Okay then, here goes. I was going to probably post it here anyways at some point. Should be noted that this whole thing is mainly aimed at people who are unfamiliar with rap/hip-hop, so some or most of it might be stating the obvious for most of you. So don't blame me if that's the case, you have been warned.
Before I start, let me just get this out of the way: I LOVE music of all kinds, from classical to death metal, and I am absolutely NOT talking down on fans of any genre. If you don't like rap, that's fine. If you only like metal and nothing else, that's fine too. The reason I'm writing this is not to turn you into a hip-hop head. What I want is less ignorance, and the respect for hip-hop that it deserves.
Hearing ignorant things like "rap is crap" or "rap is not music" or "hip-hop is not art" gets me into a berserk state of mind faster than almost anything. I figured writing a through explanation on what rap REALLY is in it's entirety I can always refer back to it when some ignorant elitist self-proclaimed music lover drops the c-bomb.
I also love discussing music, and since this site is filled with people more mature than your average internet-user, I figured we could have a good discussion about the matter, and I'm hoping to get some good feedback and good additions or suggestions on how to improve this piece, and my writing in general (I'm hoping to get into music journalism at some point, even if just as a hobby).
Fingers crossed.
Okay, enough with the introductions, and let's get down to business.
So what's hip hop? Any hip hop head knows the stock answer you get from most non-hip hop heads: "It's all about oppressing women, buying expensive cars/jewelry and shooting people! Boo! It's not music, it's not art!". Personally, I've heard that particular gem in one form or another for approximately a trillion times. And if you base your opinions on what you learned by watching MTV, then that most certainly would appear to be the truth. But as you might have guessed, that's something I'm going to try hard to prove false now.
Putting popular music like Lil' Wayne or Gucci Mayne (or whoever else is 'hot' at the moment) aside, rap can't really be put into categories based on the music alone the way rock can, for example. There's a clear musical difference between hard rock, classical rock & metal, for example, while all rap is arguably more or less samey (the few artists with their completely unique sound aside). Sub-genres, such as gangsta-rap, jazz-hop, electro-rap and death-rap do exist, but there's so much overlap I'd wager nobody really know's what's what.
That being said, rap does have sub-categories that are actually quite simple to define, at least to a degree. And the way this is done is by using the part of Rhythm And Poetry (I will give you a second to close that mouth of yours that no doubt blew right open with that bombshell) that is often ignored, except when it gives the ignorant elitists more ammo against hip hop.
Yes, the poetry.
Now, if all rap songs are about women and all the disgusting things you can do to them (the ones that Disney forgot to write stories about), or alternatively money and guns, then how is this even possible? Well... it isn't. Unless we pretend for a second that not all rap songs are like the ones Lil' Wayne or The Game write, which is what we're going to do now.
Just roll with it and pretend it's a game.
The way I'm going to do this is I'll first post the name of the sub-genre, a description of the genre, and 20-ish examples of it that can easily be found on youtube/spotify, so those who who are looking to broaden their horizons have a place to start. I'll also try to include songs that are cornerstones of the particular sub-genre, but the songs are just examples, and not by any means the absolute cream of the particular sub-genre. Exploration beyond what I say is adviced. I picked songs that should help you grasp the differences between the different lyrical styles and subject matter, even if you're new to rap as a whole. It can get a bit challenging with some songs, though, since there is still overlap between the categories, and only rarely are songs just one thing. This is not an exact science, and my goal is not to standardize rap. I just want to make it absolutely clear for anyone that hip hop is not about only this or that. It's not one dimensional, or two dimensional, or three dimensional. There's more to it than what you see on MTV, and I figured the easiest way to portray this was to try and divide rap into sub-categories.
Let us start off with my personal favorite, and the one that's most known and at least somewhat appreciated even outside the hip-hop circles.
Conscious
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Conscious rap is one of the older and one the biggest sub-genres there are. Subject matter can be anything from politics to racism to hip-hop culture to social commentary to family to religion, but usually conscious rap is about problems the artist would like people to try and solve, or at least make people realize that this particualr problem is real and needs to be dealt with. It is often darker in mood, and sometimes depressing even, but it's always thought provoking.
While most sub-genres can be about similar subject matter, what makes conscious rap is the way the problems are presented. Conscious rap lyricism is less about clever word play or trying to make it all as artsy and complex as possible. Message comes first, and things are said in a very brutal and straightforward manner, without sugarcoating or glittery exterior. It's up to the listener to form their own opinion regarding the matter, and come up with a solution if they, too, think that this problem is something that needs to be solved. It's a wake-up call in rap form. It's not something that works in every situation, but as far as real rap goes, it doesn't get any realer than this.
