Why are nigggas like J.Cole considered "Conscious" rappers?

[Yoda]

My daughter brought me some macaroni art this morning

you going to critique my use of the word there as well? lol

art doesn't have standards unless your head is stuck up your ass, it's always subjective.

Her macaroni art had more creativity and life than a full j snore album tbh

 

[spliz]

Eh...seems like the agenda of this thread is another those miserable 'lets create a circle jerk against the current generation, while romanticizing the past' type deals. I love the 90s and all, but I dont want to be stuck in it like a lot of y'all are determined to be.

More to the OP's point, I think he's confusing overtly political and 'militant' with "conscious". Conscious is sort of loosely defined, but to me its more about raising issues that relate to the average black listener in thoughtful and meaningful ways. It doesnt have to mean bludgeoning the listener over the head with 'I hate white people' talk every other bar.

To that point, I think Cole is more in the vein of "conscious" rappers like De La, Heiro, Outkast, Tribe, etc who rapped about relatable shyt with insight, but didnt act like sheltered, bookworm dweebs either. They all rapped about fukkin hoes, getting into shyt with nikkas, getting high, etc.

At any rate, hip hop is a business. A lot of "conscious" rappers got pigeonholed as nerds, and Im sure today's rappers have been "conscious" of that, and have been wise in balancing their music with more accessible themes in order to maximize their marketability.

EXACTLY.

 

[HoldThisL]

Another old school is better thread to shyt on new school .

Stop going around changing the definition of what conscious rap is based on your liking or hate for a artist.

 

[Taadow]

I'm not even going to respond to your buffoonery.

Sure you will.

What was conscious about the Fugees?

These nikkas aint teachin our Youth shyt in their raps.....

What the hell did we learn in "Fugee-La"?

 

[IShotTheSheriff]

Her macaroni art had more creativity and life than a full j snore album tbh

He's not my cup of tea so don't worry lol.

Honestly I hardly listen to artists I would consider "conscious." Rather read up or watch a video on the matter. No one with 2Pac level energy and a message I can get down with.

 

[Jazzy Jay]

Send this thread to the bushes. Nothing to see here folks.

 

[spliz]

Sure you will.

What was conscious about the Fugees?




What the hell did we learn in "Fugee-La"?

These nikkas is stupid. This is nothing more than a "my favorite artist" thread. nikkas can't even form a logical discussion.

 

[SouljaVoy]

They definitely are still putting the people first. Sounds like you are an hold head that holds the opinion their craft is different that what you liked back in the day thus it is inferior. Nobody is just talking about social media shyt, and bringing up relevant incidents and situations like Ferguson is exactly how artists represent the people. You just want to hate these dudes so admit that.

Another old school is better thread to shyt on new school .

Stop going around changing the definition of what conscious rap is based on your liking or hate for a artist.

First of all I'm in my 20's (a millenial). So no I'm not a old head salty at the new nikkas.
I'm not hating either, I personally think J.cole is overrated and boring, but this thread was not so much about my personal thoughts on J.cole's music, it's about why these new nikkas like J.cole, Kendrick are considered conscious because when compared to nikkas from back in the day I'm not hearing no knowledge.

Throwing in a R.I.P. Treyvon Martin bar is not conscious to me. So therefore he does not deserve the title of a "conscious rapper" in my opinion.

Eh...seems like the agenda of this thread is another those miserable 'lets create a circle jerk against the current generation, while romanticizing the past' type deals. I love the 90s and all, but I dont want to be stuck in it like a lot of y'all are determined to be.

More to the OP's point, I think he's confusing overtly political and 'militant' with "conscious". Conscious is sort of loosely defined, but to me its more about raising issues that relate to the average black listener in thoughtful and meaningful ways. It doesnt have to mean bludgeoning the listener over the head with 'I hate white people' talk every other bar.

