Will Conscious Hip Hop Ever Become Popular? | @AskDEHH w/ Sophie
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- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
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We addressed a similar question about a year ago, but with everything happening in the media as of late, we thought it would be relevant to re-visit the idea. Be sure to let us know your take in the comment section.
The Ask Dead End Hip Hop Show is hosted and moderated by Sophie aka @SaireMusic where questions submitted by fans are answered by the DEHH crew on the spot.
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Kendrick had a bar saying killer Mike would be platinum if they cared about hip hop
If hip hop had a spokesperson it should be Myke
+DaMoziTB No Myke is a cringy, edgy fuckboi who can't seem to fathom the concept of sub-genres.
+persona Pfttt i dont understand how people like you still dont understand what myke's point was with that whole subgenre issue. He actually gave you a perfect example in the video while asking the crew what genre they would label a certain song and how it all conflicted with eachothers opinion on what it was, and you still dont get it. God help you
+DaMoziTB Yh No thanks. I can speak for myself Jesse Jackson.
+DaMoziTB Yh. Yup, I agree
Nah but people like me who appreciate that kind of music need myke as a representative
This conversation bumps in the whip.
Lmfao
Lmao I'm done yo
+Roberto Sanchez lmaaaaaooooo
+Roberto Sanchez The bass in Ken's voice sounds good in a old school caddy
Roberto Sanchez Bruh
Kinge in the back contemplating his entire childhood
Lmao😂
fr
+WhoaNellyJake Comment of the day!!! Arms folded and all, body language says it all!!
+WhoaNellyJake lmaoooo
I hate when people say stuff like "rap is all about money and drugs and disrespecting women" because that's literally just the surface. They say it's all trash because the radio plays only hype/poppy songs, but that's the same with any genre. The funny thing is these people usually say the only rapper they like is Eminem which is the epitome of drugs of disrespecting music. Hypocrites and bandwagoners.
Yeah when eminem raps about killin his mom it's all fine and dandy but when someone else does it it's trash.
And doing drugs
+Greg Sanders Cause Eminem is more witty with it unlike most rappers
+Dave Houser Thank you! I also hate how old rap fans try and act like everything from the 21st century is trash. If The Blacker the Berry came out in the 90's, they would be saying it's one of the best hip-hop songs ever
+Danny Stevens not really
Ya'll got me in the house talking to myself about this shit
+John Burnside Hahahaha
+Kennith Inge are we gonna get a Mac Miller review?
😂😂
LMFAOOO.
TheSwagIsBack j
C-town is 100% right about this. The fact that we stopped expecting greatness out of rappers and stopped expecting them to be socially aware we opened the door for complete mediocrity and bull shit rap
One thing that made me sick this year is that the worlds most popular female rapper right now, who has never addressed racism in her music, decides to address it for the first time ever because she wasn't nominated for an award or some shit because of white supremacy corruption in award shows. Talkin about nicki BTW
Nicki has addressed racism in her music. On a scale of 10-10 how stupid do you feel now
+man_like_ncube Not even true.
+man_like_ncube Not even true.
+dohertyz I can't take her opinion seriously when she rails about racism and in particular black women than objectifies them in her music videos. First it was Iggly than Taylor. She was just acting out because shes worried about becoming irrelevant.
+dohertyz Yeah she's been doing a lot of fuck shit ever since she got with Meek and this is coming from a fan of hers. She went after Taylor for a video nomination when she was nominated in like two other categories and in the category she complained about was Kendrick and Beyonce. Then she went at Miley for speaking her truth when Miley was dead ass accurate. Nicki has never been conscious and it would feel so fake if she ever did talk about it. She also, in the same songs, disses skinny women but claims feminism....okay Nicki xD
I feel like some big strides have been made this year in terms of quality, conscious projects coming to the forefront. For just 2 examples, TPAB and T&Y are 2 conscious albums that are sure to make a lot of top 5 lists in 2015. There has also been a lot of great conscious stuff happening in the underground from guys like Omen, TUT, Underachievers, Mick Jenkins, Skyzoo & Fashawn, just to name a few. Not to say that these guys are in the mainstream and HUGELY popular, but they definitely have ever-growing fanbases.
I think conscious hip-hop will continue to grow & expand, but I also think there's a place for everything and am by no means a hip-hop elitist. Based on the way the world has been going - all the violence, shootings, police brutality, etc. - I think more and more people are gaining an appreciation for rappers who tackle the problems & issues happening around us. It's needed - but so is the simple, fun rap, too!
Why is everything you say always so on point?
You should drop some more names of conscious rappers cuz I barely know any
+kingdaniel4195 He just named like 7 lol
you guys should try little Simz, and rapsody albums.
Great message bro I couldn't agree subscribing instantly lol
Drake be like, "Canadian lives matter."
Drake Be Like "My Ex Life matters"
+JP Tha Man 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
loll
Agree with Myke on this one man. WE HAVE TO EXPECT rappers to have more of a message behind their songs. But at the same time, not every rapper should make conscious music just because some just don't know how too.
