What happened to socially/politically concious rappers

the David Banner shout-out in the Tef Poe track rev posted reminds me that he hasn't been mentioned yet ITT

Xp: was wondering about that post myself.

(xp ... altho Banner was around before the mid-00s, which means he might be arbitrarily excluded from RT's extremely labile classifications)

I guess I don't care whether I'm talking to a sock or not... I must have become truly jaded. #shrugemoticon

weird to me that no one cared about new national anthem; one of the better tracks on the album imo

I don't think it matters much whether he's a sock, but Paul Edward Wagemann wasn't a sock either, as far as I know...

Isn't this the exact same thread you made a few weeks ago?

Well, my response is the same as in the past thread: blame Pharrell

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U4chHBO_RTA

O.T. Genasis mang

He also collaborated with Daft Punk so before you start the "when did EDM became so corporate?" :

Pharrell. Fucking Pharrell.

If given the chance he will ruin our last bastion of non corporate music: Salsa.

I'm not really sure what this thread is about anymore, seems defined in a pretty arbitrary way as Rev points out - what counts as social/political consciousness, why the 10 year limit, this notion that it's about "Corporate rule$$ keep the people dumb" (wot?)...

But for the sake of argument, did we mention:

Lil B - where to begin? B's always rapped about swag and teh BIG issues, having some "'knowledge' song on your album..." Just off the top of my head:

No Black Person Is Ugly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83p69JhDnwU
Lifes Hard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfc6fvNlE_I
Giving Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg1YAbq8gb8
The Age Of Information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=corY-FZAZog

Lil Herb's mixtape from last year had tons of reflexive/critical moments on it, and this is coming out of Chicago!

4 Minutes Of Hell PT3: http://genius.com/Lil-herb-4-minutes-of-hell-part-3-lyrics
Fight or Flight (Remix feat. Chance The Rapper & Common): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtS_AvUfvfA
Lil Herb - Mamma Im Sorry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDvNRs2A4gU

SaveMoney crew:

Chance, Everybody's Something: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gctf0n8b3F4
Chance, Pusha Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0DcVbSYWUA

They murking kids; they murder kids here
Why you think they don't talk about it? They deserted us here
Where the fuck is Matt Lauer at? Somebody get Katie Couric in here
Probably scared of all the refugees, look like we had a fuckin' hurricane here
They'll be shooting whether it's dark or not, I mean, the days is pretty dark a lot
Down here, it's easier to find a gun than it is to find a fucking parking spot
No love for the opposition, specifically a cop position
Cause they've never been in our position
Getting violations for the nation, correlating, you dry snitchin'

I assumed we covered Kendrick, but then what about Ab-Soul:

Terrorist Threats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_71q5lVEjc

Dunno, could go on and on, but feel like this is a bit of a pointless exercise. "Conscious raps" can be ID'd all over the place, but the concept is also kind of a weak construct; this is some pretty basic shit, but a track might be considered political on a number of different levels and angles. As many point out in this thread, it doesn't have to be about explicitly "socio-political" lyrics or even themes. Artists that overly indulge in the latter often don't produce very interesting work. It can be as much about the reception, the beats and social context.

Oh damn I'm getting a corporate hip hop sonning from Nikki Minaj and Charlie XCX superfans again

Nearly damn all the artists in the list social or political themes dominated a large part of their music

Lets look at the biggest rappers out now and see if that holds for them

Nikki Minaj NOPE
Wiz Khalifa NOPE
Tyler Creator NOPE
Migos NOPE
Young Thug NOPE
Drake NOPE
Chief Keef NOPE
Iggy NOPE
Schoolboy Q NOPE
ASAP Rocky NOPE
French Montana NOPE
Rick Ross NOPE
Jay Z NOPE
Juicy J NOPE
Pitbull NOPE
50 Cent NOPE
Future NOPE
YG NOPE
Jeezy NOPE
Clipse NOPE
Action Bronson NOPE
Riff Raff NOPE
Bobby Shmurda NOPE

Content: LEAN, X, BITCHES, BLOWJOBS, CARS, SNEAKERS, CRIME, WEED, NIGGAS THAT AINT FUCKING WITH THEM.

Whoever you got left, Lil B? Kendrick? Vince Staples? ok. I'm right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9QG7JfzuTA

Jeezy NOPE

You are so stupid.

Remove Bookmark from this Thread

Jeezy NOPE

You are so stupid.

― Matt DC,

haha at you coming back with ONE rapper from that list of like 30 xD

Jeezy, the coke rapper who released an album called Recession and spent most of it talking about how rich he is, and coke. Yeah, "politcal themes dominating a large part of their music" really applies to Jeezy ahahahahahahah.

I repeat Jeezy: NOPE.

Matt DC = YOU are so stupid.

LOL he picked out 1 rapper from the huge list lmao.

I'm honestly in awe that someone wrote the sentence "I'm losing swag by the second with you lames" in 2015.

I dunno what to say, man. Besides the fact that you're reducing entire artist's catalogs to 'NOPE' - maybe you should just join a church and listen to some other stuff?

