[AMBNTnoises]

Am I the only one who is consistently disappointed in how rap has slowly moved from the rappers lyricism to the producers ability to make a good, catchy beat?
I've been delving into the genre lately and have been consistently been finding that the classics are consistently better than the new stuff.

[Jasonconfused]

It might just be about delving into that style more. It's possible that the approach to the genre has changed, but that'll happen. I know how you feel though. Everyone here can be witness to the fact that when I joined BEA I didn't listen to rap at all. After a while that changed and now I love 90s rap classics. But I seriously can't get into any of the modern rappers. It feels like a completely different genre. But who knows, just the way 90s rap grew on me, maybe modern rap will do the same. I guess you could say I became a Dadrapper
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[mickilennial]

[babyBlueSedan]

I think a lot of popular rappers fit into the trend you described, but there are tons of modern rappers who don't. Just look at Kendrick - for me the production on Good Kid Maad City is larger forgettable and the album is carried entirely by his lyrics. TPAB boasts better production, but he also really stepped up his lyrical game. And there are tons of other examples - Chance the Rapper and Earl Sweatshirt are some of the most interesting lyricists currently, and neither relies on catchy beats (Earl tends to purposely avoid them, actually). I actually kind of dislike the production on Danny Brown's Old, but his lyrics are great and are the reason I love his music so much. So while a lot of mainstream rappers tend to write songs that center on a hook (and don't get me wrong, many of these are good songs), I don't think it's a phenomenon that's completely taken over rap.

And I also tend to disagree on older rap as well (at least if we're talking pre-1990 or so). I feel like a lot of early rap lyrics, while clever and interesting, were centered primarily on how great of an MC the rapper is. Paid in Full and Follow the Leader, while great albums with clever rhyme schemes, are not at all lyrically diverse. What I've heard of Run-DMC is the same (though I haven't heard much, so I may be wrong here). This started to change as the decade turned, but even some of the better regarded albums in the "golden age" of hip hop have pretty forgettable lyrics. I've always thought Fear of a Black Planet was really overrated, since most of the lyrics are just Chuck D stating the theme of the song and then not saying much more. And interestingly enough, that album is carried by some really catchy sampling. So I think you just need to know where to look for the kind of rap you want to hear.
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And it's hard to be a human being. And it's harder as anything else.

[AMBNTnoises]

[Skinny]

Try Roc Marciano, Freddie Gibbs, Ka, Kevin Gates, Billy Woods, Quelle Chris, Open Mike Eagle, Jonwayne, Blu, Has-Lo, Homeboy Sandman, Earl Sweatshirt, Ratking, Jeremiah Jae, Serengeti, Action Bronson, Killa Kyleon, Jay Rock, Rittz, Curly Castro, Domo Genesis, Milo, etc..
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

[AMBNTnoises]

#overload
I'll check a few ou., are there any specifically in that list that I should 10/10, can't live without, must try?

[Skinny]

[Jasonconfused]

Good thread. I'll get some great stuff from here as well.
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[Hayden]

....

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you have Childish Gambino on your overall chart....