+MMAsBiggestFan23 Completely agree. The artist's intention has to be genuine
A rapper's job is putting words together, it's not hard to rap about real issues, it's just these dudes don't want to.
+johnkeem103 easier said then done....social commentary in rap is needed but then again I wonder if the message is reaching the hearts and minds of those who need it the most!!!
Tim Davis Look at how simple yet impactful Pac's lyrics were, these dudes today their lyrics are just simple with no meaning.
Pac was a special rapper who spoke with a conviction others have yet to tap into or can even do. But even Pac understood the problems of our community run deeper then a rap. And I disagree with rappers who have no meaning, Drake has mentioned some real shit in his songs...peep the 6pm in NY freestyle, he said some real stuff that was simple, but that tends to be the truest
Has anyone noticed the growing trend of "trap elitists" in hip-hop nowadays? The type of people who call that conscious/real hip=hop dust or old head shit?
+k1dkur0 i hate both types tbh, why cant yall just enjoy both types of hip hop and shut the fuck up already?
+k1dkur0 i can't even understand what they're rapping, it's like they just woke up and high as fuck
Xaned Out I don't understand the argument either. Yeah I believe there needs to be more of a balance and that trap is more prominent nowadays, but I still wouldn't want it to go away. I just hate that you got people who aren't even good with it just jumping on that bandwagon and making money off of it. They're just genuinely terrible and make both trap and that "real hip-hop" look bad.
ADAJ3 Yeah I listened to DS2 as well.
+Epical Epiculus That's mostly my problem with it. Like I have absolutely no problem with trap/"turn up" music. I just would like real effort put into it.
2pac: "they claim that I'm violent just because I refuse to be silent"
The Boy *one of not THE greatest
Myke confused me so much. He wants rappers to rap about issues, but when Future was brought up, he said he didn't do it right. He gets mad at Feefo for saying that not all artists should be expected to rap about it when Feefo is right. There's a lane for each artist. I don't want to hear Nicki Minaj, Drake or a majority of these mainstream artists talking about these issues if it isn't genuine. A majority of artists that do it (except Kendrick and J. Cole) would be seen as doing it for the money and attention since their entire careers they've only talked about money, sex, drugs and haters. His view on Killer Mike is a bit weird too since Killer Mike CHOSE to not go mainstream by remaining underground whereas Kendrick sought to be mainstream in order to further push his message so to say Kendrick is hyped up is a bit meh since the only hype he gets are from his fans and it's well deserved IMO. Not all rappers need to discuss these issues because even if they did it wouldn't change anything because society already has labeled hip hop artists as money hungry players and if the media is going as far as to diss Kendrick for Alright, they sure as hell would not take anyone else seriously, especially in the mainstream world.
Review
Underachievers - Evermore Art of Duality
Mac Miller - Good AM
Mick Jenkins - waves
Pleaseeeeeeeee
+MH DOOM late knight special too when it comes out
Of course
+MH DOOM I wanna here them rip apart fettys self titled album
+FrankFromSI lmao
Concious hip hop = fruits, vegetables, healthy
Trash/Radio hip hop = fast food; quicker to consume, but all in all bad for you
Damn that's a good comparison.
Though Kanye for example is not trash at all, while he's a really selfish rapper and not all that conscious, except for maybe some songs like New Slaves (btw one of his best ones)
+dohertyz Not a good comparison cause that entails that conscious rap are the greens nobody wants to eat, when in fact conscious shit sounds waaaay better. or rather taste better then that radio pop shit.
+dohertyz Couldn't be more inaccurate given your dumbass is basically saying 1 out of maybe 15 kinds of Hip-Hop is "good for you", lmfao. Also no one is 100% Conscious in this genre, very few of them are and you get it in degrees.
+Dracen Alacarter call him a dumbass though. cuz that's fucking warranted. that shit bothers me
I usually I agree the most with C-Town, but in this video, Feefo was spot on.
This convo is something I've been waiting for
Here is the thing. To answer the question will conscious hip-hop ever become popular. Conscious hip-hop is immensely popular now. I think we need to separate being popular from the idea of being on the radio.
The radio ignores a lot of popular music. Despite the popularity of Metal music, there are a lot of markets with no stations for Metal. Radio also ignores a lot of EDM genres despite its huge fan base and popularity. I think the fact that we are still looking towards the top 100 like it is the be all, say all. Is like complaining about the XXL freshman list or the MTV hottest MCs in the game list. Don't get your music from the radio, and we should really stop using it as a metric.
Radio music is radio music. Conscious hip-hop definitely can grow, but its never going to be larger than the commercial rap. Its just like the film industry, the brainless action movies are almost always going to have more sales than the artistic films. The lowest common denominator sells, its a fact. They could play more conscious hip-hop but the system is corrupt and there are only like 3 radio stations that account for something like 90 % of the market.
There needs to be a balance between this stuff . I don't want the radio to have all conscious stuff but I don't want it to have all trap shit either like it does now .
