The Rap Education Thread

[JosephWright]

Thanks for this valuable information. I think this is true that you said. Some time it happened but some time it closed.

[Jester]

Originally Posted by PuebloFuerte

Very interesting article...although I had a general insight into Hip Hop history, this helped to clarify things. One question how comes conscious rap tends to have lesser beats than their more commercial counterparts? For example I dislike most things G Unit stand for glorifying gun culture etc, but I must admit their swagger and beats are among the most contagious out there...is their a conscious rapper that can equal those beats?

A lot of mainstream rap actually has purdy good production. That's because more focus goes into the overall sound rather than the lyrical capabilities. Sometimes, it works. But a balance is always nice. Underground hip hop pisses me off sometimes. "Underground hip hop: where monotony is king!" (By the way, don't take that religiously. Hip hop thrives in the underground.)

I highly recommend you pick up:

Nas - Illmatic
Dilated Peoples - The Platform
Blu & Exile - Below the Heavens
Common - Be
Black Milk - Tronic

Sample tracks from each artist:

(Note: The 6th Sense and Worst Comes to Worst are not from the albums I recommended.)

[Petula07]

Hello, I am not a fan of this music but I would be grateful if somebody could me explain difference what is rap and what is hip-hop....
Maybe funny question for you but I mean it seriously, really I am interested to know more about all music genres. Thank you.

My brother listen to this music but he doesn't want to expain me this difference... or maybe he doesn't know too
Everybody knows Eminem... I read the first post of this thread and I realized I know one song by Run DMC - "It's like that". It's old song but I really liked it when I was a teenager.

[trouserjazz]

Hip Hop incorporates everything about the movemnt, so the music even without the lyrics. But not just this, it spawned a whole culture including Graffiti, Fashion and dance amongst others.

Rap is what the vocalists are doing.

I prefer the term Hip Hop myself.

[Petula07]

@trouserjazz - thank you for your explanation!

[Jester]

Hip hop is the culture. Rap is the music.

[PuebloFuerte]

Captain and Jester thank you both for your valuable insight...I like a lot of what I heard and I'll be sure to check out your recommendations further.

Here are two Hip Hop groups from my land (Colombia).

Chocquibtown

Simple and commercial sound, but with one unique element, they use traditional sounds (esp. the Xylophone) from the Pacific coast of Colombia.



Below is a verse translated to give you an idea of what the song says.

You came here with only betrayal on your mind,
to firstly take away my gold,
with your foreign accent and your cowboy look,
Move out, get out of here boy,
you won't take my gold again,
Sir, I will leave you be,
reflect and just leave with everything.

All my gold has finished, the owners have become employees,
the inocence has gone, more poverty has come,
but I won't leave from here, I am form this land I am!
My soul is like the rivers, the path I take shall flow.

Chorus:
Thief you left with all my gold
and left me without my gold


The following video just talks about the region and the people.


JHT

This is more of a lyrical rapper from the capital Bogota.

1st song: 'Mi Rap Es' - My rap is....talks of what rap means to him.
2nd Song (min. 1:36): 'Veneno' - Poison...criticizes latin american politicians and Colombian indiference and ignorance.
3rd song (min. 3:05): 'Blues del rap' - Rap Blues...Talks of the history of rap and criticizes commercial and monotonous elements of its evolution.



Translation of a passage from the last song 'Blues del Rap'.

Rap is far from being a verse of meaningless lyrics,
this music goes back to the races with rhymes,
my message is like slaves in plantations,
it is screams of hope, dreams and frustrations,
with double sexual meaning,
double moral meaning,
double meaning to interpret and search for freedom.

[lazy P]

as said by dead prez, 'it's bigger than hip hop'

[DARCK]

M kinda new here...don't listen to a lot of rap......bit I do like T.I....can anyone suggest any similar rappers? Thx

[y5nthon5a]

Can I just say?..

People always think I don't know hip hop because I listen to people like Flo Rida, Nelly, and other weak artists.(nothing like Soulja Boy though.)

People always think I don't know hip hop because my PERSONAL favorites, my top 10 includes people like Fat Joe/Pitbull, etc...

Thing is, I have my favorites. But I also know that people like Jay Z, Eminem, Joell Ortiz, Raekwon, etc are actually considered great rappers.

Fat Joe, Joell Ortiz, Pitbull, Jeezy, Chamillionaire, and others round out my top 10. Honestly, what's wrong with having an eclectic list of artists I listen to? If you only listen to the.... "real" hip hop, that doesn't mean crap. I listen to all of these kinds of artists, as well as pop/R&B (Jay sean, Jason DeRulo, Usher), country (Toby Keith), rock (Alter Bridge, Crossfade), and hip hop artists from one end of the spectrum(Royce Da 5'9) to the other (Hurricane Chris).

So yeah, the question I'm trying to ask, why doesn't anyone that considers themselves "real" hip hop fans consider me one at times? I think if you know a lot about hip hop, you are a real hip hop fan, even if your favorite rapper is... Soulja Boy. Who can dispute that?!