To be honest lyrics probably were never probably all that important if you look at the raw numbers. The Chronic is considered one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time with the best song on it being "Gin and Juice". Think about that for a second.

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I secretly like the stuff my daughters listen to more than the majority of the "hip hop" I hear today.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Gin and Juice isn't on The Chronic, it's on DoggyStyle


They dont have to have deep meaning, but they should be clever and intelligible

Look at all the winners from '95, damn:

1 Coolio Gangsta’s Paradise
2 TLC Waterfalls
3 TLC Creep
4 Seal Kiss From A Rose
5 Boyz II Men On Bended Knee
6 Real McCoy Another Night
7 Mariah Carey Fantasy
10 Montell Jordan This Is How We Do It
11 Dionne Farris I Know
12 Boyz II Men Water Runs Dry
13 Adina Howard Freak Like Me
14 Blues Traveler Run-Around
15 All-4-One I Can Love You Like That
18 Shaggy Boombastic / In The Summertime
19 Nicki French Total Eclipse Of The Heart
20 Des’ree You Gotta Be
21 Michael Jackson You Are Not Alone
22 Hootie and The Blowfish Hold My Hand
23 Notorious B.I.G. One More Chance-Stay With Me
24 Ini Kamoze Here Comes The Hotstepper
26 Hootie and The Blowfish Let Her Cry
27 Blessid Union Of Souls I Believe
28 TLC Red Light Special
29 Janet Jackson Runaway
30 Sheryl Crow Strong Enough
33 Hootie and The Blowfish Only Wanna Be With You [is this lingering on the charts from '94? Seems quite low]
36 Luniz I Got 5 On It
38 Real McCoy Run Away
39 Sophie B. Hawkins As I Lay Me Down
41 Collective Soul December
43 Diana King Shy Guy
47 Notorious B.I.G. Big Poppa / Warning
48 4 P.M. Sukiyaki
50 Boyz II Men I’ll Make Love To You
53 Dr. Dre Keep Their Heads Ringin’
54 Corona The Rhythm Of The Night
55 Del Amitri Roll To Me
60 Natalie Merchant Carnival
61 Tom Petty You Don’t Know How It Feels
63 69 Boyz Tootsee Roll
67 Sheryl Crow All I Wanna Do
69 Real McCoy Come And Get Your Love
71 Madonna Secret
74 Jade Every Day Of The Week
76 20 Fingers feat. Gillette Short Dick Man
78 Annie Lennox No More “I Love You’s”
81 U2 Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
82 Crystal Waters 100% Pure Love
85 Better Than Ezra Good
93 Rednex Cotton Eye Joe
94 Boyz II Men Thank You
95 Pretenders I’ll Stand By You

I was surprised "Short Dick Man" made the list, I thought that was one of those old B96 songs that you'd bring up and no one from outside Chicago would know what the hell you're talking about, like "Booty Call" by Fast Eddie.

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is that the "itsy bitsy, teenie-weenie" song? she wore a generic hawks jersey once.

The point is music today is made intentionally disgusting as to make black people as stupid as possible and whites as degenerate as possible. I wonder (((who))) wants it this way.

WTF, 1991?

1 Bryan Adams (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
2 Color Me Badd I Wanna Sex You Up

At least # 2 in 1992 was "Baby Got Back"

Damn i really am getting old. Deep meaning works for me more often than not. I listen to a little bit of everything and it really just comes down to the mood at that particular moment.


I don't think there is much if any conscious rap these days however. Few songs here or there but overall nope.

Which artists come close to making the sort of music that KRS or BDP made?

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Maybe J Cole. Eminem's new album had more conscious lyrics than you'll find from all under 30 artists combined.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Kendrick Lamar
J. Cole
Rapsody
Vic Mensa
Chance the Rapper
Joey BadA$$

Of those guys the only one that i would put in that particular class would be Lamar. I'm not familiar with Vic Mensa or Joey Badass but J. Cole's stuff isn't provocative and neither is Chance the Rapper. Its just my opinion however.


Learned Truth by Talib Kweli is one of top 5 Conscious songs that i have ever heard and it had no chance of ever getting traction because of the period in which it was made.

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Well, I should mention that KRS is widly overrated, imo. MC's act like they don't know is a fine song, but hardly profound.

I wasnt saying profound, but it's certainly more than I FUCK BITCHES AND I GOT MONEY or just listing the drugs they do repeatedly.

Anytime your "alpha" self wants to spew your racial nonsense in Englewood, to someone's face, just let me know.

I'll drive.

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You are showing your youth. MCs act like they don't know was part of the later KRS One stuff. Mid 90's. He was fading by that point.

Stop the Violence.
Bridge is over.
Love's Gonna Get ya.
My Philosophy.
Why is That?
Beef.
Black Cop

The By All Means Necessary album is a lyrical masterpiece from top to bottom. He only had 1-2 songs that missed. Even songs like Cocaine had a strong message inside of it.

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KRS had 4 masterpiece-caliber albums from 1987 to 1993. MCs Act Like They Don’t Know is from a period where his skills had started to decline.

But he’s certainly one of the all-time greats based on his 1987-1993 catalog.

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Yea, well I guess everyone has a legend where they just dont see it...mine is KRS.


But to say Chance or J. Cole arent profound, but KRS is...KRS better not have weak spots like that.


I dont even like J. Cole that much but he has a lot of songs with deep meaning. LTG, how much have you even listened to?

"I can't believe that Rob would diss me
That burrito, that punk, he's soft as a sissy"


Very woke!

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

MCs Act they dont know isn't the standard bearer for him and i say that as a guy that actually liked the song.

I don't see any of the Newer guys touching Rakim lyrically either.

If you have a solid hook and a dope beat your good to go these days. I actually do like a lot of the newer stuff though. Not a fuddy duddy in that regard. Just don't have the time or energy to get into the way that i used to and i hate the way radio stations have commercialized the music.

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long time guy engaged in a 400-email back-and-forth with the program director of Power 92 over whether they're really #1 in the streets.

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I have about 20 of his songs in my playlist. I haven't gone through his whole catalog however.

As far as KRS One goes i just listed 7 songs. I substituted provocative for profound. Wrong word usage.

Those 7 songs all had different meanings in them. Now that is what i call provocative.

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I'd lose that battle but you know that would not have stopped me. Power 92 has that on lock.

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Stick to the Del-Vikings and never speak on one of the all-time great cautionary tales like “Love’s Gonna Get’cha”.

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Premier doesn't make bad songs.


I think a few of them do stand up to Rakim but he is the Godfather of it all.

Profound.

Lyrically no one has ever been able to touch peak Rakim. That isn't saying a lot. J Cole lyrically is the best "young" conscious rapper.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Ok, fuck it. Kendrick is better than Rakim.

He's become overrated to me.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

J Cole doesn't do it for me. Tried but it ain't happening.

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Guru On the Step in the Arena album was right there with him (Rakim)

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I'm kinda surprised. He's a poor man's Nas.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!