|
I've never made an effort post in my life so bear with me. This first post is just about where I'm coming from. It's kind of dumb so if you don't care about all that, just skip to the next post. I grew up a half Mexican, half white kid in the PNW. A lot of stuff that I perceived as normal when I was growing up is not as normal as I thought. Most of my family on my father's side are illegal Mexican immigrants. When I was about 11-12 years old, my parents sat me down and let me decide if I was willing to consent to letting my illegal immigrant cousin use my papers to get back into the US after visiting my father's hometown in Mexico. I decided that I would allow it because he was family and he was like a brother to me. At the same time, I was geographically shielded from a lot of what was going on in California, between blacks and Mexicans. Where I was growing up, it was all about tensions between whites and Mexicans. 18th St. and Brown Pride Raza were big around the biggest metropolitan areas of Oregon. There were pretty much no black people around. Yet, there was still a strong undertone of racism against blacks from my Mexican family members. My father and his brothers called black people "Murphys", a reference to Eddie Murphy. I saw my uncle beat my aforementioned cousin because he got caught watching a Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre video on MTV. My first exposure to hip hop was a tape I somehow ended up with that had following three songs recorded on it: Latin Alliance Feat. Kid Frost - Low Rider (On The Boulevard) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv1fHsZ_hyk gently caress wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin') https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD1dyPO8b4U Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg - Nothin' But a G Thang https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4E4XC7qOfk From that point, I discovered Bone Thugs n Harmony, Cypress Hill, and 2Pac. I went through a large period of confusion where I equated rap music made by black people with the Mexican culture I was being raised in. It's understandable because the Mexican and black cultures in LA in the 90s were just mashing up and marinating with each other in the 90s. Mexicans invented lowriders, work clothes as fashion (Ben Davis and Dickies), and love of oldies music. I was mocked in jr high and high school for trying to be a homie and it wasn't totally unwarranted. I was from the suburbs and people thought I was either white or native american. I tried to pass myself off as a DJ or an MC but I wasn't that great at either of those skillsets at that point. I went to a conservative Christian high school but they were cool enough to let me perform Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" during my sophomore year at a talent show and then perform an original rap I wrote during my Junior year. Anyway, I want to start the next post about the history of political hip hop, enough of my personal bullshit.
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 00:29
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 7, 2024 17:59 |
|
|
This isn't even really rap music. It's spoken word poetry. It's powerful as hell and it's as relevant today as anything ever was. This came out in 1970 and is considered to be the ur rap song. Last Poets - When the Revolution Comes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M5W_3T2Ye4 quote:When the revolution comes Biggie Smalls sampled this song to great effect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEaPDNgUPLE Edmund Sparkler fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Sep 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 00:32
|
|
|
Whereas Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" was a dumb party song with no real message, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's two big hits were dumb rap songs with a huge social message. "The Message" was like an NWA song a decade ahead of time. "White Lines was a party cocaine song that disguised itself as an anti-drug song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar7sKNb4UUE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4o8TeqKhgY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsTJaP2tC0A
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 00:41
|
|
|
So now I'm going to jump ahead to 1985 because I don't know as much as I should about east coast hip hop because I'm from the west coast. These songs aren't specifically socially conscious in the way that they spread a positive message but they spread the word about the realities about what was going on in black communities all across the US. Schoolly D had a sick song about his gang (Park Side Killas). This is credited as being the first gangsta rap song ever. This song was the gateway for all gangsta rap. "6 n the Mornin'" and "Boyz n the Hood" would have never happened if this song didn't exist. Also, Schoolly D did ATHF's theme song. He wrote the whole thing in the limo on his way to the studio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNK9FRfiWwc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQc4A-XBzBY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud4hgJwA0wY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGeNDnYcQOA Edmund Sparkler fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Sep 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 00:58
|
|
|
Boogie Down Productions was this weird combo of social consciousness and KRS-1 being an egotistical maniac. He battled other MCs hardcore in the mid 80s but then got all spiritual after Scott LaRock got killed. Anyway, this is the most conscious thing he ever put out and it's bad as hell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQAssqqYQ-E
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 01:08
|
|
|
NWA wasn't quite straight up challenging the police yet but the track after this one was the one that would get them a letter from the FBI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMZi25Pq3T8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jOqOlETcRU
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 01:24
|
|
|
Holy Jesus, Ice T would get crucified over this song. It wasn't a hip hop song, it was a heavy metal song. The FOP and Charlton Heston would have a meltdown over this song. I still think that Ice T should have held his ground over this song but then again, it's not my money on the line. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5gRIud57jQ
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 01:28
|
|
|
This is a great idea for a thread and I like your taste in music. I love that you included "Party and Bullshit" because that's one of my favorite Biggie songs and I always thought it was a little funny and sad that the Poets got so mad about the sample. What do you think of the new poo poo, like Kendrick?