Personally, I think rap does conscious/political music the best. I know a lot of conscious songs from other genres as well, but never have I heard gems similar to "Changes" or "Brother (Watching)" from other genres. I'm not saying they don't exist, but I think it's fair to say that rap is the ruler of conscious lyricism (feel free to prove me wrong, I'm all for learning).
2Pac - Changes
2Pac - Trapped
Sabac - The Commitment
Sabac - Shift The Earth (Prod. by Blue Sky Black Death)
Sabac - Fight Until The End (Ft. Immortal Technique & Roosevel Phillips)
Sabac - I Have a Dream
Public Enemy - Harder Than You Think
Public Enemy - Sex, Drugs & Violence
Public Enemy - Party For Your Right To Fight
Revolution Of The Mind - Rise Again
Revolution Of The Mind - Die For My People
Nas - I Can
Shad - Brother (Watching)
Reef The Lost Cauze - Sound Of Philadelphia
Xzibit - The Foundation
Xzibit - Paparazzi
Immortal Technique - The Point Of No Return
Immortal Technique - Fight Until The End Ft. Sabac
Cook - The Only Way To Be (feat. Noah King)
The Problemaddicts - I'll Be White Black
Loptimist - Hidden Agenda (Ft. Braille)
Army Of The Pharaohs - Don't Cry
Killah Priest - One Step
Virtuoso - Fahrenheit 911 (Ft. Slaine)
East Coast Avengers - Too Much To Ask
Story
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People often say that while Biggie had the flow, Tupac told the stories, and I think that's a pretty accurate description of the two legends. Rap stories are often about the life in the streets or poverty, and 'story rap' has a lot in common with conscious rap. Both portray the problems within communities or society in general, but often from a different perspective. Conscious rap is more observant and objective (to a degree), while stories are told from the POV of the person who lived through it, and are very subjective and often one sided. Rap stories can also be completely fictional and silly, and the mood between songs that are basically told and written the same exact way can change between extremely deep and emotional to borderline comedy. When done right, this particular form of hip-hop song writing is very captivating and interesting, and when done wrong, just plain embarrassing, which is why mainstream artists only rarely bend this way.
Story rap is very flexible. It can make us think, it can make us learn, it can paint stories with words if you have the imagination and it can make us laugh.
Dr. Dre - Lil' Ghetto Boy
Ill Bill - The Anatomy of a School Shooting
Armyfatique - Doesn't Feel Good (Ft. Bekay)
Vinnie Paz - Keep Movin' On
Vinnie Paz - Same Story (My Dedication)
Sabac - Death & Destiny (feat. Slaine & Jordan "Playahnice" Battiste)
Q-Unique - The Set Up
Eibol - A Song For Jake
Big John - Undying Sorrow
Wise Intelligent - Passing Tha Time
Army Of The Pharaohs - Into The Arms Of Angels (ft. Faez One, Crypt the Warchild, and Vinnie Paz)
Jedi Mind Tricks - Razorblade Salvation
Jedi Mind Tricks - Uncommon Valor: (A Vietnam Story) (Ft. R.A. The Rugged Man)
Paleface - Sicko
Sage Francis - The Best of Times
Audible Mainframe - Figure it out
Xzibit - Carry The Weight
Immortal Technique - Dance With The Devil
Audible Mainframe - In the City (ft. Reks)
A.V.I.U.S. - Let it Go
Promoe - These Walls Don't Lie
Public Enemy - Long And Whining Road
Ill Bill - War Is My Destiny (feat. Max Cavalera & Immortal Technique)
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson
The Phormula - Come On In
Double A.B - Neighbors
Poetry
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Poetic rap is most certainly not for everyone. It's A very unique approach to rap, and is sure to split opinions. Poetic hip-hop boils down to two different styles: The street poetry, and the more cryptic, shall we say more traditional poetry, that's just delivered over a beat and with a rap-esque flow. In order to enjoy poetic rap -- especially the more cryptic-sort -- to it's fullest, you often have to really pay attention to the lyrics, and if you have the mental capacity, try and picture the words that are being painted by the artist. It's not easy to approach, but it's something you definitely want to get into if you're a fan of more complex music. As far as 'artistic value' goes, rap-poetry doesn't have to bow down to anyone. Personally, I can proudly admit that I enjoy Sadistik more than any traditional poet. If that makes me an uncultured swine, then I guess I'm an uncultured swine. When I listen to a poetic rap song, close my eyes and focus, I can experience emotions no other form of art provides. But like I said, it's definitely not for everyone, and I can easily understand why some people -- even other hip-hop heads -- might not like it.
