I have friends who also listen predominantly to Hip-Hop & R&B but their preference in artists differ from mine, considerably in some cases.
When I'm at home it's more likely I'm listening to lyrically gifted rappers. Whereas when I'm out with my friends, it's more likely I'm listening to rappers who may not be as skilled but have a plethora of bangers.
I don't mind as I enjoy most types of Hip-Hop. From conscious, lyrical musings to rappers that spit punchlines that make you say 'OH SH*T!' to those that specialise in the commercial aspects (money, chicks) of music and to a lesser extent (a MUCH lesser extent) the no talent rappers who simply get by on the work of a dope producer.
I was with two of my bredrins a while ago and our conversation was along the lines of
Me- 'What do you think of Lowkey?'
Friend- 'He's good but sometimes it's too much'
Me- 'I'd take that as a compliment'
*can't remember the rest of the conversation*
Me- 'So what do you look for in a rapper?'
Friends- 'Good question'
So I pose this question to my lovely readers.
What I look for in a rapper is the content.
'The content of a rap song includes every subject you rap about. It's what you're rapping about.' This is the definition given in the book How To Rap.
Content gives you a good idea of what the rapper is about and gives an insight on how they see things.
The wordplay is also important. I like rappers with an extensive vocabulary and complex rhyme schemes (multi-syllabic etc) as it shows creativity, intelligence and it's an effective way to showcase your skill.
Flow is also important because having good content and wordplay won't count for much to a listener if it's not presented correctly.
My all-time favourite rappers possess all or most of these attributes. I think the song below is a good example of both. The content sees Nas talking to incarcerated friends in the form of a letter and in the third verse speaks on the stresses of his surroundings. The wordplay has an impressive mix of multi-syllabic and internal rhyming.
But that's my opinion, what's your opinion?
What do you look for in a rapper?
What was it that made you give that rapper 3 minutes of your time?
What is it about that rapper that makes you relate to them and not another?
Was it the impressive wordplay?
The catchy flow?
The creative punchline?
The attention-commanding voice?
The deep content that made you re-assess your outlook on life?
Their versatile subject matter?
Is it something else that I haven't mentioned?
Feel free to comment but please keep it civilised.
Peace Out!
