Come on, I don't think there is ever an intention to tell listeners to go out and shoot 'a motherfuckin pig' or whatever. You have to realise most of these rappers are basing their lyrics on their own upbringing in neighbourhood gangs, so it's meant to be a reflection on that lifestyle and there have been many great albums as a result.

Rap? Some of it is fine, but it's not for me - I've never grown up in a culture that has a penchant for rap (who the fuck has ever heard of a Scottish rapper?). So just as I've never had that upbringing, I don't expect Eminem or Kanye West to suddenly start making an album inspired by the Highland Fling.

Though I detest the material culture of what many rappers become - the big medallions, the limousines, the white mansions and the "ho's" in the music video surrounding them, showing off their garish lifestyle. It's the one form of music that is most obsessed with materialism. It's disgusting. Once a rapper becomes rich, he seems to have absolutely nothing of importance to say - only a select few are inspired and rebel against the socio-economic problems that still exist in urban parts of America (like Kendrick Lamar for example). I admire that, but the majority of them turn into c*nts basically.

Ahem:

I like some of the older rap/hiphop from the 80s and 90s and I like some Eminem songs, and a few random ones by others. The subjects they discuss are sometimes very relevant and that's great and all, but in general it's not really for me.

I like a few tunes here and there, but I find a lot of it quite unsettling tbh. I guess that's the point of some of it, but I don't see the need to be so homophobic and hateful as some of them seem to be. And the attitudes to women of some of them, I think, are quite dangerous.

Theres hardly any 'current rap'. Compared to 10 years ago rap has declined big time as far as the mainstream is concerned. You still get rappers who feature on dance tracks (tiny tempah etc) but gone are the days of Akon, 50 Cent, D12, Obie Trice etc.

I love Eminem when he raps about his struggles and stuff and the obsurdity of Kanye West but I hate the Jay Zs that rap about having a big dick and a rolls royce...

as i said in reply to the other post it was a bit gung ho but ill stand by they do nothing to help it 

All I need to say in response to "current rap is bad": Kendrick Lamar.

I think the last few years have been a hugely exciting time for US rap, with Kanye pushing sonic boundaries, Drake shifting the goalposts of accepted subject matter and Kendrick Lamar hoisting an incredible amount of responsibility onto his shoulders. By embracing it's 90s g-funk history and experimenting with new trap sounds, contemporary rap has a vitality that guitar music just doesn't have at the moment. And as long as I have exciting, dangerous and explosive music to listen to, I don't care what genre it is. After taking a few years out from listening to hip-hop I was amazed to see how much had changed, and with a focus shifting in that time from a lyrics based approached to a more hook-based and melodic sensibility, I at first struggles to reconnect. But there's a lot of exciting stuff at the moment offering neophytes various easy ways in. Whilst I enjoyed A$AP Rocky's mixtapes, I found his first album disappointingly generic. He talked a good game in interviews, referencing rock n roll, country and psychedelic influences that just didn't show up on his debut. But last year's sophomoric effort saw a more introspective side of him following the death of his friend and mentor, and the album's moody, claustrophobic production really showed that he knew what he was talking about, and that his 60s psychedelic/garage influences weren't just trendy name-dropping. It's not psychedelia as some of you traditionalists may recognise it, but he's integrating non hip-hop sounds into an existing framework, and creating inconsistently brilliant work. The cover of his 2015 Rod Stewart-sampling single 'Everyday' (my unchallenged song of the year) shows him looking pensive in a gothic mansion, looking every inch the brooding late 60s early 70s rockstar equivalent of Jimmy Page, and perfectly encapsulates the laconic, strung-out, organ-laced material that dominates that record. Also noteworthy were Young Thug's flirtations with non-binary gender identification; driven solely by commercial potential no doubt, but no more so than Bowie in 72, and just as artistically interesting in a genre which elevates commodification and financial success into artistic attributes themselves.

Meanwhile, 2015 was a watershed year on the right side of the pond, with Kanye bringing a variety of grime MCs on stage at the Brits (not just as 'back-up dancers'), Skepta absolutely shutting urban radio down with a monster single, and Stormzy beginning to recognise his potential in the studio. Grime may not be a new genre, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't celebrate it's moment in the international spotlight. While the increasing commercialisation of a hitherto underground genre (at least in the US) may yield mixed artistic results, it's still a very exciting time, and hopefully influences will work both ways across the Atlantic and galvanise both British and American artists.

I'm no expert,but while I despise rappers such as Nicki Minaj and the way she supposedly stands for not-so-skinny-but-not-necessarily-bad people while constantly showing her ass on our screens,Wiz Khalifa,Jay Z,most Italian rappers etc. I think there's some good stuff out there
Kanye is mental,but it's undeniable that some of his stuff is pretty good,same for Eminem (minus the mental thing)
Kendrick is amazing as well as J.Cole and their last two records also made a big cultural impact,which is a thing that's missing in today's world
I love Logic and don't mind Drake,he's harmless isn't he?
I don't know much about the English scene,I need to check Skepta out

And Wonderwall

Maybe you just need your rap with a bit of US history. If this tickles your interest, go look up more of it.

I saw "Hamilton" on Broadway last month. It was sensational.