Street poetry (pardon the cliched terminology) is often more straightforward, but can be surprisingly complex if you try to really understand what the artist is after. It's less about just hearing the words, and more about UNDERSTANDING the underlying message or seeing what the artist wants you to see. It could be gang violence, or it could be flowers. Poetic rap can be about nothing in particular, and at the same time, it can say everything in a way that leaves an impression bigger than any other sub-genre. It can be complex, but it can also be fairly simple.
It gives you the poem, and doesn't hold your hand while you try to figure out what it all means. If you get it then you getj it, if you don't get it then it will all just sound meaningless and random to you.
Sadistik - Searching for Some Beautiful
Sadistik - Absolution
Sadistik - Memento Mori
Sadistik - Save Yourself
Heiruspecs - Lie To Me
Heiruspecs - Heartsprings
Heiruspecs - Swearsong
Heiruspecs - 5ves
P.O.S - Optimist (We Are Not for Them)
P.O.S. - P.O.S. Is Ruining My Life
Eligh - Soul on the Road
Eligh - Shine ft. The Grouch & K-Flay
Zion I - Always
Zion I - Finger Paint
2mex - Across and Down
Sage Francis - The Baby Stays
Sage Francis - Diamonds and Pearls
Cyne - Arrow of God
The Roots - Dear God 2.0 (feat. Monsters Of Folk)
Dilated Peoples - Tryin' To Breathe
Dilated Peoples - Love And War
Nas - Dance
Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
Audible Mainframe - Sketches Of Pain
Feel Good
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Feel Good rap is very easy to explain: It's all there in the title. The only mission, the only thing Feel Good rap is SUPPOSED to do is make you feel good and get your spirits up. It's the friend that pats your back when you feel down, and personally I start many of my mornings with a dose of Feel Good rap.
As far as lyrical depth goes, this sub-genre often borderlines the brainless-ness of pop-rap, but I've never believed that all music should be conscious or that deep. Isn't it good enough that it... well, makes you feel good? And not all Feel Good rap is simple; some Feel Good songs overlap with conscious rap, some with story rap and some with poetic rap. But don't expect for any of these songs to get you depressed or make you cry, it's not it's job.
Like I said, it often lacks lyrical depth, but if you're looking for your daily dose of sunshine you can always turn to Feel Good rap. And I think that's more than enough, especially considering how pop-rap makes me feel nothing at all most of the time, and hatred & disgust towards the glittery world of pop-culture the rest.
Dilated Peoples - Worst Comes to Worst
Sabac - Breaking Through
Inverse - Rise 'N Shine
Evidence - Chase The Clouds Away (prod. by The Alchemist)
Shad - Get Up
Shad - The Old Prince Still Lives At Home
Collective Efforts - The Worst Is Over [Valentine Remix]
Incise - Paving The Way (feat. Okay City, Shad K & David Morin)
Nieve - What Are You Rappin For
Cook - Towards The Future (feat. Tunji & Deacon)
Nieve And Cook - Priceless Few
ShinSight Trio - Wheres There a Moon That Is Mine
SoulChef - Franki Valli (ft. The Outfit)
ST/Mic - Dedicate To Elevate Orgem (Reemix Ft. DJ Ragz)
Cyne - Haze
Spit Syndicate - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Ft. Solo)
Conscious Youths - Don't Worry
Xzibit - Heart Of Man
Granite State - Good God (Higher)
Eightrack Mind - Slow Down
Common - Funky For You
The Loyalists - Endurance (Ft. The Aztexts)
Positive K - I Got A Man
Banger
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This is where it gets hard for me, for two reasons: I'm not that familiar with this side of hip-hop, as my playlists are filled mostly with the four previous sub-genres, and because bangers are often VERY shallow, VERY stupid and even VERY violent, which is not exactly something I can or WANT to defend. But since I took the job I must do my best, so here goes nothing:
Let me start off by saying that I don't think bangers are that different from, say, many hard rock songs, that are essentially about alcohol abuse, groupies and partying. What they lack in depth they make up for in pure aggression and energy. It gets the blood flowing, so to speak. And sometimes shallow and simple is just what a mind needs; a brain needs a rest, too, and bangers are sure to deliver that in spades. Bangers are the action movies of rap music: Little to offer as far as artistic values go, but the cheesy one-liners and over the top car chases keep it entertaining time and time again. Glorifying drug/alcohol use or guns or violence is never cool or something that people who've passed puberty should do, but... Take it with a grain of salt. It's entertainment, like Rambo or Under Siege (Steven Seagal is awesome).
