We know that we need better options
than trap music, hoe music, and club bangers that rot the brain with
poisoned, ignorant lyrics.
mainstream HipHop makes me dry heave.
The problem is that it can be hard to
find conscious rappers that you want to support (you DEFINITELY wont
find them on BET). A few of these rappers make mainstream (Jay
Electronica, Common, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole), but for the most part HipHop has become a cesspool for half a$$ talented lazy Emcees who don't even write their own material.
Here are the top 10 greatest black
conscious HipHop artists of all time. I keep these Emcees on heavy
rotation as an alternative to the poor quality of mainstream music being
forced down our throats everyday.
At the end of this list, I will tell
you where you can go to support these artists, find out about thousands
of other conscious HipHop artists, and buy their music. That's who you keep REal HipHop alive...period. Checkout the list,
and let us know if we have forgotten your favorite rapper, leave a comment at the
end.
KRS-ONE
“I’m suggesting that in 100
years, this book will be a new religion on the earth… I think I have
the authority to approach God directly, I don’t have to go through any
religion [or] train of thought. I can approach God directly myself and
so I wrote a book called The Gospel of Hip Hop to free from all this
nonsense garbage right now. I respect the Christianity, the Islam,
the Judaism but their time is up. …In a hundred years, everything that
I’m saying to you will be common knowledge and people will be like, ‘Why
did he have to explain this? Wasn’t it obvious?” – On his
self-published book, The Gospel of Hip Hop
This man is a powerhouse of Black
conscious HipHop. Since 1977, KRS has been dropping bombs on the HipHop industry, producing 27 collaborative and solo albums, winning the
2004 VH1 Hip Hop Honors Award, the 2007 BET Lifetime Achievement Award,
and the 2009 Urban Music Living Legend Award. KRS-One has kept his
message pure over the years, becoming known for his furiously political
and socially conscious rap, giving him the nickname “The Teacher.”
Some things you might not know about KRS – One:
- KRS-One has written and published 4 books, including the hard-to-find 1996 classic, The Science of Rap.
- He has appeared in 25 films and documentaries
- His name is an acronym for Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone
- In 2012, KRS-One endorsed Congressman Ron Paul for President over Barack Obama
- KRS-One has been a vegetarian since he was a child
Yasiin Bey (Mos Def)
Yasiin Bey: Prolific conscious hip hop artist turned actor and activist.
“Old white men is runnin’ this rap sh*t,
Corporate forces runnin’ this rap sh*t,
Some tall Israeli is runnin’ this rap sh*t,
We poke out our asses for a chance to cash in.
Cocaine, is runnin’ this rap sh*t,
‘Dro, ‘yac and e-pills is runnin this rap sh*t,
MTV is runnin’ this rap sh*t,
Viacom is runnin’ this rap sh*t,
AOL and Time Warner runnin’ this rap sh*t.“
- A New Danger
Yassin Bey has been rapping since the age
of 9 and professionally acting since age 14. He has been nominated as
the Best Supporting Actor, is a 7-time Grammy Award nominee, and won
Best Indie Actor for his role in The Woodsman.
His dedication to his musical
craft has paid off for him and for the conscious community. These days,
Mos Def is more of an actor/activist than a rapper , but he still
blesses the industry from time to time with albums like The New Danger
in 2004. His classic breakthrough albums — Black Star (1998), was a
collaboration with Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek; and Black on Both Sides
(1999), his solo debut — is legendary in the underground HipHop
community.
Yasiin Bey has used his fame to protest in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Jena Six incident in 2007, amongst other catostrophic situations throughout the world.
Sa-Roc
Chances are you haven't heard of Sa-Roc, and if thats the case – I'm sorry for you. Her lyrics are divine and all encompassing: SA-ROC's music is the sound track for what she calls the “GOD HOP MOVEMENT.”
Her musical soundtrack is a clash of
sounds, from Gogo, to Rock, to Boombap HipHop. This foundation began an aural
quest for different sounds and concepts in music. Her sound is part Hood Poetry, parts Otherworldly, and totally dope. I feel as thought she picked up the mic where Queen Latifah left it. Her subject matter ranges from melanin to pyramids, Sa-Roc spits
metaphysical ideas over melodic HipHop beats, seeking to fuse "Knowledge Of Self" with a great underscore. She seeks to create not just a couple of
albums, but a full-fledged musical movement.