I want a damn balance
I really glad that Mike does not play it safe when it comes to how he feels. It is the same thing that I do as well. Sometimes you have to be that alternative voice when many of us are trying to be the same instead of loving ourselves for who we are. That is such an important value to have!
Very engaging conversation. Thank you for having this convo yall. Appreciate the effort to dig deep into these issues
Sitting here almost two years later and I feel like this question and this conversation need to be revisited
I mean, as a musician and spending so much time with the likes, I don't believe art is so linear as it maybe portrayed. Sometimes, you try to pop up with something conscious and it morphs into something completely different. Many people want to feel good and vibe out when they make music, so they make what comes to them without forcing it. And many of those people are super talented, honestly.
So yeah, it'd be nice to have more people talking about this shit, but if they don't, you can't really push them to or anything.
It's like what Waka said on the breakfast club 2 weeks ago everyone rapping about the same shit being endorsed by liquor companies. Everyone making songs catering to the clubs instead of things that people are going thru in everyday life. In order for conscious rap to grow & be more exposed to the mainstream, the most popular rappers should change their content. The source posted a pic with MC Lyte earlier pointing to a tee that had "Buy art not cocaine". Rappers like eazy e & other west coast artists made the song we're in the same gang & krs one spoke a lot to the community. We need more rappers to speak to the community
Why y'all keep forgetting about big krit? One of the most underrated artist in hip hop today
Awesome conversation. I totally agree with Myke C Town on this one. If I was an artist with the once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to have my voice heard by millions I would feel compelled to say something and make a difference. At the end of the day we are all human and only get one chance at this thing called life. Why wouldn't someone on that level of exposure take that opportunity to speak up? There are millions of us who will never see that opportunity. A lot of artists these days waste that ability and take it for granted. They have the power to change minds and we should expect them to put out positive conscious messages and nothing less than that. The community of the human race deserves it.
I agree with Feefo. I think artists should be themselves. If you're gonna be conscious do it genuinely.
The Beast Coast Movement are Definitely on They're Conscious Shit and they Spit 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Their.
johnkeem103 my bad I forgot I was writing an essay for Harvard university , Next Time I'll check My Spelling
+Revok Sixth don't mind him, there is always that one a-hole in the comments
+Revok Sixth don't mind him, there is always that one a-hole in the comments
+Revok Sixth But either nobodies hears them or nobody even cares
Dizzy Wright is very underrated when it comes to this theme, he does acknowledge a lot of social issues, you guys should listen to I Need Answers
I think the reason why Kendrick and J Cole are popular conscious rappers is because both of them know how to make catchy songs. Even though they have a unique message behind them, they are catchy and easy to listen to. I think one of the reasons why conscious hip hop isn't very popular is because a lot of conscious hip hop artists aren't great at making catchy and easy to listen to songs. Even though Killer Mike is an amazing MC, at this point he hasn't made a lot of music that's extremely catch and easy to listen to. If Killer Mike and El-P could make some catchy songs that still have a good message underneath them, I think both of them could become very popular.
Kendrick knows how to maneuver through the social lines with his lyrics. so its hard for media to pin point the message
Sophie made the greatest point: Don't fake care.. Just have a balance of flexing or telling reality raps.
Hip-Hop started out as street party music using breakbeats with an MC and DJ so I dont know what they're tryna say about the origins. Also, I dont expect Future to talk about the private prison system. Its gonna sound really uninformed and awkward coming from him. Kanye, Lupe, Killer Mike, etc I expect to speak about those things. Different artists talk bout different topics in different ways. They're artists not civil rights leaders. . .
Out of all of the content that this channel puts out, these types of roundtable discussions are consistently my favorite. Keep it up guys
Concert goers walking out on Kendrick sums up the mentality of the modern hip hop fan. It won't be popular because their minds are programed beyond repair. I agree with David Banner when he says if the consciousness of the people is not raised then conscious music will never be popular again.
concious music was never popular lol. wu-tang clan and death row records ran the 90's and all the rapped about was violence and hustling and fuckin broads lol. they did it in a cool and badass lyrical way of course, but it was still on some street hood shit.
It’s been very interesting to see the evolution of the way Myke talks about Kendrick over the years. I’ve been watching Dead end Hip Hop since 2014 and it’s changed a lot.
Kendrick is able to have fun, be humble, and conscious all at the same time. A lot of people think conscious rap is a buzzkill and to be honest it can be at times. I think it's because some of it can be lop-sided ideology, arrogance, preachy, and judgmental. Kendrick is able to avoid this by criticizing all fronts and even himself. Best examples are GKMC and TPAB. GKMC was very fun but at the same time a cautionary tale of how impressionable our environment and peers can be during our adolescence. TPAB takes current issues and gives you food for thought while critiquing both sides of a divided subject
am in school. had to interrupt the teacher's lesson to watch this. #deadendhiphopovereverything
+david nwafor Serious? haha luv u dude
i was listening to kanye ranting but I had to interrupt him when I saw my notification
Lupe Fiasco helped make conscious hip hop mainstream in the 2000s, while the majority of hip hop was generic (bitches money drugs). However since 2010 no one has had that same level of influence.