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 06:02
|
|
|
Anyone watch The Get Down on Netflix? It has some hip-hop and social consciousness story beats. Grandmaster Flash is a character in the show and he worked on the show. Nas raps in it, as an older version of one of the protagonists, and also helped create the show. http://www.motherjones.com/media/2016/08/grandmaster-flash-baz-luhrmann-get-down-netflix-series-turntablism-early-hip-hop Huzanko fucked around with this message at 07:02 on Sep 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 06:59
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 07:02
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7t8eoA_1jQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TN-kDEKxF0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea-ezolZq5k MEN don't steal, MOST don't borrow. And if you smoke crack today, your kids will smoke crack tomorrow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBwAxmrE194 Cash rules everything around me: CREAM, get the money Dollar, dollar bill y'all https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKjj4hk0pV4 Young bitches is grazed, each block is like a maze Full of black rats trapped plus the Island is packed From what I hear in all the stories When my peoples come back, black I'm living where the nights is jet-black The fiends fight to get crack I just max, I dream I can sit back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWMjRMJ0dTI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKYkDwzi-FI The brutalizer, Brutus-izer, accelerator The type of nigga who be pissing in your elevator https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuaGcm8yqzI
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 09:48
|
|
|
In 1991, along came a rapper named 2Pac and holey moley, he would piss off the establishment so hard. His mother and father were Black Panthers and he spent time in jail before he was even born. He was making music about sexual abuse and police abuse in the black community. He said it so smoothly and eloquently; he would own hip hop for the first half of the 90s. 2Pac - Brenda's Got a Baby https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRWUs0KtB-I 2Pac - Trapped https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCEmTaWSPTk
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 13:24
|
|
|
Meredith Baxter-Burnout posted:In 1991, along came a rapper named 2Pac and holey moley, he would piss off the establishment so hard. His mother and father were Black Panthers and he spent time in jail before he was even born. He was making music about sexual abuse and police abuse in the black community. He said it so smoothly and eloquently; he would own hip hop for the first half of the 90s. I know it's cliche, but holy gently caress do I love me some Pac. Koalas March fucked around with this message at 16:44 on Sep 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 13:32
|
|
|
This post is just going to be a Public Enemy dump. PE was what BLM should be. They were pissed off black men who carried the Black Panther message into the 90s. Just listen to these songs and read these lyrics and tell me that they aren't timely as hell. Public Enemy - Fight the Power quote:Elvis was a hero to most https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PaoLy7PHwk Public Enemy - Burn Hollywood Burn quote:As I walk the streets of Hollywood boulevard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6MlwT1lBk0 Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos quote:I got a letter from the government https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM5_6js19eM Public Enemy - By the Time I get to Arizona quote:I'm countin' down to the day deservin' Random personal fact: My ex could never understand why I hated Arizona so much, the state that she was raised in. I tried to be nice about it but between Joe Arpaio, John McCain, and all the other racist poo poo in that state, I couldn't keep my mouth shut. Edmund Sparkler fucked around with this message at 13:43 on Sep 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 13:38
|
|
|
poo poo, during the early 90s, black activism was so mainstream that it was practically a fashion accessory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPbpimhU1_Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMNvYJ6O_Ks
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 13:47
|
|
|
Tiny Brontosaurus posted:This is a great idea for a thread and I like your taste in music. I love that you included "Party and Bullshit" because that's one of my favorite Biggie songs and I always thought it was a little funny and sad that the Poets got so mad about the sample. I hate to admit it but I am an old and all I know Kendrick from is the Lonely Island song he did. I do know that he's a much better spokesman for bringing back the West Coast than The Game. I would be much obliged if you would post some songs from his catalog.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 13:51
|
|
|
Koalas March posted:I know it's cliche, but holy gently caress do I love me some Pac. Your link is broken for me but in case it's not just me, I'm reposting it. Great song, btw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW--IGAfeas 2Pac had a way with women and that would be his downfall when he was charged with rape. He's pretty much the only celebrity who I'm willing to believe when it comes to his defense against the charges. He admitted that he was there and that he walked away from a bad situation that he could have prevented from happening. I think he had an internal struggle when it came to the way he treated women. He would be considered a feminist in this day and age but he was a rich man in his early 20s and I can't say that I'd be a better man than him in the same situation. Edmund Sparkler fucked around with this message at 14:08 on Sep 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 13:55
|
|
|