X-Clan
If you are younger than
24, you don't even know what the X-Clan meant to music in the 80s and
90s. For you millennials, X-Clan is a HipHop
group from Brooklyn, New York made up with the grand lyricist Brother J, Professor X The Overseer, Paradise the
Architect, and Sugar Shaft the Rhythm Provider. The current incarnation
of the group features leader Brother J, Master China, Kumu, “Ultraman”
Ra Hanna, ACL, Lord Cza, DJ Fat Jack and Zulu. Professor X (far right) transcended in 2006, and the group continues to inspire and produce Emcees along
the same lineage.They don't make music like this anymore. This is the language of the
Black Conscious soul.
Dead Prez
"Ayo my life is like Roots it’s a true story
It’s too gory for them televised fables on cable
I’ma a runaway slave watching the north star
Shackles on my forearm , runnin with the gun on my palm
I’m an African , never was an African-American
Blacker than black I take it back to my origin
Same skin hated by the klansmen
Big nose and lips, big hips and butts, dancin, what..."
-I’m A African
Any your HipHop list that don't have Dead Prez on it is an incomplete list. Dead Prez (M1 and
Stic Man) was a product of Florida A&M University (FAMU). Their
first album, Let’s get Free , became
an instant classic, and threw them onto the national scene. Most people became familiar with Dead Prez when they heard the HipHop instrumental
on the Dave Chappelle Show.
Like all the artists listed here, the
duo uses their lyrical superpowers for the good of our community: their
2002 compilation CD, Red Hot + Riot raised money for various charities
that fight AIDS in Africa.
Recently, while most rappers are
rocking blood diamonds, and pretending that they’re the first "N*ggas in
Paris", Dead Prez used their fame to discuss issues that actually matter –
like the injustices surrounding the Trayvon Martin case. They teamed up
with Yasiin Bey(formerly known as Mos Def) and Mikeflo to discuss
the murder and recorded a tribute song. M-1 and Stic.man represent the few Emcees who choose morals over money and fame.
Rakim
"We were children of the most high, so we fell
From paradise to holy hell
Probably descendants of the Holy Grail
Another part of history they won’t reveal
Times’ll only tell
You waiting for Judgment? It came
In the form of a thug in the game
To create a strong position, there’s blood in my vein
The chemical is identical, we one and the same
With seven letters in all three of my government names
Walk on water? Nah, neither did Jesus
It’s a parable to make followers and readers believers
From Egypt to Budapest, Rakim is the truest left
Understand the Scriptures like the minister Louis F
I told you who God is, you ignored me like most the prophets
Jesus, Solomon, Abraham, Moses and Muhammad
I showed the scholars, we’ll fulfill the broken promise
I spit this truth to predict the future like Nostradamus
Like Revelations, I’m hoping my quotes reveal
The seven spirits of God when I open the seal
Interpret the holy Qu’ran, these flows will guide you
Translate the Torah, and decode the Bible"
-Rakim, Holy Are You
Rap pioneer Rakim infused the teachings and symbols of the Five Percenters
throughout his music and videos. This reputation brought fans of Rakim
in particular to refer to him as the God MC. Early on in his career, he
paired up with other Gods, including the Brand Nubians, the Poor
Righteous Teachers, the Wu-Tang Clan, Killarmy, Sunz of Man,
Gravediggaz, Public Enemy,Godbliss and Gang Starr. The music became a
message that sparked a boom of new NGE students.
So much has been written about the God
Rakim that it would be useless to try to include it all here. All I can
say is hearing is believing.
IF CHILLS DIDNT RUN THROUGH YOUR BODY WHEN YOU HEARD THIS, CHECK YOUR PULSE!
Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian
"Yes, last Sunday of the month, so to Harlem we went
No clubbin’, for parliments and Harriett Tubman
Peace to the Gods, peace to the Earths
Peace to the Seeds, peace to the Birth
Of the Nation of the Five Percent, rap sent
Intelligent brothers, to represent
Allah Justice made the knowledge born
You find the Gods from the jails to the colledge dorms
You got to ‘know the ledge’ to ‘wise the dom’"
-Lord Jamar – Original Man
Lord Jamar is 1/3 of the
group, Brand Nubian, which also consists of Sadat X and Grand Puba.