Diss tracks are also essentially bangers. "Beefs" are a strange and unique part of the genre, and I'm not even going to try to explain it to anyone, because I don't really understand it myself. It's childish as hell and full of hot air and empty threats, but some of the best bangers of all time are diss tracks. Plus some of them are funny as heck, if you can look past the... well, childish jokes and the stupidity of it all.
Celph Titled - Real Villains (Ft. Guttamouf, Lord Digga, & Majik Most)
Celph Titled - Just A Feelin' (Ft. Majik Most)
Celph Titled - Nut Reception
Akrobatik - Nightfall
Immortal Technique - Crossing the Boundary
Immortal Technique - Hollywood Driveby (Ft. The Psycho Realm & Sick Symphoniez)
Immortal Technique - Obnoxious
Non Phixion - The CIA is Trying to Kill Me
Sicknature - Never Say Never At All (Ft. Slaine)
Vinnie Paz - End Of Days featuring Block MCCloud
Army Of The Pharaohs - All Shall Perish
Army Of The Pharaohs - Dump The Clip
Adam F. & M.O.P - Stand Clear
Jedi Mind Tricks - Heavy Metal Kings (Feat Ill Bill)
Jedi Mind Tricks - Kublain Khan
ONYX - Throw Ya Gunz
DMX - X Gon' Give It To Ya
Eminem - The Sauce
Eminem - Nail In The Coffin
Eminem - Doe Ray Me
2Pac - Hit Em Up
Ice Cube - No Vaseline
Dilated Peoples - Search 4 Bobby Fisher
Dr.Dre - **** Wit Dre Day
Common - The Bitch in Yoo
LL Cool J - Jack The Ripper
Nas - Ether
Old School
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Coming up with a name for this 'sub-genre' was one hell of a challenge. What I was trying to describe is a sub-genre where the lyrics are, more often than not, about the general excellence of the artist, or more precisely, their lyrical prowess. It's sort of similar to bangers, but less aggressive, and more about just having fun and clever wordplay. Other titles I considered were 'Hype-rap', 'Wordplay-rap', 'KRS-One rap' and 'Punchline-rap' but while all of them described single attributes/things often linked to this sub-genre, none of them properly defined it as a whole. And in the end, Old School rap was the best I could come up with, since this particular style was extremely popular (to a degree where it was pretty much the ONLY recognized style) during the early years of rap.
Old School rap is often very shallow. There's no denying it, even though all of us love Rakim & Eric B. and Big Daddy Kane. Old School rap, the rap that all rap is based on, is not that different from modern day's pop-rap as far as depth goes.
The difference between the two is that in Old School rap, the point is to have fun. To go wild with it. It's a lot like freestyle-sessions and battle-raps, and while the lyrics aren't exactly poetic or conscious, it's always fun to listen to, because the only objective Old School rap has is to come up with clever punchlines and new type of flows. To spit FIRE, so to speak. And get the audience hyped, which is something Fresh Prince and KRS-One are known for, and they are also responsible for many of this sub-genres classics.
As established, this is what everyone and their mom did when rap was just taking it's baby steps. Today, this particular style of lyricism is pretty rare, which in my opinion is clear sign of all the evolving hip-hop has gone through throughout the years. It started off with just people dropping clever lines and punchlines, trying to outwit/outrhyme each other. Now, it's a proper musical genre, with it's own characteristics, own followers and it's own place in the musical industry. It's grown up.
But Big Daddy Kane is still as fresh as ever.