It's funny about Kendrick, up until him I think contemporary social consciousness in hip-hop got shitted on from all directions. See backpack rapper being used as an insult. I can post my favorite poo poo, but I don't want to turn this thread into a PYF.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 13:57
|
|
|
A political hip Hop thread and No Coup? For Shame... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsUDGxdeICw
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 16:33
|
|
|
or large pro and main source https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFVpeaJLN4A
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 16:34
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m331XR4oPw0 And it ain't just about the fellas
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 16:36
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgOWTM5R2DA
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 16:37
|
|
|
Meredith Baxter-Burnout posted:"The Message" was like an NWA song a decade ahead of time. "White Lines was a party cocaine song that disguised itself as an anti-drug song. In the early 1980s my brother had been working in Chicago and when he came back to L.A. he brought a load of records with him including "New York New York" by Grandmaster Flash. It was a great followup to The Message. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2kpDqMGyzA I loved New Wave but the power of early rap blew me away. I expect the starkness of the production must seem laughable to young folks but it was a stripped down, no bullshit new sound. Run-DMC It's Like That https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RiBmZvU-dY For later rap when the production became more layered I couldn't stop playing Public Enemy - Rightstarter. The first song to make my car's rear view mirror vibrate with the bass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5mQyq3XYJA And I still enjoy listening to BDP-You Must Learn. There's a shoutout to Charles Drew that caught my ear when I first heard it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVtVJ6Kq-Pk EDIT: I'm old so that's why I just posted old stuff. I can still remember how exciting it was when I first put the needle down on some of those records. 
Dick Trauma fucked around with this message at 16:39 on Sep 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 16:37
|
|
|
This was always onbe of my favorite BDP Tracks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj3n3WRBImY
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 16:40
|
|
|
Thanks for fixing my link! Sometimes when I'm phone-posting my formatting gets weird af. I also want to add that The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a loving masterpiece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE-bnWqLqxE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Co5Kz2LuI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6QKqFPRZSA Not exclusively Hip Hop, but TLC had some songs with good political messages as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WEtxJ4-sh4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2gy1Evb1Kg
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 16:44
|
|
|
Eryka Badu knows what's up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTOxSCXoFzQ
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 16:47
|
|
|
oh and have some british hip hop with political elements https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxZ1214WYP8
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 16:48
|
|
|
im gay posted:It's funny about Kendrick, up until him I think contemporary social consciousness in hip-hop got shitted on from all directions. See backpack rapper being used as an insult. Eh. People haven't really talked about Backpack rap like that in ages. Or really ever unless you start talking about old internet bloggers(which is a whole other thing.) Talib Kweli, KRS-One, Common, Kanye(College Dropout and Late Reg era), Lupe Fiasco, are ones who specifically spoke about conscious issues. But most rap, except for maybe the Dance tracks or stuff that gets heavy radio play, has some level of consciousness to it. For instance Clipse, who rapped about coke mostly would even get into conscious poo poo fairly often. It's nowhere near as overt as someone like Lupe would get. But is still often talking about how hosed up poo poo is. Malice would constantly talk about how if it were up to him he and (Pusha) T wouldn't be in this life selling drugs. Like this is one of my favorite rap verses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT6TOz9xM4A&t=201s Most rappers have some level of consciousness in them, some are just better at being able to put it on display without getting super preachy. But man I should work on an effort post about Lupe Fiasco eventually. Dexo fucked around with this message at 17:00 on Sep 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 16:55
|
|
|
Since we're talking about Lupe I really love this verse. His flow on it's so sick. Patrick Stump ft Lupe Fiasco - This City posted:Now what if I told you my city was the best It's electro-pop/funk so I'm not gonna post it but when I'm riding through Detroit I love to turn it up, haha. Koalas March fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Sep 30, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 17:29
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBgSijwAtmQ Lupe is so loving good at painting a picture with his words
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 18:55
|
|
|