You might remember him as playing role
of Supreme Allah on the HBO series Oz. Since then Lord Jamar has turned
to acting with roles on the Sopranos, Law And Order SVU and the series,
Rescue Me. He is really making an impact on the screen, but I doubt it
will be bigger than the impact he has made on conscious HipHop.
As a committed member of
the Nation of Gods and Earths better known as The 5 Percenters, Lord Jamar co-authored the book that lead
me to the Nation: "Knowledge of Self". He is a spiritual mentor of mine,
and a supreme lyricist.
Jean Grae
South Africa-born Tsidi Ibrahim, known
to us as Jean Grae, moved to New York shortly after birth. As a young
protege, she learned to read at the age of 3 after that she pretty much followed her
parents’ footsteps, developing a love for music and the performing arts.
Jean was also an excellent dancer, and by age 13 she had become the
youngest person accepted to Alvin Ailey’s renowned second dance company.
She studied Vocal Performance at the LaGuardia School of Music &
Art before majoring in Music Business at New York University. She later
dropped out after 3 weeks of class realizing she wasn't learning anything she didn't already know.
In 2002, she collaborated with the The Roots, Talib Kweli, Herbaliser, Atmosphere, 9th
Wonder, Pharoahe Monch, Styles P, Masta Ace, and Immortal Technique, which pretty much placed her in the Underground HipHop spotlight.
Immortal Technique
"Nostradamus was a white man’s prophet who predicated European supremacist logic
Because the pilgrims and conquistadors columns killed more innocent people than Hitler and Stalin (Yes)
I guess the fortune teller skipped an Antichrist or two
Brother give this to the OG’s doing life with you and
Pray for the problems with the popes psychology so the Vatican will offer an apology, (for what?!)
for destroying the peoples liberation theology
Snatching the spirit of Jesus from people in poverty
Business decisions like keeping people in prisons but had the opposite effect incarcerating religion
That type of crooked politics imposed on a populous is obvious if you read the Northwood documents
Forget the compliments for what I recorded
And live the revolution instead of always dying for it
Remember a bullet can never stop me
My legions are led by the spirit Haile Selassie watch me"
-Immortal Technique, Sign Of The Times
Immortal Technique was born a
revolutionary – literally – being born in a Peruvian military hospital.
His family emigrated in 1980 to Harlem, where he would face multiple
incarcerations. Honing his rapping skills in jail, and unable to find
decent wage-paying employment after his release, Immortal Technique
began selling his music on the streets of New York while battling other Emcees whenever the opportunity arose. After winning numerous freestyle rap
competitions of the New York underground HipHop scene, he developed a
reputation for his ferocious and politically conscious lyricism.
Fast forward to today, and Immortal
Technique has gained international acclaim because he truly speaks truth
to power.
Public Enemy
"Now that you’ve realized the prides arrived
We got to pump the stuff to make us tough
from the heart
It’s a start, a work of art
To revolutionize make a change nothin’s strange
People, people we are the same
No we’re not the same
Cause we don’t know the game
What we need is awareness, we can’t get careless
You say what is this?
My beloved lets get down to business
Mental self defensive fitness
(Yo) bum rush the show
You gotta go for what you know
Make everybody see, in order to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say…" - Chuck D
Fight the Power
The question: “Who is the face of HipHop today? Whoever says ‘Jay-Z is probably blinded by the mainstream HipHop's smoke and mirrors. Prof Griff of the
legendary HipHop group Public Enemy bluntly responded during a forum in Muskegon Heights. Griff was addressing more than 150 people who
attended the event.
Chuck D is directly responsible
for making Public Enemy the titan they are today by taking HipHop to new places. By combining enormous beats, hooks with
politically-charged and intelligent lyrics to create music that moved
people.
When Public Enemy spoke, people
listened, and they used that platform as tool to unite us not for personal game, definitely a dying breed of HipHop music.
that keeps real conscious music off the airwaves.
