meaningful rap

[DanK112]

Does anyone know any rap songs that arent just about the rims dey got, or tha hookers they banged, im tired of that rap i want something with some meaning, like twista ft faith evans - hope or something like that, i like some eminem but only the new stuff like lose youreeself and when im gone, and i like some rap i just cant stand the rap of today..

[Live4It]

Flipside - Someday
Its a great song, and i'm not to big on rap.

[Hackstall]

Listen to rap from the 80's and early 90's. Around mid 90's rap turned into gangsta rap. Check out Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy who rapped about political issues, Eric B. and Rakim. I always liked Beastie Boys "Licensed to Ill".

[PuLsE_SpEeD]

immortal technique and aesop rock

[enjoi]

A Tribe Called Quest - Beats, Rhymes And Life
A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest - The Love Movement
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Aceyalone - A Book Of Human Language
Aceyalone - All Balls Don't Bounce
Aesop Rock - Daylight
Aesop Rock - Labor Days
All Natural - Second Nature
All Natural - Vintage
All Natural - No Additives, No Preservatives
Atmosphere - God Loves Ugly
Atmosphere - Lucy Ford The Atmosphere EP's
Atmosphere - Overcast!
Atmosphere - Seven's Travels
Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having
Beanie Sigel - The B. Coming
Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
Beastie Boys - To the 5 Boroughs
Big Daddy Kane - Long Live The Kane
Big Daddy Kane - Looks Like A Job For
Big Pooh - Sleepers
Big L - Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous
Binary Star - Masters of the Universe
Biz Markie - The Best Of Cold Chillin'
Black Eyed Peas - Behind The Front
Black Eyed Peas - Bridging The Gap
Black Sheep - A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow
Blackalicious - Nia
Blackalicious - The Craft
Blockhead - Music By Cavelight
Blueprint - 1988
Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded
Brother Ali - Champion (EP)
Brother Ali - Shadows On The Sun
Cage - Hell's Winter
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine
Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf - Big Shots
cLOUDDEAD - cLOUDDEAD
Common - Like Water for Chocolate
Common - One Day It'll All Make Sense
Common - Resurrection
Common - Be
Count Bass D - Dwight Spitz
CunninLynguists - Will Rap For Food
CunninLynguists - Southernunderground
D.I.T.C. - D.I.T.C
Danger Mouse - The Grey Album
Danger Mouse & Jemini - Ghetto Pop Life
Dangerdoom - The Mouse And The Mask
De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising
De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead
De La Soul - The Grind Date
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Both Sides Of The Brain
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - I Wish My Brother George Was Here
Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030
Digable Planets - Blowout Comb
Digable Planets - Reachin' (A New Refutation Of Time And Space)
Dilated Peoples - The Platform
Dilated Peoples - Expansion Team
Diverse - One A.M
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing... [2005 Deluxe Edition]
DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - Brainfreeze
DJ Z-Trip & DJ P - Uneasy Listening Volume 1
Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
Edan - Beauty And The Beat
Edan - Primitive Plus
El-P - Fantastic Damage
Eminem - The Eminem Show
EPMD - Strictly Business
EPMD - Unfinished Business
EPMD - Business Never Personal
Eric B. & Rakim - Follow The Leader
Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full
Eyedea & Abilities - E&A
Gang Starr - Daily Operation
Gang Starr - Step In The Arena
Gang Starr - Hard To Earn
Gang Starr - The Ownerz
Genius GZA - Liquid Swords
Ghostface - The Pretty Toney Album
Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele
Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Grandmaster Flash - Adventures On The Wheels Of Steel
Guru - Jazzmatazz Volume 1
Handsome Boy Modeling School - So... How's Your Girl
Jay Dee - Welcome 2 Detroit
Jaylib - Champion Sound
Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
Jay-Z - The Black Album
Jay-Z - The Blueprint
Jay-Z - Unplugged
Jean Grae - The Bootleg Of The Bootleg (EP)
Jeru The Damaja - The Sun Rises In The East
Jungle Brothers - Done By The Forces Of Nature
Jungle Brothers - J. Beez Wit The Remedy
Jurassic 5 - Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5 - Quality Control
Kanye West - The College Dropout
Kanye West - Late Registration [UK version is better than US version]
King Geedorah - Take Me to Your Leader
KMD - Bl_ck B_st_rds
Kool Moe Dee - How Ya Like Me Now
KRS-One - KRS-One
Kurtis Blow - The Best Of Kurtis Blow
Kurtis Blow - Best Of Rappin
Latyrx - The Album [2002 Reissue]
Lauryn Hill - MTV Unplugged
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Little Brother - The Listening
Little Brother - The Minstrel Show
Lootpack - Soundpieces Da Antidote!
Lyrics Born - Later That Day
Lyrics Born - Same !@# Different Day
Madlib - Shades Of Blue
Madvillain - Madvillainy
Maker - Shooting The Breeze
Masta Ace - A Long Hot Summer
Masta Ace - Disposable Arts
MF Doom - Operation Doomsday
MF Doom - MM..Food
Mos Def - Black On Both Sides
Mos Def & Talib Kweli - Black Star
Mr. Scruff - Keep It Unreal
Murs - ...The End Of The Beginning
Murs - Murs 3 16 (9th Edition)
Murs And Slug - Felt 2 - A Tribute To Lisa Bonet
Nas - Illmatic
Nas - Stillmatic
One.Be.Lo - S.o.n.o.g.r.a.m
Oh No - The Disrupt
Peanut Butter Wolf - My Vinyl Weighs A Ton
People Under The Stairs - O.S.T
People Under The Stairs - Question In The Form Of An Answer
Pete Rock - Soul Survivor
Pete Rock - Soul Survivor II
Pete Rock - PeteStrumentals
Pete Rock - The Surviving Elements
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca And The Soul Brother
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - The Main Ingredient
Pete Rock & Deda - The Original Baby Pa
Pete Rock & InI - Center Of Attention
Public Enemy - Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy - Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush The Show
Q-Tip - Amplified
Q-Tip - Kamaal The Abstract
Quasimoto - The Further Adventures of Lord Quas
Quasimoto - The Unseen
OutKast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
RJD2 - Dead Ringer
RJD2 - Since We Last Spoke
RJD2 - Your Face Or Your Kneecaps
Roots Manuva - Brand New Second Hand
Run-D.M.C. - King Of Rock
Run-D.M.C. - Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C
Schooly D - Adventures Of
Skinnyman - Council Estate Of Mind
Slick Rick - The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick
Slick Rick - The Ruler's Back
Slum Village - Fantastic, Vol. 2
Slum Village - Detroit Deli (A Taste of Detroit)
Soul Position - 8 Million Stories
Soul Position - Unlimited (EP)
Souls Of Mischief - '93 'Til Infinity
Talib Kweli - Quality
Talib Kweli - Right About Now
Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek - Reflection Eternal
The Foreign Exchange - Connected
The Game - The Documentary
The Mitchell Brothers - A Breath Of Fresh Attire
The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
The Roots - Phrenology
The Roots - Things Fall Apart
The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free
The Streets - Original Pirate Material
The Sugarhill Records Story
Time Machine - Slow Your Roll
Typical Cats - Typical Cats
Typical Cats - Civil Service
Ugly Duckling - Fresh Mode
Ugly Duckling - Journey To Anywhere
Ugly Duckling - Taste The Secret
Ultramagnetic MC's - Critical Beatdown
Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain

[twin58]

Does Gil Scott-Heron (http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/profiles/scottherongil.shtml) count as rap? The author of the Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Scott-Heron) says "Scott-Heron is often seen as a founding father of rap," so I guess so. I don't follow the stuff. I do like old school rap from 1979 or 1980.

Text of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (http://historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/herontelevised.html)

Audio of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (http://www.msu.edu/course/atl/1004/garrelts/revo.mp3)

[Tony]

This may not be meaningful to you, but it's a song to people around here that really goes down deep. It's about a friend that died in march who was one of the best people i've met in my life. Just a background for the song is: His initials are MC and his number for sports were 9, so that's what he's talking about in the song. The singer may not be the best, but the words make it great.

http://www.myspace.com/cantbelife

[Hackstall]

Don't forget the Canadian content...Maestro (Fresh Wes), Dreamwarriors, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Swollen Members, and Tom Green's Organized Rhyme. Although there wasn't much meaning in Organized Rhymes work.

[Riot]

Enjoi pretty much nailed it.

[twin58]

I thought that old Sugar Hill label (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Hill_Records_%28rap%29) stuff was great. Examples: Grandmaster Flash (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandmaster_Flash), and Rapper's Delight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapper%27s_Delight). Once you get past old school, I'm out of the picture.

Amazingly, there's no Wikipedia entry for "The Disposable Heroes of Hiphopracy." Here's a link to one of their tunes:

Television: The Drug of a Nation (http://www.ekostv.com/node/118?PHPSESSID=a15958210845f5a2fc5e3ec4a757a9d6#com ment-56)

[laolax]

jkwon- you and me
is a good fairly meaningful song

[chsattack22]

changes-2pac
why-Jadakiss
DANCE WITH THE DEVIL- Immortal Technique

look em up, really good songs

[jedimasterPIMP]

Anything that dave chapelle has on his show is pretty much good stuff. Its almost always people you haven't heard of but they are so good.

