People find criminals interesting.

Same reason people like The Godfather, Breaking Bad, The Wire and countless other movies and series'.

Although I don't like it when rappers like 21 who make a living from glorifying gang violence, and make out that they are 'actually about that life', turn around and say 'put the guns down'.

talking about racism and all the other isms isn’t the issue. it’s the self righteous attitudes of certain artists who rap about them. it feels like the person is out of their depth on these subjects. at least when someone raps about other topics those artists lived thru it or know plenty of those who have lived thru it. also doesn’t really matter if you get alc madlib 9th wonder or whoever else that style as much as i love it generally people aren’t liking that style. it’s hard to sound relevant when you got those types of producers on your album

Specific to the Kendrick point any major artist who releases is liable to catch flack from tweetdeck users just because it garners interaction. Not sure why people take it so personally

being conscious has always been played out (more than just music in life in general).

even the best commercially marketed conscious rappers have to maintain their ignorance.

understanding an issue and making songs about an issue that I'm pretty sure at this point everyone understands or has no want to understand in order for musical enjoyment is preaching to the congregation.
i don't think it's much more than that tbh.

Conscious rap is at its best when it’s actually somewhat fun to listen to. I think a lot of conscious rappers of today focus on being preachy and serious, rather than trying to make us dance and vibe to the music while also sending us a valuable message. There should be a balance

Some of the s*** is just too mellow. Being conscious isn’t enough. S*** needa knock

They were a good example of striking that balance

🎯

It was easier before the 808s took over not gonna lie. Also think it’s tougher to have fun flows or deliveries speaking consciously sometimes. And to me personally usually it sounds contrived.

Hip hop even in the mainstream has always been inherently conscious

That’s what bothers so many ppl about rap now

It’s mindless babbling for the most part.. repeating the same tropes over and over

Andre 3k to Ice cube.. Even the jadakiss type rappers had a perspective about the world that you could identify with beyond money, hoes and d****… and even if that was the topic, it went into the understanding of how that world works and why

The fact that “conscious rap” is something we think of as undesirable now and throw it all away when it’s the core essence of hip hop is the worst trend to ever happen to it

Contemporary 808 patterns also don’t really leave enough space for rappers to say anything profound on for the most part. Like another poster said, when rappers try to get conscious on 808 patterns, it ends up sounding corny

op hasn’t figured out that music is more than just lyrics yet

Socially obedient people have to live their lives by the rules for their entire lives

Ofc people who don’t will seem more interesting to them

yeah most people want to seem up to date which i will say isn’t a problem because it’s just being self aware, it’s just when you become a trend bot and think that’s all you can indulge in

When I was a kid there was a point where conscious rap was probably one of my most listened to areas of rap.

As time went on and the soundscape of hip hop changed, conscious rappers never adapted. That’s why that have been mostly left behind.

Like if you give me the choice of YNW Melly or a slums member or even Earl I’m choosing Melly most of the time.

As I’m typing this now though I feel like “conscious” topics with Michigan style rapping and beats might go hard but idk

Given some of the threads recently, which has actually brought some good convos, the conspiracy theorist in me is wondering if this was intentional.

Plus folks don’t even have the attention span anymore to process substance and like pore over lyrics anymore

this

imagine conscious rap with a YN Jay flow lmaoooo

I like when artists use pseudonyms when they're rapping ignorantly, like how Kendrick did on GKMC.

I think it's a good way to give a different perspective when it's not their own and still produce entertaining music.

I like Drake but when he talks about gang s*** it comes across a bit embarrassing since he was never about that life.

An example of a conscious rap album that's also fun to listen to and knocks

yeah they're pretty cool from what i heard, big fan of death grips too

Cuz its not as hard to digest, plus a lot of people that are exclusively into turn up music probably didn't grow up struggling so they feel like they relate to the angry emotions of street rap better than the conscious s***

it’s all just music at the end of the day

Personally I'm just a fan of conscious rap in general. I love it when it's mellow, I love it when it's upbeat, I love it when it's dusty, I love it when it's "lyrical miracle". The only thing about conscious rap that I don't love is when the artist is preachy af, a hypocrite, or oversteps a boundary and starts getting into a topic they truly have no real grounds to speak on.

Kendrick Lamar manages to hit all three of those strikes on Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. And though I love tracks like Father Time, United In Grief, Die Hard, and Purple Hearts the three songs that hit those three strikes are Auntie Diaries, Silent Hill, Mirror, and Crown.

That being said I enjoy Auntie Diaries and Silent Hill. Auntie Diaries is a cool and honest story. Silent Hill is a chill banger. However they still make for some very awkward listens due to the content within the songs, and in the case of Silent Hill...how you have tracks like Father Time and Purple Hearts telling men to do right by the women they're with and love and to protect them, but then have Kodak Black, a nigga known for frequently disrespecting and harassing women and allegedly raping them on a track rapping about some bullshit?

Appreciating the art in any type of rap subgenre>>>