"Dumb it down" was my shit back in the day lol
These conversations are so good. I ganna be on this channel all day.
I go to music to escape from reality sometimes. I don't want a lot of artist to say something with their music cause I'm trying to escape from that shit for a moment. When I'm in the mood to get introspective I go to certain artists. Why can't we have both?
+killer DLS Cause there's no balance people escape way too much from they're problems instead of facing them honestly even if somethings really deep like Immortal Technique I'll listen to that to escape reality too I just listen to him spit. Also most of the chill, party music or anything else along that lines sucks people jump on it and hype it up
Like Fantano said, "you only get so many Kendrick's".
Good points, but this is true in all musical genres. I agree that all artists should be engaged in what is happening in the world.
Needed to hear this. I'm a conscious rapper and I agree that mainstream rappers should touch on deeper subjects like police brutality and etc...
gotta disagree with myke, music doesn't have to have a conscious/political edge most of the time. rappers shouldn't be obliged to make politically relevant tracks just cause. also i still don't get why so many people say that hip hop started out like that, it literally started out as extending dance breaks of funk records at block parties. hip hop's roots lie in dance music, not socio-concious poetry
Very interesting going back to this conversation right now. A catastrophic event DID propel black lives matter and concious music in the mainstream, even outside of hip hop
No, because the masses don't like music that actually makes them think.
This is exactly why I LOVE the new scarface album. Please consider giving us a review of this album if it's not already being considered.
All responsibilities get thrown out the window when DEHH release a video
drake has a few lines in 6pm in new york ;
And I heard someone say something that stuck with me a lot
'Bout how we need protection from those protectin' the block
Nobody lookin' out for nobody
Maybe we should try and help somebody or be somebody
Instead of bein' somebody that makes the news
So everybody can tweet about it
And then they start to R.I.P. about it
And four weeks later nobody even speaks about it
Damn, I just had to say my piece about it
I actually quite enjoyed this little section. A whole song on the topic could have been pretty powerful.
The reason why artist don't rap/ touch on social issues is that the masses of people don't want to hear that plain and simple!!! don't blame the artist, the music industry is a business these guys is trying to feed they family like everybody else.
I know this is a five-year-old comment, but we could do both. Blame the artist and people.
In most instances, the demands that we place on our artists, is a direct correlation to the demands that we place upon ourselves. If you strive everyday to be a better person, be more consciously aware, take in only pertinent information that will enhance your books and street smarts, then you will demand the same or gravitate towards those with similar ambitions. If you have no aspirations or goals whatsoever, and everything is treated with a disrespectful or a don't give a fuck mentality, you will gravitate towards individuals who are from the same school of thought.
You are your pathology. It's up to the individual to change.
it's definitely down to hip hop artists not wanting to lose a potential market. when white people hear the black community talk about race, it's makes them uneasy and defensive. when black artists do it, they make them feel bad and regretful of it, and ultimately not want to support "an angry black artist". the artist and the label don't want to lose fans/money.
dont know why but the way feefo said ''canadians?!" made me lol 14:54
Chris Rock once said this about what HELP made the Miseducation of LH standout was that the she wasn't rapping nor sing conscious shit ON WACK beats/instrumentation she was doing it over beats that were dope as fuck. So people will fuck with conscious Hip Hop the songwriting were on point and the beats were hard but most MCs don't get that for the most part sad
+Sean Ulloa Agreed. People loved GKMC because the beats where banging and the content was good. TPAB had people split on the sound but the production was still top notch from a musical standpoint.
B-Mint1994 what made TPAB so great was that live instrumentation was all over the album with influence of funk neo soul & Jazz. Kendrick gets that in order to be a better artist you have to know about music & that he does
***** exactly
+Sean Ulloa I stay seeing you on forums on Hip Hop bro and you have some insightful things to say often, may I ask you who are your favorite rappers of this Era/Generation (and in general if you want to) and why?
ZenedOutNegus Yeah I'm everywhere um my favorite MCs/Hip Hop artist of this generation are:
1. Joey Bada$$: Reason being he brings an aesthetic in Hip Hop that many thought was dead (that being traditional hip Hop In terms of flow, delivery lyricism & wordplay)
bringing into this new era he only 20 by 25 when his songwriting skills are stellar he probably gonna be the best and no one will see it coming.
2. Kendrick Lamar: what else is there to stay about Him great lyricist phenomenon usage of an being able to paint pictures into something complex & intricate. all the while proving he can be aggressive on tracks & to top it his live performances are becoming something special.
3. Drake: his ear for melody the way he crafts his songs might be the beat songwriter of this generation of hip hop other Cole he might the easiest for those to relate to on emotional level.
4. Mick Jenkins: has food for thought lyrics his baritone allows him to gritty gruff in his inflection all the while sounding coherent on records and now with him getting much better with his melody (it could get more clean to be honest) he is gonna be problem for years to come.