[GarysGod]

immortal technique and aesop rock


It doesnt get much more real then immortal technique, hes amazing and really makes you think.

[GarysGod]

Anything that dave chapelle has on his show is pretty much good stuff. Its almost always people you haven't heard of but they are so good.

wait are you serious? i didnt know that his f*ck yo couch skit had such meaning.

[pshwarriorlax17]

til i collapse the remix - eminem 50 cent and couple of other people
black eyed peas - where is the love
p diddy - Ill be missin you
eminem - the way i am

just to make you laugh

Afroman - colt 45

[enjoi]

wait are you serious? i didnt know that his f*ck yo couch skit had such meaning.
The music that was on afterwards.

Common, De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, etc.

[GAlax3]

.......i cant believe i read black eyed peas, p diddy, and j kwon in this thread



anyways

enjoi pretty much got anything i can think of..

then theres always battle rappers...and thats a whole nother list

[aussielax]

Most off the good stuff has been mentioned in enjoi's post, but here are my suggestions:

American History X - Ill Bill
Glenwood Projects - Ill Bill, Nerco & Grotex
Chasing The Dragon - Ill Bill
This Thing Of Ours - Q-unique & Ill Bill
Hip-Hop - Dead Prez
Hell Yeh(Simp The System) - Dead Prez
Witness(One Hope) - Roots Manuva
Machete - Chopper Read, Brad Strut, Bias B & Balans
When I B On Tha Mic - Rakim
Strong Island - Rakim
It's The "R" - Rakim
Paid In Full - Rakim & Nas
New York - Jay-Z & Nas
Wanted: Dead or Alive - Kool G Rap & DJ Polo
It's Mine - Nas & Mobb Deep
I Love Work - Butterfingers
Fridays - Matty P
Eminem Diss - Necro
One Shot - Q-unique
Better You Than Me - Q-unique
Audio Bullys - Way Too Long
Audio Bullys - 100 Million
2pac & The Outlawz - Dear Mr President
I luv U - Dizzee Rascal
Off To Work - Dizzee Rascal
Fix Up Look Sharp - Dizzee Rascal
Jus A Rascal - Dizzee Rascal

[nhlaxman]

basicaly you got old school and underground i like underground the most because those guyz are puting everything into their lyrics because they are trying to get a deal like say the guys you hear on the radio they dont have to try as hard because they are already amking millions

[reLAXing3]

Don't forget the Canadian content...Maestro (Fresh Wes), Dreamwarriors, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Swollen Members, and Tom Green's Organized Rhyme. Although there wasn't much meaning in Organized Rhymes work.

^--You are forgeting DL Incognito, who is just amazing.

A group who is not like any other rap i have heard is Unknown Prophets, they are amazing.

[swish7209]

It doesnt get much more real then immortal technique, hes amazing and really makes you think.


definitaly , dance with the devil is one of the most meaningful song ive ever heard and its gets me thinking forever on the lyrics

[riddlebox]

changes- 2pac One of the greatest songs of all time

brendas got a baby- 2pac

keep your head up- 2pac

dear momma- 2pac

until the end of time- 2pac

thugz mansion- 2pac



All great meaningful songs

[dta06]

any revolutionary rapper like immortal technique, akir, jedi mind tricks, night walker, hassan salam, and many more

[xmangs3]

til i collapse the remix - eminem 50 cent and couple of other people
black eyed peas - where is the love
p diddy - Ill be missin you
eminem - the way i am


I seriously hope your joking. Anyway underground rap usually has meaning. You can't go wrong with Aceyalone, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Atmosphere or The Grouch.

[NY Lax 4]

Jus A Rascal - Dizzee Rascal
I play that song to piss off my brother.
(In opera voice) HE'S JUST A RASCAL!!! DIZZEE RASCAL!!! HE'S JUST A RASCAL!!! JUST A RASCAL!!!
I actually like when he sings and gets past the chorus.

[cgv1016]

changes-2pac
why-Jadakiss
DANCE WITH THE DEVIL- Immortal Technique

look em up, really good songs

changes, why, are two of my favorites too....

but you know whats a really good song although it may not mean anything, next episode

[Reens27]

fort minor, all his songs have great meaning

[xmangs3]

fort minor, all his songs have great meaning
its a group and they suck......hard.

