IF you like rap...

[ninjaman 420]

If you just came to this thread to hate on what this discussion is about then you simple dont have to post anything. Ok, so the back story. me and my friend were getting into this argument over the state of the music industry and music in general. Eventually (it was bound to happen) we get around to the decline of rap music that's been going on for the past 7 to 10 years now, id try to be specific on when rap started to fall and become to goddamn dumb and commercial, but seeing as how ive spent most of my youth in cloudy smoked filled rooms that smelled of odd odors my memory isnt so good. So we get to talking about who in the rap music world right now really has the title of just hands down best rapper alive. And this dumbass wants to shout and scream about lil wayne at the top of his lungs. but if you ask me there are only 2 rappers im aware of that really deserve this title, Z-RO and immortal technique. if your from the houston area like me then your aware of who ro is. fans of rap music round these parts REGULARLY declair him the best rapper alive, not that dike mike jones or lil flip, BUT ZRO. and the only other name that came to mind is immortal technique, this guy freestyled on 106 and park and smashed his opponent so hard they had to make him lose, the stupid teenage crowd couldnt handle the stuff this guy was saying. he comes with the most amazing intelligent raps ive personally ever heard. ill give a list of some of my personal fav songs of both if youve never heard of either of the men i mentioned but i ask you, give these songs a listen or two and tell me that lil wayne has more TALENT than either of these two, your cooperation in settling this argument is greatly appreciated escapist community

Z-ro songs
mo city don freestyle
no help
i hate you *****
let the truth be told
you can find all the songs off his last three albums and much more on youtube, titled crack, cocain and heroin

immortal technique songs
dance with the devil
caught in a hustle
the prophecy
leaving the past
i made a mistake
you never know
harlem streets
bin laden
the poverty of philosophy (not really a song)

 

[Xojins]

Also add The Point of No Return, One (Remix), and The 4th Branch to songs by Immortal Technique.

 

[zen5887]

Currently my two favorite rappers are Buck 65 and Sage Francis =)

 

[rokkolpo]

i like eminem ocasionally.

i generally despise gansta-rap,if you can only make fame by having hot women humping you.it's not referred as talent.

 

[Thegoodfriar]

I'm not a fan of most rap, with the exception of Snoop, Jay-Z, the Wu-Tang Clan and Pato Pooh (Swedish rapper).

I am really a fan of Hip-Hop; artists like Mos Def, Talib Kwali, Gift of Gab, Deltron 3030, Jurassic 5, etc.

 

[Kamaitachi]

personally I only really listen to main stream rappers I.e : snoop dog and Ice cube.

 

[Regret]

I usually despise Rap with the burning intensity of a thousand suns, but there does seem to be two exceptions to this rule:
Eminem's earlier stuff and the Beastie Boys (If you can call that rap, it's debatable)

 

[Scikosomatic]

Z-ro songs

immortal technique songs

I don't listen to much rap, except for when I want some bass in my car (I'm running one powerful fucking sub system in my car lol). I do like Bone Thugs n' Harmony and Kid Cudi, but since you're asking between the two you listed, I'll go with Z-ro.

Oh, and it's nice seeing another Texan lol

 

[Chunklin]

The Adventures of Duane and Brand0

Seriously, look them up. Your ears will ejaculate.

 

[Berethond]

Immortal Technique is ridiculously intelligent.

 

[BonsaiK]

Eventually (it was bound to happen) we get around to the decline of rap music that's been going on for the past 7 to 10 years now, id try to be specific on when rap started to fall and become to goddamn dumb and commercial

Rap has always been a very commercial art form, even at the very, very beginning. Rap started initially as a way to get people into clubs, like mall spruiking, but a nighttime version. As time went on, MCs started saying more and more crazy things on the mic in order to attract more people to the club, and the rap styles we know today evolved out of that. So it's an artform firmly founded in commercial enterprise. It wasn't until Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" came along that people started thinking "we can be socially conscious" but that whole political part of it didn't really take off until Public Enemy many years later. The commercial side came first.

My point is that anyone who says rap has "gotten commercial" needs to realise that rap was never not commercial.

On topic and I don't like either of the two rappers mentioned. Z-ro is way, way too smooth for me, whereas Immortal Technique has good flow but is a bit of a tinfoil hat wearer. My favourite MCs active and still making decent stuff at the moment are GZA, Necro, and (to a lesser extent) Nas.

 

[President Moocow]

Typically, nerds don't like rap. I wonder why it is

 

[LeonLethality]

i like eminem ocasionally.

i generally despise gansta-rap,if you can only make fame by having hot women humping you.it's not referred as talent.

what if you are a porn star?

 

[rokkolpo]

i like eminem ocasionally.

i generally despise gansta-rap,if you can only make fame by having hot women humping you.it's not referred as talent.

what if you are a porn star?

then the hot women have talent.

 

[Fightgarr]

As a huge fan of hip-hop (by the way, for the last time: hip-hop is a genre of music, rap is a lyrical style) I've had some speculations on this 'decline' you mentioned:
See the thing with hip-hop is that it's become almost entirely self-referential. Almost all rap has become about rapping itself in some kind of meta-genre. See all the 'arrogant' rappers sing about what good rappers they are. Slightly more underground rappers sing about how the arrogant rappers just sing about themselves and how they themselves don't do that. It becomes a strange circle of self-reference wherein people stop rapping about anything other than rap itself. Sure there are some really great artists out there who sing about incredibly poignant and relevant things, but even they will have at least a couple of songs talking about how they are better rappers by the merit of their poignant songs. For an example, take a look at Jay-Z's new album and the song Death to Autotune. The song is talking about other hip-hop artists, and why Jay-Z is tired of hearing it and why his 'shit is raw' hip-hop. Almost every hip-hop artist has several songs in a similar format to this.

What needs to really begin to happen is for rappers to stop seeing each other as a subject for songs. In order for rap to stop being so self-referential, it needs to happen that each rap exists in a vacuum away from other hip-hop so it can talk about relevant issues.

On the topic of Z-ro, I've never heard of him, I'll check it out. Immortal Technique I know a lot about, but have never been a real fan of his. You should check out the 'Mic Club' user group. It's all about hip-hop.

I'm not a fan of most rap, with the exception of Snoop, Jay-Z, the Wu-Tang Clan and Pato Pooh (Swedish rapper).

I am really a fan of Hip-Hop; artists like Mos Def, Talib Kwali, Gift of Gab, Deltron 3030, Jurassic 5, etc.

Hip Hop is a genre of music. Rap is a lyrical style used frequently in hip-hop. They are not separate genres. GAAAAAAAAH!

 

[More Fun To Compute]

I like a bit of GZA, Aesop Rock and Jurrasic 5 now and again but I'm not really into it that much.