5. J. Cole: he may lack the strong melodic raps that Drake has or the intricacies all the while overseeing his flaws light Kendrick does so vividly but what he does have that they don't in my opinion is that he can identify with the common woman or man. his level of empathy & relatablity makes him easy to respect as an artist.
yeah so those are mines sorry if it was hella lengthy but u wanted to know. what are your favorites this generation???
Sophie has a point. I wouldn't expect all rappers to put out a conscious message, some probably dont even have the mental capacity to speak on it, or the creative lyricism to make it work. At the same time I do expect us to demand more conscious music instead of continuing to support recycled overplayed themes. I don't listen to the radio because non of the content is appealing to me or relatable, but if the majority can relate and support mainstream dumbed down rap, then that just speaks more about the society we live in. Hopefully one day we can see more balance on the radio
These artist don't owe us anything but to make music that we like.
I donno if anyone brought this up in the comments, but Drake's 6pm in New York brought up those issue a bit. He wrote "And I heard someone say something that stuck with me a lot/ Bout how we need protection from those protectin' the block/ Nobody lookin' out for nobody/ Maybe we should try and help somebody or be somebody/ Instead of bein' somebody that makes the news/ So everybody can tweet about it/ And then they start to RIP about it/ And four weeks later nobody even speaks about it". I know that wasn't a single by him, and most people don't really remember that part of the song, but Drake still did it, whether or not anyone was talkin about/buzzin over it. But I feel like the argument, that because you make hiphop you're responsible for speaking out about social issues, is a bit unfair to artists who see hiphop as more of a musical outlet, rather than a lyrical outlet--that they're compelled to make hiphop music because they love the aesthetic qualities of the music.
Thanks for mentioning J. Cole Myke C Town. You're the man :)
Very good conversation and good points made. I agree with Myke that rappers don't need to necessarily be like they don't need to talk about stuff just because they don't live there. That kinda reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend who is mixed and he would be someone who would say something like that but I told him that just because it doesn't happen down here does not mean that you can't act like you don't care
To be honest I dislike these types of arguments because they are all or nothing, one of the reasons I mess with tde is because they hate being put in a conscious box. Being an artist means you get to express yourself, whatever it is you want to express. There's alot of problems affecting communities not just police, diseases and suicide being up there. I hate how many issues are so racially charged that fixing the problem is less important than who the issues affect. All I expect an artist to speak on is the human experience, since there's billions of us so there's lots to speak on. Rather than tearing down an artist for not speaking about what's important to me, I go find at artist who can do it well, but that's just me.
I think the reason Kendrick is as big as he is for a few reasons and I will list them below.
1. Poppy instrumentals
2. Money
3. Consistency
4. Determination
5. Connections
that is really the formula. he followed. and the formula is what others in the same conscious scene should follow.
Talib Kweli is still rapping about issues, but people don't want to hear it if it is not ignorant. He gave his album Fuck the Money away for free with dope tracks like "Nice Things" or "Gratitude" and people still are not talking about what's going on or his album. To be fair, people don't talk about Talib in general.
+Ocean Sage Talib is a legend but his music nowdays is bland ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Regardless of his message.
persona I found Fuck the Money to be super hyped up and exciting. Have you heard it? Listen to his fucking flow on "Nice Things" along is crazy. His lyrics are always dope too.
Ocean Sage I love talib probably the most underrated rapper
Artists have an obligation to maintain an honest and genuine integrity. It's on us as fans to support the one's who do.
There are tons of hiphop artists that have maintained a conscious integrity for 20+ years. The fan community needs to have higher standards and look for the ones that reach those standards. DIG!
I wonder if this is the reason why Kanye won't push CyHi The Prynce!?!?!? Thoughts?
+SimbaRyan seriously tho, CyHi to me has (maybe had because he might be considered too old in the rap game) the potential to be a star. Personally i think his rap voice is dope even though a lot of people disagree. His lyrics are honestly always potent as fuck, and his delivery is constantly being switched up. He has the ingredients to make a classic, yes i said CLASSIC, hip hop album that goes down in history. He just needs to listen to the fans on what they want out of him, because to be honest the man can do just about everything but sing, and maybe could use some help with choruses (both in writing them and with guests taking some of them over).
+Nick The Rap Genius Well CyHi is not old. He's actually 30 goin on 31. It's not Kanye's fault that he's not out there on a big platform. Kanye is doing what he can but if you wanna talk from a business point of view, it's really on Def Jam's end. It's Def Jam's fault that CyHi is not on top and CyHi is my favorite MC. He can rhyme his ass off and he's great at writing songs but he doesn't have an image. Kanye is not the one to blame.
+SimbaRyan He don't know how to make songs for the ladies. Rappers blow up easier when they appeal to women in some way.
+KING SAW Cyhi also needs to tour more. I am a huge female fan of his. The music is on point; but he is starting to seem sort of lazy to me; when it comes to pushing his brand. I have been able to see King Los, Pusha T, BIG KRIT, and Fashawn in small venues.
