Rap & Hip Hop: What's a song that taught you something? (+BQs)?

C.R.E.A.M. & ' Can't Trust it' by Public Enemy. Public Enemy was the 1st hip hop group I memorized lyrics to. I was 8, but the powerful lyrics and Chuck D's voice would reverberate inside my head for a few more years and I began to make sense of the social divisions here in U.S. CREAM because I had no idea what it was like to grow up in inner city poverty. That song cuts through all of the poppy Das Effex, Kris Kross- type of songs and carefree lyrics. You should be worried when the music you choose , instead of inspiring the best in you, either keeps you feeling always carefree and apathetic or always negative/depressed.

I have learned from Mos Def and Kweli that they may not have many of the answers as to why society and the industry is so backwards, but that soul and grace can fill in the blanks and save you headaches. Understand that we are up against a privileged class of wealthy people who have all day to sit around and conceptualize the shape and direction of future societies. They also fund intellectuals who advise marketers to utilize psychiatric techniques ( like neurolinguistics) to penetrate our psyches with a product ( we call mainstream music) and shape us with it.

BTW Mos Def is not a blathering idiot, he just doesn't play any role in ' the delphi tecnique' that is used on t.v. discussion shows which are purposefully structured to GIVE you your opinion. More people should pick up on that:- one side argues 1 thing, the other argues the opposite, they make a couple of concessions to each other and then the host gives you your final thought. When you see Mos Def on the Daily Show or Bill Maher, you can see that Mos is genuinely interested in imparting some real knowledge on the viewers. Unfortunately the main goal of these shows is manufacturing and implanting authorized morality, logic, and political correctness into the viewers ; Not wisdom. So they intentionally make him look like a fool. Real knowledge is difficult to convey with drive-thru answers.

Check out this movie ' Network' its great. Its about all of the garbage you see on TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTN3s2iVKKI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tl8LmL65sg

BQ1: Black on Both Sides ( New World Water & Mr. ***** )

BQ2:Billie Holiday- beautiful person

BQ3: Jimi of course

BQ 4 : Brother Ali > Eydea >Aesop Rock > Slug> Sage Francis > Motha Fkin Murs

No one is ever going to mention Hieroglyphics its seems. No Del the Homosapien for creating his own niche in Hip Hop, or Opio for more directly trying to point out the people behind the scenes:

[Opio] All things- 3rd Eye Vision

I was ridin' around the Lake gettin' smoked last night

Seen a gang of businessmen piling out the Scottish Rite

It was just lascivious, hugged up and the three-way

Givin those ridiculous handshakes to the P.D. and the D.A.

But I'm hip to the sign language it's just an exchange

of the blood brotherhood who remains nameless

But to me: I'm famous, and I got game just the same

Man it floods my brain, They can't frame us

I mean, I've learned new references or certain techniques from songs, but like as in being taught something from a song? Nothing really pops out to me. I think I learn more from trying to understand a song and why the artist made it rather than looking for meaning in the lyrics. I mean, I read a lot so it's rather rare that I don't hear a rapper echoing a point that has already been said before, but many rappers have put things in a way that someone before them didn't do as well. I mean, I love The Heist even though it doesn't teach me anything new because it discusses its topics with such color and passion. This is a really good question, and I'm sorry I don't have a better answer for you...

BQ: BOBS but it's close

BQ2: Billie

BQ3: Don't listen to The Who tbh and I've only heard Jimi occasionally.

BQ4: Aesop > Eyedea > Slug > Francis > Ali

All the slow down tempo rap songs today has taught me something. Every single one of the rap songs ! That rap music today all sounds the same with the same slow beats & same identical topics & every rapper out there has to sound like the other rap artist out there. All rap music today is all slow & mundane , boring & not worth buying. Rap of the 1980's & 1990's & some 2,000's rap was the best. But , now everyone wants to do the super slow rap beat mess & it's old & overly done. I don't know why rap has to be all slow nowadays. Pretty much 100% of it is. I used to love rap 100% , but not anymore. You couldn't give away a CD to me or pay me to own & have in my personal collection the rap music that is out there. I don't want it. It's slow & boring. Rap needs a wake up call & go back to being a variety of slow , medium & high tempo'd beats like it used to be. This slow rap mess is out of control. Everyone likes that slow mess. It was okay at first , but because every single rap song is all slow & nobody is doing any different tempos , then it seems like rap has a debilitation , diabetes or a heart condition & needs Geritol on a daily basis. If rap music had a retirement home , send all this slow rap mess to it. I'm tired of the rap music today. All rap out there today totally sucks !

Aside from learning new techniques, complexity, rhyme schemes, Etc. from a large variety of artists I haven't really learned anything..I learned things as a younger child (Like 7-12 maybe) but I couldn't give an example..Idk maybe something will come to me and I'll edit my answer..Good question though, really thought provoking.

BQ1: Black On Both Sides..LWFC ain't even my favorite Common album (Be)

BQ2: Billie Holliday.

BQ3: Jimi Hendrix..Not too familiar with The Who other than hearing the band name from my dad.

BQ4:

Aesop Rock

Eyedea

Sage Francis

Slug

Brother Ali

The Hidden Track Freestyle by Immortal Technique and Diabolic

I learned that 22 divided by 7 is pie (3.14) lol

But on a serious note, I've learned a lot from guys like Mos Def and Talib Kweli so my answer is similar to yours.

BQ1: Got to go with Black on Both Sides. But I think Common is a better overall rapper, though.

BQ2: Billie Holiday

BQ3: Jimi. I never got into The Who as much as I did with Hendrix

BQ4:

Eyedea > Aesop Rock > Brother Ali > Slug > Sage Francis

all are dope, though.

A lot of 2Pac songs like Brenda's Got a Baby , Changes , Keep Ya Head Up did bought a lot of positivity in me when it comes to social issues.

B.Q 1 : Like Water for Chocolates is on another level for me due to its production and Common's flow.

B.Q 2 : Billie

B.Q 3 : Hendrix , I ain't a big fan of European bands except for Pink Floyd

B.Q 4 : Slug , Eyedea , Sage , Aesop , Brother Ali

Everything that Mos Def has released is food for thought for me. New World Water is that song for me.

But also some Tupac songs have made me think a lot.

BQ1: Black On Both Sides but they are both in my Top 10 GOAT albums list

BQ2: Billie Holiday

BQ3: Jimi Hendrix is one of my favorite artists ever

BQ4:

Aesop Rock > Slug > Eyedea > Sage Francis > Brother Ali

Nice question. :D

Schoolboy Q - [Prescription/Oxy] taught me a 3rd person POV of a drug addict.

Gorilla Zoe - [Lost] - taught me, no matter how old you are, whether 15 or 45 that sometimes you just feel lost and nobody knows anything.

Rick Ross - [UOENO] - taught me you can blue pill a girl and have sex with her (joking...)

BQ: BOBS.

BQ4:

Slug

Aesop Rock

Eyedea

Sage Francis

Brother Ali

THE MUSIC STOP SIGN

CREATING 4 BEYONCE. PLUS IM BORED FT. JANA , CHAINA

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