reps West Coast and his main sound is G-Funk that’s why I referred to him as “West Coast”.

I love Cole but his fans makes difficult to not downplay his rapping when comparing him to Kendrick. He's definitely had dope verses and tracks this year(outside of Grippy)but to make the claim and believe he was rapping better Kendrick or had a better year than him, you would need to have your head stuck far up your ass.

Scenario: you're at a birthday party, maybe even a bbq. And you have to step away for a second to use the bathroom but don't want to interrupt your child's fun to bring them with you. It's a function with hip hop figures, most with their children & all. Which rapper would you feel comfortable asking to watch your kid for a few minutes?

I recently purchased a collection of Riaa Gold and Platinum record awards for various artists (Bone Thugz N Harmony, Lil Wayne, T.I and more). I was wondering if anyone here collects them?

I'm a huge fan of Snoop and feel he has some real slept on albums because Doggystyle was so great but I by far think it's a disgrace to call this a sequel to Doggystyle. No Warren G No Nate Dogg No Dogg Pound No G Funk beats .This sounds like something the Real Housewives of Atlanta would listen to. There's about 4 decentish tracks Outta the Blue ,Fire , Skyscrapers and Guns and Smoke that's it .Dr Dre,Dr Dre bruuh this ain't it LL Cool J just proved older guys can still make great albums I don't know what this is what did you guys think.

Why didn’t Freeway become one of the faces lf his generation?

Free At Last is a fucking 10/10 classic. Seriously one of the best produced rap albums of the 00’s

William Berry, known professionally as Wildelux (pronounced Will Delux), is a rapper originally from the Bronx, New York City, which is widely recognized as the birthplace of hip-hop. Growing up in an environment deeply influenced by hip-hop culture, Wildelux’s experiences shaped his artistic vision and commitment to the genre. After facing various challenges on the streets of New York City, he decided to pursue a professional music career and relocated to Los Angeles, California, on November 17, 1993.

I've been listening to this dude nonstop for a few months by a recommendation from a friend, and I'm absolutely hooked, but also puzzled as to why there's barely any mention of him here on Reddit, even when reading through recommendation threads for similar acts.

Old heads unite; Boom Bap, Turntablism and underground fans, if you're a fan of guys like Nas, Kool G Rap, Rakim, Masta Ace, Reks, Skyzoo, Torae, Mobb Deep, Sean Price, Phonte, Elzhi, Blu, etc. please give my guy a listen with the material that's out there on Spotify or other streaming services.

He has an album with a producer named Propo'88 and they're now a duo called Certified Craftsmen; their self-titled debut album is insane, with another one on the way. That'd be a good starting point to get into his stuff. Let me know in the comments what you think when you give some of, if not all of his material a listen.