Meredith Baxter-Burnout posted:Random personal fact: My ex could never understand why I hated Arizona so much, the state that she was raised in. I tried to be nice about it but between Joe Arpaio, John McCain, and all the other racist poo poo in that state, I couldn't keep my mouth shut. born/raised/currently live in phoenix and can confirm there are no black people and mexican people get treated like absolute poo poo constantly Meredith Baxter-Burnout posted:I hate to admit it but I am an old and all I know Kendrick from is the Lonely Island song he did. I do know that he's a much better spokesman for bringing back the West Coast than The Game. I would be much obliged if you would post some songs from his catalog. kendrick has some insane flow that compliments his conscious lyrics really nicely, i think to pimp a butterfly is a better album at least from a social perspective if not a rappity-rap perspective. between raw skill and message kendrick's astronomical rise to fame is what lupe deserved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10yrPDf92hY&t=155s m.A.A.d City posted:If I told you I killed a nigga at 16, would you believe me? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMxNYQ71LOk The Blacker The Berry posted:I'm the biggest hypocrite of 2015
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2016 20:50
|
|
|
Anyone like Akala? He has a pretty deep background in history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEOKgjoxoto quote:In this country the first enslaved were the working class Some spoken word stuff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNqlSrhUOgs&t=12m20s im gay fucked around with this message at 10:24 on Sep 30, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2016 09:58
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a7CzhjI1Icquote:This is for America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7gQuNRdYZ4 quote:I'm seein' it clearer, hatin' the picture in the mirror im gay fucked around with this message at 10:30 on Sep 30, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2016 10:23
|
|
|
Just so this doesn't just turn into PYF rap videos, one thing I've always admired about the hip hop scene was the open nature of it. The Mixtape scene in particular is amazing to me. The idea of taking someone else's music and doing your own lyrics is one that's basically almost unheard of in other genres or if it does exist is usually only the result of vast quantities of money changing hands for the rights to use the music. In hip hop it's only permitted, but even encouraged, even by fairly large labels even if it's just them turning a blind eye. I used to be pretty into hip hop but sort of lost track a few years ago. The last album I remember buying was Hell Hath No Fury, which goes to show how out of touch I am. The scene moves so fast, too, it's kind of hard to keep up with the latest stuff. I think one of my favourite examples of the Mixtape scene was when Nas declared that hip hop was dead and Chamillionaire did his own rebuttal and killed it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAKxjTRV6ms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvYaq0biIlI Anyway, when I was growing up Scarface of the Geto Boys was one of my favourite artists, largely because he was one of the few rappers to talk about mental illness is an open way. It's quite a big issue that isn't really tackled hugely, especially since quite a few big names definitely had issues with it. People like the ODB etc.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2016 10:24
|
|
|
It's amazing to me that mixtapes started in the 70's and continue to exist to today. With all of the pressure of money and record labels guiding rappers to release albums, they still put out free music. I know it has change since things went digital, but it was extremely unique in music and gives me communal vibes that is wholly unique to hip-hop.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2016 10:48
|
|
|
im gay posted:Anyone like Akala? He has a pretty deep background in history. Huge fan of Akala and you can't mention him without Lowkey in the same breath imo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBNeD57-RVg edit: also, I guess Dead Prez kind of goes without saying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJktslo1P2w TomViolence fucked around with this message at 11:33 on Sep 30, 2016 |
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2016 11:30
|
|
|
Rush Limbo posted:I think one of my favourite examples of the Mixtape scene was when Nas declared that hip hop was dead and Chamillionaire did his own rebuttal and killed it. Oh man this is really good! I enjoy being about 10 years behind... "If you're married to the game go ahead and divorce it" 
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2016 18:36
|
|
|
Meredith Baxter-Burnout posted:This isn't even really rap music. It's spoken word poetry. On that note, Gil Scott-Heron is always worth mentioning. His song 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' came out in 1970, and along with much of his other spoken word output, he's seen a massive influence on later hip hop. Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwSRqaZGsPw quote:You will not be able to stay home, brother.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2016 16:49
|
|
|
I don't think I can say whether hip hop has promoted any kind of social consciousness or not. Everything positive and pro-black from the '80s and '90s (as well as all the ideologically neutral meaningless party rap of that era) was countermanded by the marketing of the "G" lifestyle of subsequent years. For example, it's hard to take 2Pac as some kind of prophet or social critic (as intelligent and capable as he was of being one) when he willingly fed the fires of the east coast/west coast feud that led to his own pointless death. And he was in a position to know better. He made himself a martyr of capital and I can't think of a more pointless thing to do. e: Also it's very frustrating to see a great artist with a real coherent message like Kendrick get interpreted as "seek out the hidden influence of the Illuminati." His message may be wasted on the people he's trying to reach. woke wedding drone fucked around with this message at 17:04 on Oct 1, 2016 |
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2016 17:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 7, 2024 17:59 |
|
|
You're cool with the homophobia of your 'ur rap song'?
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2016 17:46
|
|