To that point, I think Cole is more in the vein of "conscious" rappers like De La, Heiro, Outkast, Tribe, etc who rapped about relatable shyt with insight, but didnt act like sheltered, bookworm dweebs either. They all rapped about fukkin hoes, getting into shyt with nikkas, getting high, etc.

At any rate, hip hop is a business. A lot of "conscious" rappers got pigeonholed as nerds, and Im sure today's rappers have been "conscious" of that, and have been wise in balancing their music with more accessible themes in order to maximize their marketability.

Good reply.

But it's not about "i hate white people" it's about that these nikkas have a social responsibility as rappers to spit that knowledge of self, and in my opinion these nikkas aint talkin bout shyt, therefore they should not be considered conscious rappers.
Like you said the term is looseley used, therefore it needs to come to stop.

We need to have more rigid rules on how & who we define as conscious rappers.

 

[Mikael Blowpiff]

ppl probably called sade a ho tho jermaine.

why are the fugees in this thread?

 

[rantanamo]

I'm old school, but to try and say Kendrick aint conscious tells me you're hearing and not listening. His songs are about real shyt. Perhaps he's not picking the CNN topic of the day, but he's constantly speakin on the human condition, behavior and psyche.

 

[FappleMeOff]

First of all I'm in my 20's (a millenial). So no I'm not a old head salty at the new nikkas.
I'm not hating either, I personally think J.cole is overrated and boring, but this thread was not so much about my personal thoughts on J.cole's music, it's about why these new nikkas like J.cole, Kendrick are considered conscious because when compared to nikkas from back in the day I'm not hearing no knowledge.

Throwing in a R.I.P. Treyvon Martin bar is not conscious to me. So therefore he does not deserve the title of a "conscious rapper" in my opinion.





Good reply.

But it's not about "i hate white people" it's about that these nikkas have a social responsibility as rappers to spit that knowledge of self, and in my opinion these nikkas aint talkin bout shyt, therefore they should not be considered conscious rappers.
Like you said the term is looseley used, therefore it needs to come to stop.

We need to have more rigid rules on how & who we define as conscious rappers.

They are rapping about shyt, just not the specific shyt you wanna hear or define as conscious

 

[SouljaVoy]

What the hell did we learn in "Fugee-La"?

I'm trying to figure out why I posted Fugee-la my damn self...




​

 

[Hyperion]

People call Cole conscious because he connects with the people. He's touching on topics people can relate to the most. Maybe he's not super deep and speaks on topics like what you said in the OP, but that's what people feel he is. The fans dictate that. And what they say goes. I'm a big Cole fan myself, and I can see it from the other perspective too, I can see what you mean. But I think the ultimate difference between the typical run of the mill rappers and J. Cole is that Cole isn't using a bunch of trap beats or a street nikka persona to talk his shyt. He's doing it in his own way, on his own choice of beats. That, and there always tends to be more thought into what he's writing.


Maybe being himself is his gimmick, but that's probably the best gimmick you could have. This is the the same forum that said Cole's too ordinary and that he'd never blow up. A couple albums, tours and MSG show sellouts later, and now it's gimmicky? It's ridiculous. Every artist has a gimmick. If they didn't, you wouldn't even bother listening to them. They wouldn't stand out. They'd be, "ordinary". And labels know this. This is a business, and if it sells, then it sells. Keep in mind, a Mainstream rapper isn't able to rap about esoteric knowledge and sell it off to the masses like it's nothing. Not unless his name is Lupe Fiasco. People just last year were clowning Kendrick for releasing TPAB and calling it wack because it had no bangers and was too jazzy. Fast forward a year later, and look at where it's gotten him, and that response took a while. So those topics, for an artist at the level they're at, are much more difficult to pull off in an entertaining way and succeed with it, compared to an underground talent -- the expectations aren't anywhere near close to the same.

 

[KravenMorehead™]

U know how it go


and u know how this thread'll go

 

[Pool_Shark]

Fijis being conscious