mighty mos def, immortal technique, andre from outkast (i feel his verses more than i do boi's. and he put it down in "synthesizer"). so many. the list goes on

So what you're saying is that "gangsta rappers" who are in those living conditions shouldn't be outside with guns trying to sell drugs, but instead invest their energy in something "verbal" and "intellectual." Hm.. you're right.. hey, maybe they could take up writing songs about their frustration or something. Oh wait..

smorg, what an absolute joke. are you doubting the intellectual capabilities of a Nas or (dare i say it) a DMX?? if you're going to target a niche of hip hop for intellectual betrayal of the genre, you should turn to the south IMO. but that would be unfair as well because they have given us the likes of scarface and Outkast. focus that observation on individual artists rather than the entire gangsta rap sub-genre. its not my favourite but there is a wealth of social commentary in their songs. "shallow" is a real insult to some of these guys. gangsta rap might be repetitive but its mostly an honest depiction of the reality of most of these guys and you can only write about what you know about and all they know is the dangerous inner city. as for carrying guns being a reflection of cowardise, i guarantee an early ice cube or tupac would be just as comfortable capping someone as they would be bludgeoning them to death with their fists, not that i approve of such behavior. they just have a different socialization from most other americans because they grow up in a harsher environment.

hold up guys. first of all kool g. rap is an intellectual who writes lyrically very well, although he ahs violent content on albums and all this. you cant doubt his talents and intellectual capacity. secondly, i think southern rappers as far as rhyming and all this with words are better, although the content is often worse off then any east-west stuff. i mean look at the whole g-unit crew and all that...that stuff really Is horrible...im not saying all of it, but a good amount more than half, is absolute crap lyrically AND with content.

frawd has a very good point. i dont mean to sound like one of those "you havent scratched the surface" snobs but most mainstream rap is absolute garbage but there are so many great, intellectual semi-popular/underground rappers. they are in the hundreds literally. guys like akrobatics, talib kweli, k-os, sage francis(even though he's a tad too fucking arrogant for me). these are guys with skill AND content.

its funny.

everytime someone posts about not-mainstream rap, they post akrobatics, talib kweli, k-os, etc.

ur wrong man.

the bigger the gun, the bigger the penis

cos they are among the best.

well they all kind of ride off mainstream, unlike hieroglyphics or jedi mind tricks, who do their own indie thing without mtv helping.

Arrested Development has some very nice lyrics and rhymes and amazingly they aren't about booty, money, or alcohol.

I suggest either the song "Everyday People" or "Mr. Wendel."