These are people who aren't "huge" like how Cyhi isn't; but they hustle their fanbases and it keeps me interested and they tour at least once a year.
I want a part 2 of this question! This was an awesome way of looking at how some rappers are going about with their 'party/drugs/money (talking about material bullshit but having a hot beat) compared to mcees that are all about crafting their lane wether that with conscious stuff or lyrical versatility, this talk made me respect that not everyone has to talk about what's going on because tragic shit is always thrown in our face online/tv but at the same we need lyricist in the radio so more kids can be inspired to write harder, that's what made the 90's so unique, cause you had all these different sounds coming out because they grew up listening and idolizing the originators and wanted to do better, but somewhere along the way it went from 'I'm gonna be the best mc and master my own style of this art' to 'I don't care about any criticism or what the ogs have done to advance the game, I'm gonna just jump on with what's buzzing'
The fucked up thing is that future WAS raised in a conscious environment....he was in the dungeon family with outkast and goodie mob!
I know right, it just doesn't add up lol
+OK992 yep
+OK992 From my understanding, Future dumbed down the music because he knew the fanbase has a low attention span and that a simplified idea/sound appeals to a wider audience!!!
AnEvoultionaryLevelAbove HumanXenununubitch You're probably right! it's sad but true!
I heard someone say something that stuck with me a lot
Bout how we need protection from those protectin' the block
Nobody lookin' out for nobody
Maybe we should try and help somebody or be somebody
Instead of bein' somebody that makes the news
So everybody can tweet about it
And then they start to RIP about it
And four weeks later nobody even speaks about it
Damn, I just had to say my piece about it
-DRAKE 6PM IN NY
Mike is right we don't want that type of music. Music reflects our lives, if we have fucked up lives our music will represent that.
I live in Toronto, this place is basically an American city in Canada
The radio plays what's popular, what's hot. The corporations create hype around new artists that aren't actually good, so they get radio play. People hear it, thinking that everyone else is hyped about this new rapper, so they get on board the bandwagon for their hit single, whether it's iggy with "Fancy, Desiigner with "Panda" or whatever, thinking that this is the next big thing. As people we like to fit it, we like to be "normal". So if we hear these songs, and see others enjoying it, we will enjoy it too, so that we can be accepted by our peers, not knowing whether or not they did the same thing too. Next thing you know, people are all hyped over this new song with nothing but mumbling, all up until the corporations throw that artist away to hype someone else up.
Now, the rappers that have been popular for quite some time, are usually still around because people genuinely liked some of their music. Eminem, Jay-Z, Nas, Kanye, Lil Wayne, kendrick, etc. will stay around for a lot longer in the mainstream audience, because they were genuinely liked at some point in their careers, whether it be past, present or both. it was "cool" to like their music at some point, and because people genuinely enjoyed it, the hype from their work carries over into the next project, and so it is easier for them to remain successful even if there are dips in quality.
I didn't know who Killer mike was or even listen to him until I heard him mentioned in Kendrick's song. So, i looked him up and along the way ran into Bum-B, KRS-1, Scarface and a ton of other people. I think that because Kendrick has the spot light he can shine the light on other rappers that are doing the same. I got into Kendrick by listening to Men on Everything and that in turn opened me up to the artist I mentioned above.
The artist doesn't owe anyone anything. They can create whatever they wish and if there's a market for it then that's all that matters. They do not have an obligation to speak on anything they do not feel like speaking on.
Also, people who claim they want artists to have a "message" and want to "learn" from them want nothing of the sort: because learning means confronting ideas that you disagree with. What most people want out of "conscious" artists is someone who will reaffirm the ideas they already believe and contribute to the propaganda machine for whatever cause they align themselves with. Just look how A$AP Rocky was treated when he didn't tow the party line on police violence. No one wants a genuine "conversation" on social issues, they just want their beliefs reaffirmed by someone popular.
If I want to learn about social issues I will read a book, not everyone listens to music so they can have some self-righteous person tell them how they should think and feel.
I agree with you. I just feel like those who do speak on social issues or Dont use trap beats shouldn't be shunned by the radio industry.
+Jeremiah Williams I don't think they have been shunned. If the market of people listening to radio wanted more conscious hip hop then we would hear it. They have decided what they want to hear and that's Future. The content people want to hear almost always wins. That's why N.W.A and Howard Stern got air-play at a time when radio was even less open than it is today.
+The Unity of Knowledge I agree. That's some bitch shit to me. They want rappers to agree with them, not necessarily give their honest opinion.
+The Unity of Knowledge I agree. I wish you were in this video. nobody seemed to be able to explain this excellent point to Myke. Sophie was kinda going there; but you can tell she shut down when Myke basically said "people like you are the problem" when she said she didn't expect it. Instead; of actually analyzing her point; he tried to take a subtle shot.
But he is so intense and argumentative you can tell most of them just don't even go there with him; they just let him fume.
