When did conscious rap become "uncool"?

[Blackout]

The radio don't matter that much in 2015. It's not 1995. People have the internet to discover new music.

That is how guys like Dom Kennedy or LeCrae, a Christian rapper, move more digial units than the average rapper.

Even MF Doom has pushed records.

Those guys would rather you buy the records and come to the shows. They aren't in it for the fame, they just care about the music.

Dude Im still seeing younger dudes listening to the radio tho.

Its strange how powerful the radio is tho.

Ive been listening to J Cole since Friday Night Lights and played his shyt around many people who ignored him. Then once he ended up on the radio those same people ended up playing it too.

I also did this with Drake and Kendrick.

Ive seen its effects first hand.

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

A lot of cliche phrases being thrown out in here, per usual when conscious rap is discussed..."pseudo intellectual" "fake deep" "not that lyrical" "not as deep as he thinks he is" yet no one ever names anyone they think meets these criteria? Who is that deep - lupe? So every rapper should have cryptic indiscernible messages? Lyrical? How is this even being judged? And when did everyone have to be lyrical, that sure gets thrown out the door when people try to rationalize their love of these trap rappers.

Content >>>> how lyrically it's delivered or how shrouded in mystery it is

 

[semicko82]

The best rappers can blend the best of both worlds. That's why Nas still has strong fan base till this day

 

[CashmereThoughts]

It seems like you have to make turn up or trap music these days in order to not be called "fake deep" or something along those lines.

You should have made this thread in 2005. Conscious/pro black rap is kinda winning right now

 

[Rozay Oro]

As much as it pains me to say it, J Cole is bringing back acceptance to conscious music in the mainstream. of course, he stole Blu whole steez but thats another story.
My boy @Yoda can break it down better.

How he jack Blu steez?

 

[LunaticVillage415]

Basically was marginalized to the underground after NWA came-up

Y'all must be hella young or were in a coma for years at a time because Conscious Rap was huge in the early 2000's. Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, the Roots, Dead Prez etc. were all heavy on BET, radioplay back in 99'-04'. Conscious rappers like Mos Def and Dead Prez were scoring hits back then that competed with bling-bling era Cash Money. Basically, almost every rapper who was on the Chappelle Show musical guest list was dropping some classic conscious Hip Hop in the late 90's/early 2000's. Black Star debut album is a classic. The Roots Things Fall A Part is a classic. Mos Def Black on Both Sides is a classic. Kanye West College Dropout is a classic. Kanye had "All Falls Down" and "Jesus Walks" on the radio. Even seasoned legendary rappers like Nas took a more conscious stance on certain songs on God's Son and Streets Disciple. I'd say Conscious Rap in the mainstream died when all the alternative Neo-Soul/Nouveau Native Tongues era fizzled out and South mainstream Snap/Ringtone Rap took over and eventually gave way to Trap music.

 

[Booker T Garvey]

2 albums completely knocked "intelligent/conscious" rap out:

everybody talks about the CHRONIC and how it killed conscious rap music but I personally think that's a bit of a cop out - you still had common, the roots, mos def etc etc...it wasn't completely dead by the time this came out, it did kill mainstream conscious rap and ended a lot of careers

for whatever reason nobody talks about this record...when I was in high school, EVERYBODY had this shyt. EVERYBODY. this was before No Limit blew up like they did, they were bubbling underground first and the shyt was like CRACK. I never heard this bullshyt and don't know any songs off of it, but I saw this album cover so many fukking times it was CRAZY!!!

when this shyt got popular, it was a WRAP for any type of "preachy" rap for my generation...it was simply not tolerated any more...if it wasn't ignorant, ghetto, stupid, and about dope/guns, nikkas didn't wanna hear it...and we've been in that place ever since, i've just learned to accept it

 

[PhonZhi]

2 out of what?

Exceptions arent the norm.

Compared to back in the day we are getting scraps.

These cats STAY talkin out their a55 defending music that promotes the genocide of the black race. Always remember: this site is 70% non-black.

They literally CANT name anybody besides Kendrick & Cole that gets mainstream shine.They can go on for days on who promotes criminal behavior that gets mainstream play tho

 

[PhonZhi]

The radio don't matter that much in 2015.

Keep thinking on a micro-level

 

[Zero]

Who are all these conscious artists who can't rap and have boring beats (like so many in this thread are referencing) I'm struggling to come up with even one name?

A lot of cliche phrases being thrown out in here, per usual when conscious rap is discussed..."pseudo intellectual" "fake deep" "not that lyrical" "not as deep as he thinks he is" yet no one ever names anyone they think meets these criteria?

ok

Immortal Technique (the posterchild for this)
Talib Kweli post-Quality (little before and after if you wanna be real about it)
Common after 2000 (I'll give you Be but don't front)
Mos Def after BOBS
Dilated Peoples
Various Justus League dudes (Edgar Allen Floe, Caesar Comanche, Median, etc)
Jedi Mind Tricks before they went straight up wigger battle rap


Anything else?

 

[GoldTeef]

When conscious rappers started spitting 5th grade philosophy and acting like their observations of the obvious made them some deep thinker, a real intellectual. See Hopsin for an example.

 

[Zero]

I used to think this was dope at one point

 

[Yoda]

How he jack Blu steez?

Im assuming you have heard J Coles music.
Have you heard Blu's?

Listen to "Dancin in the Rain" by Blu.

 

[Mac Casper]

Y'all must be hella young or were in a coma for years at a time because Conscious Rap was huge in the early 2000's. Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, the Roots, Dead Prez etc. were all heavy on BET, radioplay back in 99'-04'. Conscious rappers like Mos Def and Dead Prez were scoring hits back then that competed with bling-bling era Cash Money. Basically, almost every rapper who was on the Chappelle Show musical guest list was dropping some classic conscious Hip Hop in the late 90's/early 2000's. Black Star debut album is a classic. The Roots Things Fall A Part is a classic. Mos Def Black on Both Sides is a classic. Kanye West College Dropout is a classic. Kanye had "All Falls Down" and "Jesus Walks" on the radio. Even seasoned legendary rappers like Nas took a more conscious stance on certain songs on God's Son and Streets Disciple. I'd say Conscious Rap in the mainstream died when all the alternative Neo-Soul/Nouveau Native Tongues era fizzled out and South mainstream Snap/Ringtone Rap took over and eventually gave way to Trap music.

Huge huh?

 

[Spiritual Stratocaster]

Alot of my generation being fatherless fakkits is to blame