Wanting to get into rap

I'm always getting told how good rap is, especially some of the older stuff. I know I hate rappers such as 50 cent because they just seem really fake. I mainly listen to dance music, I like The Prodigy, David Guetta, Cascada, Scooter etc but songs like B.O.B's latest and Eminem's have made me realise I also quite like rap. So what makes a good rap song, is it the lyrics, the beat, the rhyming? If anyone could recommend me some good rap artists and maybe name some songs or a specific album I'd appreciate it. :)

i think its a combination of the beat and the lyrics tbh
if youre missing one of the other then the song isnt really up to much

Jay-Z and maybe Sean Kingston are the only rap artists that come to mind (all the others i think of are hip hop or something)

I don't like Sean Kingston but I'll try some of Jay-z's songs.

firstly, rap and hip-hop are virtually the same thing. the only distinction is that "rapping" is what an MC will do over a beat, while "hip-hop" is the music and production as a whole. there's such thing as instrumental hip-hop, such as the avalanches, RJD2, etc, however there is no such thing as instrumental rap, since rap implies there is an MC spitting over it. i'd suggest reading about the history of hip-hop, which i find truly fascinating.

hip hop is an incredibly diverse genre. what usually turns people off of it are "fake" rappers, like you said, like 50 cent, solja boy, all those idiots who dont know anything. what makes a "good" rap song really depends on who it is. some rappers prefer minimalist and basic production in order to focus their songs more on their ability to tell stories and their wit. others choose lush, complex and atmospheric production in order to create a soundscape to match their lyrics. neither is wrong and both can be compelling

if youve never really been too acquainted with the genre, it'd probably be best to first listen to where it started and really took off in modern form. (such as if someone had never heard rock music before, it probably wouldnt be the best idea to introduce it to them with slayer, but rather the beatles or something). i'd suggest for starters:

"illmatic" by nas (1993, probably the most influential rap album ever, as well as one of the best)
"paul's boutique" by the beastie boys (1989, yes, the beastie boys, also a very influential album)
"it takes a nation of millions to hold us back" by public enemy (1988, a very dated record now, but still great nonetheless)

the reason i like hip-hop so much is because it has built a gigantic social community that no other genre of music has ever had before (rappers guest on other rappers' songs, producers make beats for countless MCs), and has basically built its own language. but because of this, it can be a hard genre to decipher and understand at first, especially with certain rappers who are constantly referencing. it took me years to truly understand the scope of everything in it, so it takes time. just find what you like and go from there, be it backwards or forwards.

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Originally Posted by RedStratocas

firstly, rap and hip-hop are virtually the same thing. the only distinction is that "rapping" is what an MC will do over a beat, while "hip-hop" is the music and production as a whole. there's such thing as instrumental hip-hop, such as the avalanches, RJD2, etc, however there is no such thing as instrumental rap, since rap implies there is an MC spitting over it. i'd suggest reading about the history of hip-hop, which i find truly fascinating.

hip hop is an incredibly diverse genre. what usually turns people off of it are "fake" rappers, like you said, like 50 cent, solja boy, all those idiots who dont know anything. what makes a "good" rap song really depends on who it is. some rappers prefer minimalist and basic production in order to focus their songs more on their ability to tell stories and their wit. others choose lush, complex and atmospheric production in order to create a soundscape to match their lyrics. neither is wrong and both can be compelling

if youve never really been too acquainted with the genre, it'd probably be best to first listen to where it started and really took off in modern form. (such as if someone had never heard rock music before, it probably wouldnt be the best idea to introduce it to them with slayer, but rather the beatles or something). i'd suggest for starters:

"illmatic" by nas (1993, probably the most influential rap album ever, as well as one of the best)
"paul's boutique" by the beastie boys (1989, yes, the beastie boys, also a very influential album)
"it takes a nation of millions to hold us back" by public enemy (1988, a very dated record now, but still great nonetheless)

the reason i like hip-hop so much is because it has built a gigantic social community that no other genre of music has ever had before (rappers guest on other rappers' songs, producers make beats for countless MCs), and has basically built its own language. but because of this, it can be a hard genre to decipher and understand at first, especially with certain rappers who are constantly referencing. it took me years to truly understand the scope of everything in it, so it takes time. just find what you like and go from there, be it backwards or forwards.

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Thanks very much for this. I have Nas's Illmatic downloading at the moment, should be done shortly and I will listen to this first since you mentioned it being perhaps the best display of rap ever. +rep when I can.

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Originally Posted by Apple

Thanks very much for this. I have Nas's Illmatic downloading at the moment, should be done shortly and I will listen to this first since you mentioned it being perhaps the best display of rap ever. +rep when I can.

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no prob! again, hip hop is really really diverse, and some people like very specific types. i have some friends that listen to exclusively underground/alternative hip-hop like aesop rock, mf doom, early mos def. and even if now you dont find yourself interested in so-called "gangsta rap," you may find yourself listening to it in the future because it'll make more sense to you than just hearing "guns, hos, money money money." a few years ago i'd have never imagined myself listening to something as gritty and thuggish as wu-tang clan, but now they're one of the pillars of my taste. eventually, you start seeing gangster rap in the same way you see gangster movies or tv shows; listening to it doesnt mean you find that lifestyle appealing or even reasonable, in the same way you don't find the lives of people in violent movies appealing or reasonable, its all about entertainment.

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Originally Posted by RedStratocas

no prob! again, hip hop is really really diverse, and some people like very specific types. i have some friends that listen to exclusively underground/alternative hip-hop like aesop rock, mf doom, early mos def. and even if now you dont find yourself interested in so-called "gangsta rap," you may find yourself listening to it in the future because it'll make more sense to you than just hearing "guns, hos, money money money." a few years ago i'd have never imagined myself listening to something as gritty and thuggish as wu-tang clan, but now they're one of the pillars of my taste. eventually, you start seeing gangster rap in the same way you see gangster movies or tv shows; listening to it doesnt mean you find that lifestyle appealing or even reasonable, in the same way you don't find the lives of people in violent movies appealing or reasonable, its all about entertainment.

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Love it!! I was positive I had heard N.Y. Stafe Of Mind before and now I remember, it was in GTA IV. If I like this then could you recommend any other artists who produce music similar to this please? Also when I was younger I always remember my older brother playing rap/hip hop in is car, back then I hated it but now I'm thinking I should try listening to some of the songs he'd always play again. I can always remember him mentioning people such as DMX, 2pac, eminem (obviously I know some of his songs) and Jay-Z. I have heard some of Jay-Z's latest such as Young Forever and Empire State of Mind and love them.

I personally prefer gangster rap, artists being Ice T, NWA, Public Enemy, KRSone etc.
G-funk is great too and usually gets played in some clubs still aswell, look at the doggystyle album from 1993, the chronic 1992 for the very best of g-funk.

Ne-Yo - Beautiful Monster (Not rap, but R&B)

Eminem is a good choice, Love the way you lie is amazing.

Kanye West?

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Originally Posted by Mkuu

I personally prefer gangster rap, artists being Ice T, NWA, Public Enemy, KRSone etc.
G-funk is great too and usually gets played in some clubs still aswell, look at the doggystyle album from 1993, the chronic 1992 for the very best of g-funk.

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I actually know some G-Funk, well I know 1 song.. Regulate by Warren G. :)