It would be great to meet people with a mutual interest when it comes to music. My favorite rapper is Ice Cube.
Let me know yours. BTW I do not mean contemporary rap music by mumble rap but rather music which sound like meaningless junk(might not necessarily be the same for you) to me.
I used to be big into rap/hip hop years ago. I was a big fan of Lupe Fiasco and had all his mixtapes and early stuff before he got big. I also really like Drake’s “So Far Gone” and other mixtapes of his early in his career. The only Kanye I’ve ever enjoyed was “808’s and Heartbreaks” I thought he did an amazing job on that album. Another great artist I used to listen to is Lecrae (Christian rapper). If you’re not a Christian I would still suggest some of his music because he’s really talented; specifically his album Anomaly and mixtape Church Clothes 2.
Today I find myself listening to more musical tracks rather than vocals. I listen to a lot of video game soundtracks, mostly Final Fantasy. I also enjoy classical and piano music. The most hip hop thing I listen to currently is the lofi hip hop beats that are livestreamed on YouTube. Other than that rap has just gotten, eh for me. If it’s not mumble rap then it’s political and if it’s not political then it’s preachy and if it’s not preachy then it’s materialistic. I guess I just don’t enjoy being told how I should feel and think, and I feel that majority of rap today is just that.
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Am I a fan of hip hop or rap? No!
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Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I guess I could use them to add more songs to my YT hip hop playlist.
I’m a christian(a catholic; but not super devoted). I do like christian rap. I’ve listened to several of Surreal’s(a great christian rapper) songs. They are extraordinary. I’d suggest you to listen to: “They call me” and “Push on”. I do not like most of Drake’s music. I used to think he was not a competent rapper until I listened to the Duppy freestyle. I do not listen to Kanye’s music too much because a lot of his rhymes involve weird relationship matters(esp. Gold Digger).
I love “The Show Goes on” by Lupe Fiasco
I’m a big fan of Gangsta Rap too. BTW Big L is my 2nd favorite. It seems to me that you’re seeking seriously thoughtful rap subconsciously. I’d suggest you to listen to Immortal Technique and K-Rino(esp. K-Rino’s Perfect World).
It feels great to meet a graphic designer who used to like hip hop.
Does Tom Petty’s Last Dance with Mary Jane qualify as rap? I once heard it described as his one foray into that genre.
Otherwise no.
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Hah! I doubt it, but maybe it should. I’m not a fan of the genre, but there are some white-guy metal/rap things I can enjoy. A mainstream-ish example would be:
Of course it’s the heavy guitar riff and crash-riding drums between the raps that i find appealing.
Another, slightly less mainstream example of metaliness with rap sprinkles:
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Thanks for the suggestion. I used to think of myself as a fan of conscious rap, but really I am not. I find most conscious rappers to be corny, like they are just reciting the biggest words they found in an encyclopedia.
I think the thing I liked most about Lupe (mainly old Lupe) was his ability to use story telling and metaphors unlike other rappers. I would find myself catching new meanings in his songs the more I listened to them. He just had a great way of being descriptive without being cliche or obvious.
As far as Drake goes, if it’s a song of his that is not 8 years old or older, chances are I do not like it. I really liked him when he first hit the scene because of the sound of his voice and his refreshing style.
I’m not a big fan of ganster rap, but I can appreciate it and understand it’s impact on the hip hop culture.
As a said previously, rap today is too preachy. Whether you’re a mumble rapper or a Christian rapper, you are trying to convince the listener to think the way you want them to think. I am a Christian, but I don’t need to listen to some rap song to validate my faith.
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Sorry, not a fan. I couldn’t tell you one Rapper from another. Although there have been songs I have liked over the years. But this is my era of tunes.
I’m a classic rock fan. I also like bit of a metal and most symphonic metal with a dose of the Bee Gees and a sprinkling of Donna Summer and just about every 80’s hair band that had a rock ballad 
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Cube was the man when I was a kid, talking it was a good day, days, I had the Kill at Will album on cassette when I was about 12 lol Also was heavily into Public Enemy, Tribe Called Quest, 3rd Bass, and then later Cypress Hill, the Pharcyde etc.
I wouldn’t even call this mumble crap Hip-Hop, not the hip-hop I grew up on. Back then Hip-Hop was edgy, dangerous, if it didn’t have the parental advisory explicit lyrics sticker on it, I wasn’t buying it. Nowadays its about as scary as a sickly puppy on a drip.
Couple of guys still doing it right, Danny Brown springs to mind. I still listen to the 80s-90s stuff occasionally, but more often listen to blues, country, reggae etc
Classic material: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU1aVvP4f-E
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Danny Brown:
Big L:
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Cube kills this one… onyourwaytobeatsomeoneupmusic lol
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You’re the first designer I’ve heard of who listens to Big L. I love his incredible wordplay. No has been able to imitate him so far. He’s my second favorite rapper. Ice Cube is my most favorite rapper. IMO he has never lost at a rap beef. More than 60% of my hip hop playlist is loaded with their music. I’m not fan of A Tribe Called Quest because I’m not “feeling it” when I listen to them. I prefer someone like Warren G when I wanna listen to sth calm.
There are still quite a lot of great rappers in this era. I like Grown Up by Danny Brown. I’d suggest you to listen to Lil Dicky. The name might sound weird but he got straight bars.
Check out Flawless Real Talk if you do not like the new school flow:
I guess in every era there are plenty of songs which are not worth a listen esp. this era.
ha I’ve been listening to Big L for 20 plus years! I agree he was ahead of his time, and even now is hard to match when you consider everything, wordplay, flow, style. Shame he died so young.
I used to love Cube, and he has a great voice and delivery, but technically he isn’t on the level of a Big L, Nas or KRS 1 in my opinion. Warren G was cool, but completely different style to Tribe. Both mellow, yes, but thats where the similarity ends.
Snoops album doggystyle was a masterpiece of that genre (gangster rap) and he never did make anything close to as good as that, in fact most of his output since has been awful in comparison.
I listened to 10 seconds of little Dicky and switched off lol You will find it hard to convince a Hip-Hop fan from my day that the stuff of today is anything close to what was back in the 80s-90s. The reason I like that Danny Brown re up track is because it sounds like it could have been recorded in the 90s It’s hard, and real.
It’s just how it goes though, everyone likes the stuff they grew up on and nobody likes change! lol
As I got older though I went off hip-hop as I realised there is nothing cool about being a gangster, selling crack, or going to jail. I feel like I just outgrew it.
Still listen to the classics from time to time though as I say, because good music doesn’t get old, like Tribe Called Quests Midnight Marauders LP for instance.
For old times sake eh, cheers, Gltich!
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What do you think of rappers like K-Rino and Immortal Technique?