I mean, to just take one from that list, how is Future's 'Turn Off the Lights' about 'Neva End' or 'I Be U' about 'BITCHES'? Or any of those other things?

Funny how guys on this tip always manage to sneak in their own misogyny there.

I'm honestly in awe that someone wrote the sentence "I'm losing swag by the second with you lames" in 2015.

― The Reverend,

I have never been in awe of a twelve year old.

RT making me concerned for the youth in 2015.

I didn't even mention yet the hip hop around the world that caught like fire and used for political messages. That's one of the reasons when USA rappers come back from Europe they always say European hip hop is the most knowledgeable fans, only place where hip hop is keeping it real. HH caught on around the world with young people like it did because it it's political and social aspect was such a major part of it. From Sarejavo to Paris to Berlin to Russia all these Euros caught on like crazy to it. Not for modern coke and bitches raps.

if you've never heard coke rap that tries to make a social/economic/political point then you haven't been listening hard enough

awful thread.

If you delete all the RT posts it's actually a pretty good thread imo.

Gasp in amazement as he spectacularly misunderstands the difference between an artifact and a culture.

There's some artfulness to it. So amazingly terrible.

Tanuki is the kind of racoon that goes to rap shows just to be able to shout REAL HIP HOP really loud. (insert hashtag at will)

Lol at all you lames straightlacing your low cut doc martins on message board.

If you listen to Nikki Minaj your opinion on this topic is worthless. Lex, Some Dude, Dyl, all you guys, you probably never even heard of most of the rappers in first post.

Nikki Minaj NOPE
Wiz Khalifa NOPE
Tyler Creator NOPE
Migos NOPE
Young Thug NOPE
Drake NOPE
Chief Keef NOPE
Iggy NOPE
Schoolboy Q NOPE
ASAP Rocky NOPE
French Montana NOPE
Rick Ross NOPE
Jay Z NOPE
Juicy J NOPE
Pitbull NOPE
50 Cent NOPE
Future NOPE
YG NOPE
Jeezy NOPE
Clipse NOPE
Action Bronson NOPE
Riff Raff NOPE
Bobby Shmurda NOPE

Tanuki is the kind of racoon that goes to rap shows just to be able to shout REAL HIP HOP really loud. (insert hashtag at will)

― longneck

Shows how poorly you misread me then. I'm way over your heads. You listen to Minaj, how can you think you have a say in this matter?

https://33.media.tumblr.com/95098a5af8764fe085d733dae9f83479/tumblr_n1orn5xclq1rpc5kho1_500.gif

that's fucking cruel

Is your username a reference to One Piece?

You do realize that your "you listen to"-taunts make it very difficult for other people to take you seriously, right?

Where have all the socially/politically conscious rappers gone?

Long time passing

Where have all the socially/politically conscious rappers gone?

Long time ago

Where have all the socially/politically conscious rappers gone?

Gone to Bandcamp, every one

When will they ever learn? When they ever learn?

raccoon how old are you? serious question

also, why do you post here? serious question

Had too much swag, needed to shed some

if RT is not a sock I'm kind of stoked for his presence here, real old school ilx troll feel

no he needs to go, check him out on the Charlie Hebdo thread and then hit FP

yr exercise in pointing out that the most popular rappers of today are rarely explicitly political is pretty useless considering that if you were to apply the same test to the most popular rappers of the supposedly halcyon days u refer to in yr first post, they would still fail the test. w/ 2-3 exceptions depending on how permissive u wanna be, the artists listed in the op were not among the most successful rap artists of their day.

Some of this concious stuff doesn't age that well, even at the time I used to wince at the KRS One tracks where he tries to chat like a ragga mc from the Yard. In recent times old lags like Juicy J and Gangsta Boo have released far better albums than anything from that era imo. At least in this era twats like Brand Nubians are recognised for what they are - completely fucking worthless hateful arseholes.

― xelab, Wednesday, January 7, 2015 8:05 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

eh some of the ignorant shit doesnt age well either, i do kind of think conscious rap gets a bad rap these days

This thread has given us a gif of a raccoon with a jet pack if nothing else, so my morning is made.

leave it to ILX posters to start talking about... feminism and gay rights and transgenders. This is hilarious. Why do I even post here with you saps. I'm losing swag by the second with you lames.

So, are you going to take accountability for this incredibly wrongheaded and generally fucked up statement?

do you even have to ask

So, are you going to take accountability for this incredibly wrongheaded and generally fucked up statement?

― ed.b,

lmao

yr exercise in pointing out that the most popular rappers of today are rarely explicitly political is pretty useless considering that if you were to apply the same test to the most popular rappers of the supposedly halcyon days u refer to in yr first post, they would still fail the test. w/ 2-3 exceptions depending on how permissive u wanna be, the artists listed in the op were not among the most successful rap artists of their day.

― dyl,

Dumb shit said by Nikki Minaj and Charlie XCX fans in this thread #4080

Oh no, he's back

Dumb shit said by Nikki Minaj and Charlie XCX fans in this thread #4080

Explain.

Or was your use of bold text supposed to be self-evident?

"Charli XCX fan" is not perhaps the damning insult that RT, judging from the number of times he's used it, believes it to be.