Big Daddy Kane - Raw
Big Daddy Kane - Ain't No Half Steppin'
Big Daddy Kane - Young, Gifted and Black
Dilated Peoples - Work The Angles
Dilated Peoples - No Retreat
Dilated Peoples - Guaranteed
Evidence - Perfect Storm (feat. Rakaa Iriscience & Madchild)
Evidence - Letyourselfgo (feat. The Alchemist & Phonte)
Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full
Eric B & Rakim - Lyrics Of Fury
Rakim - When I B On Tha Mic
Jurassic 5 - Concrete Schoolyard
Jurassic 5 - Whats Golden
KRS-One - MC's Act Like They Don't Know
KRS-One - I'm Still #1
Rugged Intellect - It Is What It Is
Rugged Intellect - Real Recognize Real
Naughty By Nature - Hip Hop Hooray
Mos Def - Mathematics
Mos Def - Hip Hop
M.O.P. - Ante Up
LL Cool J - I Can't Live Without My Radio
Kool Moe Dee - I Go To Work
Nas - Nas Is Like
Xzibit - Spit Shine
Xzibit - At The Speed Of Life
Gang Starr - I'm The Man
Gang Starr - Step In The Arena
Run DMC - Sucker MCs
Shuko - You Wanna Test? (Ft. Bekay)
AZ - The Come Up
Pop-Rap
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Hip-Pop is to rap what 'American Pie Rock/College rock' is to rock. I hesitantly admit that it's part of the genre (one that the genre would be better off without, but nonetheless), but it doesn't present an accurate picture of the genre as a whole.
Personally, I hate hip-pop. Not only because it's given some people the wrong impression about all rap being like the latest Lil' Wayne single, but also because it represents everything that's wrong with the world. Subjects in hip-pop range from just money and all the things you can buy with money to sexual objectification of women to glorification of drugs/alcohol. It's shallow, but not in the let's-just-have-fun way of Old School rap, or the brainless 'Steven Seagal' b-movie type of way of bangers, but instead it's just Paris Hilton in a musical form.
The lyrics are often very simple and dumbed down, and instead of clever wordplay or interesting subject matter they rely on the low IQ of the general public, 'catchy' and simple lyrics and whatever the latest pop-gimmick is (Auto-Tune, for example) in order to sell. And that's the only reason these 'artists' make 'music' in the first place: To sell. To make money. The artists are not in it for the love for the genre, they are in it to make a quick buck, and it shows.
I listed six sub-genres besides this one here, all of them are more worthy of your time than Pop-Rap. And more worthy of my time, which is why I will only list 10 examples of pop-rap here. Finding more samples is not exactly hard, but I can't for the life of me understand why someone would WANT to. But to each their own, I suppose.
Wiz Khalifa - Black and Yellow
Chris Brown - Look At Me Now ft. Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes
Lil Wayne - 6 Foot 7 Foot
(Authors note: This where I started to feel sick and needed a 5 minute breather)
Lil Wayne - A Milli
Kevin Rudolf - I Made It
50 Cent - I Get Money
50 Cent - Candy Shop
Gucci Mane - Mouth Full Of Golds ft. Birdman
Okay that's it, I can't take more of this crap. 8 samples should be plenty.
So there, that's my take on rap as a whole. Most of this is obviously opinions and my personal views, and I welcome all to question and challenge them. None of this is exactly black and white, and like I've said a few times before, there's a lot of overlap between the sub-genres, so I really had to hunt for examples that were at least somewhat obvious, and clearly leaning on a single style, and even so I still had to try and read between the lines so to speak, in order to properly classify some of the songs. But I'm not an authority, I'm just a hip-hop head that's sick and tired of all the crap I get for liking rap, and all the fake pop-rappers who ruin our reputation, and make money while doing it.
I'm full well aware that most people to whom this is aimed at will just browse through the whole piece, listen to one song from 'bangers' and call me an idiot who knows nothing about music. It just works like that, but my goal was to write a piece that might change, or at least start a process that ultimately changes the prejudiced opinion some people hold towards hip-hop, even if I manage to reach just a handful of people. And even if you already know that rap is never going to be your cup of tea, it might still be an interesting read.
Because rap started off as an experiment, it continues to evolve even today, and that makes it far more 'elastic' than some other genres that have been more or less on a standstill for decades. I'm not saying it's better than other genres. It's not better or worse, it's different. I'm not saying I like it more than, say, rock. Or metal, or heavy, or whatever else. Rap and rock are completely different, and because of that they compliment each other.
Personally, my life as a music loving person started with metal and rock (Iron Maiden being one of the earliest bands I really got into). I could very well be the kind of person that I wrote this thing for. A person who shuns rap and everything else that were out of my comfort zone in the beginning.
But damned if I'm not happy things turned out the way they did. Give rap a chance, and you just might be rewarded handsomely for it. And if not, then at least you can dislike rap and not be ignorant about it.
So why not?
