Realness is not about being from the streets but about speaking the truth and that‘s what rap music used to be like...

Something like Wu-Tang Clan or My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy when the best rappers came together was real rap to me

Today noone seems to care about this aspect anymore...

It can also be an expression of the current moment and we find that a lot today in trap music because these artists are expressing just how they feel...

But the rapper who represents the current zeitgeist the best must be Drake

Discuss...

Future is real rap

lol nothing

Hip hop has not been about the streets since early 2000s.

Nav is real rap

I don‘t f*** with the intellectual stuff too much btw

Something they put their heart into and sounds like it took actual effort

Something that sounds like it took effort like another poster said, and with an actual story or theme, not just freestyling like nowadays.

I guess Kendrick is one of the very few. Is it bad that I can’t think of a lot?

No auto tune singing

"real rap" doesn't exist. i enjoy more substantive and lyrical records, but i'm not going to demean people who prefer otherwise.

Caring about the craft, having actual substance, and rappers wanting to improve at whatever they do in it/be the best is real rap to me. A lot of these niggas just chase the check they can get out of it, rap for a joke/as a joke or they just play with it. Those people aren’t necessarily trash for doing that but you hear a difference between them and artists that take it very seriously.

the problem is that what people consider "intellectual" is just regular dudes with mid punchlines

Future, tbh. In other words, authenticity, flow, lyrical content, creativity, etc.

most rap is real rap

macklemore

Boom Bap rappers tbh

white kids making weird boom bap rap tracks that vaguely go viral

Rap with soul

Good example tbh. If niggas let their guard down and didn’t feel insecure whenever the term is mentioned and don’t immediately become defensive they’d agree that it exists