Rap Music

Back in high school I went through a phase in which I listened to a lot of rap music. In my opinion, this was the high point in the genre. I personally feel as though the music from this genre has gone downhill since the mid 90's and has never regained the quality it once demonstrated. I could take this blog in another direction to examine my personal perspective and how my opinion could be a function of age, and lack of exposure to most of the rap music industry as opposed to a legitimate decline in quality of hip hop, but instead I will acknowledge it here and move on to more light hearted discussion.

My quick disclaimer is this: The rap I enjoyed in the late 80's and the early, pre-gangsta rap period was not necessarily what was marketed to the masses. I agree that the MC Hammers, Vanilla Ices, Sir Mix-a-lots, Fat Boys, Tone Locs et al of the rap genre were not all that great. But there were artists who were marketed to the masses along with others that may have not been so "famous." Therefore, since today I only know of the mass marketed (is that even a word?), I could be unaware of good, poetic, rhythmic rap music being written and produced today.

My point of this blog post is to share with you some artists and songs that I have always enjoyed and consider "quality" rap the way it should be. No "G's up Ho's down," "pop a cap in yo ass" garbage. While it was fun to party to Snoop Dog's "Doggystyle" and I had my Dr. Dre, NWA, Ice Cube phase, I consider good music to have clever or meaningful lyrics. I think good rap has solid, driving beats. It has rhythm that makes you want to groove and move. I consider it to be poetic at times but not always.

Here are some artists, songs and albums I have always enoyed:
Pharcyde..."Passin' Me By" This is a song I have always considered on of my top 5 favorite rap songs ever. The vibe of the song, the rhymes, the sonic elements are all so good. It never gets old.

Public Enemy.... So much about this group is good. Flavor Flav???? Hmmmm. But Chuck D. is an intelligent, strong individual with powerful lyrics and a message that he delivers with a voice just as powerful. Their controversial political rap taught me more about the black experience and their view of the civil rights movement than anything I learned in school. His stuff made me think and contributed to my motivation to read Malcolm X's autobiography (which every impressionable teenager did when Spike Lee's movie with Denzel Washington came out) and teach in the city like I have been doing for a decade now as opposed to staying the the comfortable suburbs.

Boogie Down Productions......In the same vain as Public Enemy, BDP raised awareness to the black experience in the U.S. KRS-1, like Chuck D. delivered powerful messages through strong lyrics, beats and voice.

Eric B. and Rakim....Probably the best voice in rap music was Rakim. His voice alone was an instrument. Eric B. mixed wicked beats behind the intense lyrics of Rakim. Microphone Fiend is a classic with its driving, slamming beats. His egotistical lyrics were par for the course at that time when rappers would spar back and forth with words not bullets. In their songs, they would declare their greatness over other rappers, "your beats are whack while my lyrics are all that." The beginning of the end of my enjoyment of rap was when the next generation of rappers (Biggy, TuPac, P. Diddy, Ja Rule and more) began killing people for real. The competitive banter back and forth and the rivalries went too far. I know there is much more to this, but as a fan that lost me.

A Tribe Called Quest...The single best rap group EVER in my mind. Q-Tip is the smoothest, most clever, poetic lyricist I have ever heard. Their mellow vibe, the funny, catchy rhymes were great. The themes of their music varied and showed diversity. Fife Dog was an excellent compliment to Q-Tip's lead. Every album carried itself with song after song that keeps me coming back. The individual albums carried themselves while staying true to the group itself. Each was unique but still in the same vain as the others. They managed to maintain their "street cred" without stooping to violence and cheap, degrading sex. Their live shows were some of the best shows I have experienced across every genre. You felt like you were part of the show as you contributed to the energy and vibe.

These are several rap artisits I really enjoy. I also have been a big fan of Big Daddy Kane, D-Nice, Ice Cube, Wu Tang Clan (yes, contradicting my earlier statements regarding violence and cheap, degrading sex),and of course Ol' Dirty Bastard, EPMD, Black Sheep to name a few.