+Foolie He is not only more intense but more articulate. He uses his intellectual authority within the group to bulldoze over any contrary point as quickly as possible. As a consequence, the point never gets a chance to be fleshed out further, such as with Sophie who (rightly) doesn't expect artists to weigh in on social issues when their music is about topics wholly unrelated. She was right on the money - and I think it sucks that she was dismissed and excluded for having an unfashionable opinion. It was made worse when the other girl (Roc?) was socially rewarded for having the politically acceptable point of view. That will teach Sophie not to speak her mind again!
I think it's cool watching this 2 years later talking about Killer Mike not getting the recognition and now him and El-P have an almost cult following with RTJ, with songs on Baby Driver and the Fifa soundtrack and every other week them being on a big Hip Hop mag cover or the like. Cool to see how things work out looking back on an older discussion :)
J. Cole is the new Will Smith? Do I smell another diss track in the future??
Josh Starks That's the stupidest shit I ever heard in my life...Will Smith never said any conscious shit in his life
That was the dumbest shit I ever heard...Cole is more active than Kendrick outside of music
Loving the DEHH Convos! keep em coming!
To the compton thing: I think people just found out that they can enjoy easily accesable and more easily makeable more or the same like Kendrick and counscious shit
Agree with Feefo, if it's in your heart to make some conscious music then by all means, do it, but if you don't want to or you don't feel you should speak on it, then don't. If you want to march or give back to your neighborhood, then do that. Nobody should feel obliged to do anything they don't want to, even if I think they should or other people want them to. If you force them to, and they don't want to, then you just get some disingenuous shit which, in my opinion, is just as bad as saying nothing because they don't want to do it nor do they know what the fuck they are talking about.
Can't hear what raq is saying... Subs?
Myke hit it on the head!!!!! SALUTE!!!! We still have OUR VOICE!!! That's ALL we HAVE!!!!
Damn Myke that future shade is some serious shit
+otheamazing lmao nice profile pic
+27TheMunchkin pharoh height
The other thing that wasn't brought up is the possible fear of criticism (or losing money) that some of these artists might have for talking about these issues. Especially if their thoughts and opinions don't completely line up with how the general public feels.
Everyone loves Kendrick, but remember he had those quotes earlier this year didn't align with what people were feeling and people jumped down his throat for it. I think I remember Sophie criticizing him for them.
I think for a number of artists it's not worth getting into social issues because if they didn't address issues the exact way people want them to, it might cause a number of people to turn away from their music, thus losing them money and recognition.
Be Free is the song that J Cole sang.. Kanye is changing up SWISH with his new Presidential Bid. Watch it be a more political album!
Kanye's favorite candidate is BEN CARSON. Any political album by Kanye will be awful and nonsensical at best.
+Roxasthesupersaiyan THIS!
Cole's "Be Free" invoked the same pain felt by Kendrick during his performance of "Alright". The only major differences were the tones from each songs. Like Myke said, one was hype and the other one somber. "Be Free" was more like the MLK Jr. to "Alright's" Malcolm X. Let's not forget what Pac said about rappers and dead homies at the end of "Mortal Man".
I'm with Mike on this one. rap and hip-hop has it's roots in creating a discourse on social issues. Doesn't mean all your music should be on social issues, but bring light to it. Tupac is a classic example. His discussed social issues, but he also had fun/braggadocious tracks.
+MrQ Ball It comes from party music....break beats from old school records...but rap music is now popular and the audience in the marketplace has not gravitated toward a huge popular conscious song!!!
i demand 1hr 30m of hip hop discussions
My thing is that if these artist talk about whats happening in the world they will catch hate, because a lot of rappers talk about guns or smashing all these chicks & selling dope. Thats like soulja boy trying to drop "Alright" type of track, ppl wouldn't take him serious just like they dont now with this drug music. J.Cole Kendrick the only rappers that really speak relatable raps and the game. The Game dropped "Purge" speaking on the world ppl didnt even talk about it. That song was dope.
Ay what up BodyBag
Whats up Hollywood Flex!?
+BodyBag For the last time Kendrick and J. Cole are not the only ones that speak relatable shit.
+BodyBag Stop comparing J Cole to Kendrick, he is not Kendrick they are in two different lanes and since when is Cole 'conscious'? Making a couple social relevant songs doesnt make you Hip-hops gift to earth.
+Chaos is a ladder. Cole has more than one social conscious songs. I think people just don't listen to Cole like that.
Drake did talk about in 6pm In New York:
"And I heard someone say something that stuck with me a lot
'Bout how we need protection from those protectin' the block
Nobody lookin' out for nobody
Maybe we should try and help somebody or be somebody
Instead of bein' somebody that makes the news
So everybody can tweet about it
And then they start to R.I.P. about it
And four weeks later nobody even speaks about it
Damn, I just had to say my piece about it"
Charged Up
Yll acting like drake out here making songs about these issues. Wow he spent a couple lines out of the whole song to say something serious
Zane Starrk yeah but they were some pretty damn good lines and more than most rappers say. Obviously it's not as much as kendrick or killer mike but still
+Zane Starrk Would you rather he not say anything at all?