[CTlaxHead]

As mentioned, any Aesop Rock or A Tribe Called Quest.

[chsattack22]

ms. new booty- bubba sparx

just kidding

[zak]

Listen to rap from the 80's and early 90's. Around mid 90's rap turned into gangsta rap. Check out Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy who rapped about political issues, Eric B. and Rakim. I always liked Beastie Boys "Licensed to Ill".
Grandmaster Flash was a DJ not a rapper. Youre thinking of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and songs like "White Lines," "New York, New York," and "The Message." Most of which was written, rapped by Melle Mel.

However, like most good rap, its pretty hypocritical. "White Lines" is a big anti cocaine rant, when pretty much everyone around the old school hip hop scene in New York was blown out of their minds on coke.

Licensed to Ill is all about drugs sex and crime. Not a drop of meaning in it.

Ive sort of given up on caring about meaning in rap, it kind of does the genre a diservice. Its a music founded on partying and sounding good. I dont want to be the elitist prick that ignores a quality record because theres a car on the front. Jay-Z's reasonable doubt is mainly about hustling and money and living the high life, its still one of the best records out there, imho. Its slick, personal, and accessable, he's on point the whole way through. That means more to me than hearing about how much Immortal Technique hates Bush.

I mean seriously, why is ImmTech so meaningful? Hes just some angry racist dude. Start a thread about trickle down economics, the tax code, or welfare. Copy and paste all the liberal posts, and you practically have a ImmTech song. Hes Chuck D twenty years late. Dead Prez, Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, and KRS-One all did it better. I just dont like him. I dont know where he got the balls to drop "cracker" too.

[enjoi]

Ive sort of given up on caring about meaning in rap, it kind of does the genre a diservice. Its a music founded on partying and sounding good. I dont want to be the elitist prick that ignores a quality record because theres a car on the front.
DING DING DING. I mean Jay-Z is widely considered one of the Greatest of All Time, but Backpackers won't give him any respect because he's not "indie".

For people who need "meaningful" lyrics, they usually aren't so critical of rock music.

But I will stress:
CYNE
and
Nujabes

[Hackstall]

My lumps or whatever is it called, by the guy with the black eye.

[Bone_ThugZ]

This may not be meaningful to you, but it's a song to people around here that really goes down deep. It's about a friend that died in march who was one of the best people i've met in my life. Just a background for the song is: His initials are MC and his number for sports were 9, so that's what he's talking about in the song. The singer may not be the best, but the words make it great.

http://www.myspace.com/cantbelife
I know it's about a real life thing, and is supposed to be deep and stuff, but that is the worst song I have EVER heard.

[faceitoff]

Immortal Technique - Dance With The Devil.

[DanK112]

alot of people said this dance with the devil song, i downlaoded it and its amazing, a sad story .. thats the kind of rap i like

[blckout20]

One that I don't think was mentioned but I may be wrong is Mr. Lif's two cd's....Emergency Rations and I Phantom.

[WestSideLa X eR]

But I will stress:
CYNE
and
Nujabes

Nujabes is not an MC. He's a japanese producer. He produced the two soundtracks for Samurai Champloo and his two "solo" works, Metaphorical Music and one other I can't remember, are excellent. Honestly, I rank him as one of my favorite producers of all time, up there with the RZA and J Dilla.

There are a ton of amazing albums out there, but if I had to recommend a few albums for someone looking into it, I'd suggest:

Black Star : Mos Def & Talib Kweli
Midnight Marauders : A Tribe Called Quest
Low End Theory : A Tribe Called Quest
Resurrection : Common Sense (Common)
Grandmasters : GZA Vs. DJ Muggs
Lifestylez of Da Poor and Dangerous : Big L

[enjoi]

Nujabes is not an MC. He's a japanese producer. He produced the two soundtracks for Samurai Champloo and his two "solo" works, Metaphorical Music and one other I can't remember, are excellent. Honestly, I rank him as one of my favorite producers of all time, up there with the RZA and J Dilla.
But he has guest MCs on his albums such as Pase Rock, CYNE, etc. Who are usually "backpack" anyways.

[Tony]

I know it's about a real life thing, and is supposed to be deep and stuff, but that is the worst song I have EVER heard.

yea i'll admit it's not the greatest. but if you knew the kid, you'd understand.

[xmangs3]

yea i'll admit it's not the greatest. but if you knew the kid, you'd understand.
most people DON'T KNOW him so we won't understand.

[gaels_laxer_33]

theres some RUN DMC stuff public enemy but most rap these days sucks its about ******* hoes bling and rims its terrible