Rappers You Should Absolutely Know About

Bitches and Hoes! 

Yep, I knew that would get your attention. If we are to believe some rappers, life is all about bitches and hoes. But you see, I just cannot relate to that. While these rappers could convince said bitches and hoes to come back to their hotel for bottles of Cristal and coke-fuelled, marathon sex sessions, the most I could provide is a cup of tea and me floundering on top of them for four minutes (seven if I’m lucky).

The reason I bring this up is that every rap song these days seem to be about bitches and hoes, rims, ice and other aspects of a lifestyle that the everyday-man cannot relate to. For me rap has always been about the lyrics and the flow. The lyrics have to talk to you, have to be delivered in such a way that will make you say “whoa stop, I gotta hear that last verse one more time” and make you understand where the artist is coming from. Take Eminem for example. He raps about hating his mother and never knowing his father right? I can’t relate to that because I didn't have a similar childhood but the passion that comes through in his flow, delivery and lyrics gives me insight into his feelings AND makes we want to go out and buy download the goddamn song. And don’t get me wrong if rappers want to go on about B&N, that’s fantastic but at least give me mind altering lyrics to back it up.

There are many other artists that are really good at this: Kanye West, Common, Nas, Jay-Z, RZA, GZA, Lupe Fiasco etc but these are well-known artists. Well here’s a list of the rappers that you may or may not have heard of, but you absolutely should listen to.

·         Brother Ali: This dude’s flow is ridiculous and he peppers it with amazing lyrics about his albinism, his family and his religion. Great songs include: Good Lord, Begin here and Fresh Air. But in my opinion, his best is his verse on the song Dreamin’ with Gift of Gab and Del the funky homosapien. Simply legendary.

·         Slug from Atmosphere: I’m not sure that he’d appreciate the comparison but Slug reminds me a lot of Eminem. He puts a lot of passion in his lyrics that portray some of the important issues in his personal life. His metaphors for women get you thinking about every word that he uses in his flow and gets you trying to make the connection.  Classic example is the song Yesterday where you feel like he is talking about a woman but in the end it turns out he isn't. Great songs include: Yesterday, Shoulda know but all time favourite has to be – Me.

·         Childish Gambino: So I am minding my own business, listening to the radio and this amazing song comes on the radio. Afterwards, I Wikipedia the name of the artist and I’m like hold on, this is a mistake. This is Donald Glover from Community. As much as I dislike TV artists that foray into rap, Donald as Childish Gambino is absolutely excellent. The entire album, Camp is amazing but check out the lyrics for Bonfire. Out of this world.

·         Kano: I cannot be clearer about this - I HATE Grime. With a passion of a thousand exploding supernovas. It’s loud, uncouth and seems to have been created by the guys that used to tease me and get all the girls in secondary school. However, Kano stands out from this motley crew of ‘rappers’ with engaging lyrics and a sound that actually doesn’t make me want to kill myself. Honestly though, he might be well known here in the UK but he is definitely one that our US friends should check out. Great songs include: Nite Nite, Nothing long, Feel free and Sleep tight. The best however is Brown eyes.

·         Gift of Gab: This cat is undoubtedly one of the most talented rappers in the underground scene. He is the Shakespeare of rap. What he does with the words in his raps is just magical. He is a wordsmith. Pick a song, any song from him and you’ll be treated to an abundance of similes, metaphors, puns, word twisters, allegories, alliterations... he is like a walking English professor. It is hard to suggest particular songs because everything that comes out of this man’s mouth is gold. But my all time favourite rap song from him is Ride on.

·         Wale: If you haven’t heard Wale yet, shame on you. This guy is amazing (well duh, he’s Nigerian after all). I dub him the king of mixtapes. Definitely check out The Mixtape About Nothing which was influenced by the TV show Seinfeld. It combines comedic and emotional themes to the extent that you feel like there’s a party happening in your brain. It’s like two for the price for one – you get a great album and bits of comedy thrown in. If you haven’t heard Wale, go listen now. Yes, right now. Great songs include: The War, Nu Sou, World Tour, The Friends N Strangers, Um Ricka but all time favourite has to be Diary.

·         Talib Kweli: Arguably the most commercially recognised on this list, I have included him because some people are still not in the know. In my opinion, Talib is the one of the greatest rappers of all time. His flow, lyrics and beat combines to create the rap equivalent of ambrosia for your senses. The influence that Nina Simone has had on him is evident in his lyrics and for him to incorporate her style and content into modern rap is further evidence of his brilliance. Great songs include: The blast, Black girl pain, everything man, hostel gospel. But if there is one Talib Kweli song you have to listen to, it has to be the Nina Simone inspired – Four Women.