+mmmagus1 I'd rather him say more. I mean he's one of the biggest ARTIST out right now and doesn't use that attention for anything important. And the few times he has it's only been a couple basic bars
Plus, It's just the times though... being from a violent city, former drug dealer, etc, like the girl was saying about future, that's not really an excuse... Because, all of the people that folks namedrop, were straight from the streets and they INVENTED the "conscious" label... Huey Newton, Fred Hampton, the Young Lords, Malcolm X, these was hardcore street cats... shit, if you wanna keep it HipHop, Afrika Bambaata is like one of the hardest dudes EVER... He HAD to be, in order to step into the nexus of the REAL Black and Rican gangs and say fuck that, it's Zulu Nation, we on this artistic shit now, no more banging... study these lessons. The Five Percenters, straight up from the streets. And they used to step to the type of gangsters that you only read about, or cats rap about, and kick knowledge, and put an end to the bullshit on that block. Huey Newton CREATED the phrase "Ride Or Die." He used to run up on cats slinging drugs, "You got 2 weeks to get off this corner, OR ELSE..." And these was TEENAGERS. TEENS From the Gutter. In REAL Hard Times. No Technology. No opportunity. Total miseducation and racism. And they created "Conscious" shit that changed THE WORLD. We don't create nothing new now. We are all comfortable and lazy now, period. All of us. That's all it is. It's not a matter of survival to be "conscious" anymore (or rather we think it isn't until 800,000 people get laid off in your city, or you realize police kill more citizens than gang members in your city). Nowadays, it's like a fad. People think of figures like Bob Marley, they just think of smoking weed. Marvin Gaye is just "Sexual Healing" and "Lets Get It On." Nevermind that "What's Goin On" was Revolutionary. People told him that album was WACK, and would Never sell. He changed the way people wrote music. While everybody was doing Superfly and the Funky Chicken. They said Melle Mel The Message would never be shit. Just keep making party disco rap. Sylvia forced him to be great. We don't force each other to be great no more. And it don't matter, because other cultures are the ones that spend money on the music anyway...
The problem with the current state of Hip Hop is not rather it's conscious or party-types it's the BALANCE. Right now it's completely unbalanced in favor of trap, drill, party, less meaningful rap. Radio rarely plays conscious music. If we can just get an even balance of conscious and less-substance hip hop that would be an amazing scenario.
I love Myke but sometimes he sounds just like Hopsin in Reviewer form, seriously he made me cringe so much during this Convo.
All we demand of the artists is art that we enjoy Kinge. Art is a wide open field doesn't have to be one road
Sophie is bae
Myke lost me when he called Cole "the new Will Smith"... don't like his music all you want, but Will Smith??? You're on rocks bruh. How was Be Free a fluffy song? "They let a brother steer the ship and didn't tell him that the ship was sinking". No he didn't come out and say fuck the gov't, or we hate the po po, but saying that was fluffy, and not as emotionally charged as Alright is bullsh*t bro.
Thank you,I definitely agree!
Deadendhiphop don't care too much for J. Cole. You can tell by the way they talk about him.
I don't believe that every rapper should make a song about issues BUT the fact like Myke said that we don't expect the vast majority to address them and to be politically and socially aware is scary. I mean even back in the day you had different approaches to addressing the issues. Rappers are the most influential people on the planet right now and they carry a huge responsibility to wave a banner of awareness.
It's just funny to me that the same people who hated all things conscious now proclaim J. Cole and Kendrick as the leaders of the conscious movement. Real conscious artists are not popular, at least not since the early 90s.
tf
right now they really are the leaders because of where they are in their careers and still talk about serious things. they have more of a voice and id rather have the whole world thinking that than future running the game.
+Tone Riggz Cole isnt leading anything. Why can't I go to one video that mentions Kendrick without people equating Cole to him.
Chaos is a ladder. I think you missed the point of my post.
Tone Riggz Kendrick is a real conscious artist, just because he popular doesn't make his music any less important. If you knew anything about him you'd know that he made this change early in his career (before he blew up) with his EP and Section 80. Now it took him time to get where he is, he made GKMC which was conscious but had mainstream production that he knew would catch peoples ears. Thats why he didn't have to go that route for his latest project TPAB, because he had everyone's attention. Don't try to assume that a conscious rapper can't be conscious just because they have success, Kendrick has success because he built his way up. Just because other conscious rappers weren't able to make a splash in the game doesn't mean they're all hidden. Some are in plain sight. And um, you ever hear of Tupac? He was quite conscious in his later years.
The J. Cole "Be Free" performance was on Letterman.
OH MY GOOOOD Not this "REEL HIPS HOPS" "CONCIOUS RAP IS LIFE" Bullshit again. listen to whatever U want if its concious enjoy Yourself if it's future or Young Thug have a blast, U shouldn't feel compelled to listen to something to get approval from others.
There is no real argument behind artists not having to address issues and raise more questions about different aspects of life.