I think it was the 90s the ushered in the best of hiphop and rnb music. Though, I still give due credit for the Sugarhill Gang who cemented the brand of hiphop and rap music into the mainstream.

Yep I hear you... 80s was definitely influencial but it just doesn't do it for me. A lot of the pre 90s rapping is just too basic for me. Slow rhyming, not as much variation in rhyme schemes. To me, the 90s was just raw. Guys that were actually from the streets, rhyming about the streets with great flow and lyrics. Wu Tang is especially awesome in my mind because it's an actual group. A group who is all similar but they each have distinct styles, but common beliefs and understandings of things. Nas is just awesome because of his diversity and unmatched lyricism. Rap won't ever be that raw again. Cause even the guys who are from the streets get scooped up and changed so much by labels. You can say guys like Wayne are from the hood, but cmon the guy has been involved with entertainment business since he was a young teen.

Yeah, his lyrics are what really get me. This song is one of my favorite examples of his ability as a lyricist. The story it tells and the statement it makes are just ****ing amazing. On par with songwriters like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen in my opinion.



Now they're just making songs that appeal to suburban teenagers. That's where the money is, after all, Illmatic was a commercial failure in comparison to a lot of his more mainstream stuff. My 14 year old cousin and all his friends are Lil Wayne fans. No rapper should have 14 year old fans.

Why not?

Not to mention, 1990's New York Shaolin Style take-over Staten island at their finest, the Wu-Tang Clan ain't nuttin ta **** wit!

Hi ya'll. I was wondering if anyone could put together a compilation of hip hop tracks that span over the three decades discussed in this thread. I'd do it myself but I'm just not feeling up to it and then I thought why not ask a bunch of music addicts. Three songs minimum from each decade would be ideal and then songs can be added based on personal taste and/or public choice. It would be much appreciated. Also 90's HIP-HOP is the shiznit.

90's was the Golden Age of Hip Hop, which I can say with absolutely no doubt about it.

Shucks, I totally should have waited a year before I started listening to Wu-Tang.

http://dret.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341...a723970b-800wi

:nono:

The 90s are my fave but I do like newer stuff too. Its hard to find current hiphop albums you can bump from start to finish nowadays.

I'm down with the cats out there still doing that 90s free style, lyrical rap today. I've never been a fan of radio rap. I can't find the time, when there are hundreds of lyrical geniuses out there with sick production...

Why's it matter if the artist is who he's depicting in his art?

It's fucking art.

90s or todays rap seen as I've been exposed to that music.

Exactly. I've never understood people's obsession with thinking musicians have to live what they write about. The strangest thing is this notion doesn't seem to be applied as much to other forms of art. You don't hear much of this idea directed at novelists or actors or anyone else. I mean, can you imagine someone saying, "Oh my god Stephen King is so phony because his childhood friends were never actually killed by a shapeshifting evil entity that took the form of a clown."

90s. There's some really good stuff today, but alot of terrible stuff as well.

Nope, I don't. That's the thing with classics, they aren't viewed as such until after the fact.

Thats a problem in alot of genres though to be fair. I think its more the fact that we as fans have access to so much music through the internet that the market is oversaturated and artist's fanbases are diluted in comparison to what they would have been 15-20 years ago, so its harder to spot the gems instantly.

IMO for all the pros of the 80s, and the jams from the early 2ks, you cannot beat the 90s, it had everything from Tupac to Will Smith. Golden age fosho.

OMG there's a none dang it option. Haha, I didn't bother looking at this topic. Just miss-clicked it. And there it was. DANG! :D.

My pick is the 90's but there is some good stuff from the 00's but it is harder to find than the good 90's stuff.

Also the whole nostalgia thing may be giving me some bias towards the 90's.

Today's rap. The 90s was easier to find good rappers but rap these days is much more innovative, creative, diverse and well rounded.

Today's rap gets reduced to soundcloud artists unfairly when I don't think 1 soundcloud artist is as popular as a Kendrick or a Danny Brown or a Tyler, the Creator or an A$AP Rocky.

I think the best thing that's happening with hip hop right now is the realization of all the freedom artists have to explore different sounds or genres that they can incorporate into their music.