a good rule of thumb is to NEVER rule out a music because of its "genre". 90% of everything is crap - but the cream of every crop can be great.

We all have our preferences but must remember to fight them sometimes. E.g., I tend the think the 90% crap rule goes up to 95 or 96% in the case of country music; but that's just my problem/opinion.

this is entertaining rap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PsnxDQvQpw

Good rap?

I liked...

PM Dawn

Sugar Hill Gang

Naughty By Nature

Dr. Dre

Some NWA (can you believe they have their own airline now?)

Digital Underground

Missy Elliot!

Outkast (Big Boi and Dre 300 are great.)

Grandmaster Flash

Heavy D and Biz Markie count as one act due to the paucity of output.

Tome Loc, baby! Let's do the wild thing...

Sister Carol

Does Lou Reed's output count?

Also, check out Ken Nordine!

There's more, but that would be a good start.

Also, if you look at rap, the average rap song probably has near ten times the lyric content of a typical rock or country tune. When it's good, hippity hop music can be really great - much like beat poetry, with a beat.

As to country, I think all the greatest country music can't effing get on country radio any more!

We need "Alt Country and American Traditional" radio programming!

Stepping off soap box now.

I've seen rap talent sing songs or cover songs and damn if they do in fact sing very well. I just don't like their mainstream sound. Not my cup of tea.

Check out Ojos De Brujo , a Flamenco HipHop group.

Putting those 2 genres together makes for some fascinating and exciting music making.

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Good rap?

Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of the New School, Black Sheep, De La Soul. 1990's in the house!

the two posts above contain about all the rap i to which i can listen.

i didn't like PE or NWA at the time they came out but i've grown to appreciate their pioneering sounds.

i'll add:

blackalicious
cypress hill (their first album is quite stylish)
us3
arrested development
anti-pop consortium

i know there is an instrumental version of one of dr, dre's albums, either the chronic or 2001. while that wouldn't be rap (without the rapping) they'd make for good hip-hop listening, imho.

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I normally loathe all things rap(or as the defenders of that faith say, HIPHOP ) but this guy is entertaining.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya7WyYESkH0

Entertaining, ha! The guy is f***ng hilarious. There is absolutely nothing hip about him. He should only make "audios" although audio only wouldn't be as funny. Can you say nerdhop?

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this is entertaining rap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PsnxDQvQpw

That is interesting. I'm not sure it's all that entertaining. He doesn't come across as angry enough to be convincing. As my Uncle Jack said "What's wrong with all those rappers? They've got lots of money, pretty women, fine cars and big homes. What the fuck are they so pissed off about?".

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What the fuck are they so pissed off about?

Most of them are mad that they can't sing.

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What the fuck are they so pissed off about?

Most of them are mad that they can't sing.

That's the best reason I've heard.

I think rap being an 'angry' genre of music was a thing of the 90s, early 00s... the game's a bit more varied and different now.

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this is entertaining rap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PsnxDQvQpw

That is interesting. I'm not sure it's all that entertaining. He doesn't come across as angry enough to be convincing. As my Uncle Jack said "What's wrong with all those rappers? They've got lots of money, pretty women, fine cars and big homes. What the fuck are they so pissed off about?".

that video--in case you didn't realize--as a spoof. he's not a rapper. what's entertaining is that he's...nevermind.

I guess I should have said I did like it. I liked it enough to watch it all the way through.

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Good rap?

Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of the New School, Black Sheep, De La Soul. 1990's in the house!

Cruizin' to El Tepeyac Cafe in East LA, 1989, wit' my homies (Jeff and Jason, age 10 and 11) in my Fitty (Mustang GT 5.0- still cherry, btw) for a Manuel's Special means driving along Whittier Bl. past all the menudo shops in Boyle Heights and hangin' a right on Evergreen into the barrio. Survival 101 for the white boys is to come correct with the 4 channel bumpin' hard on Mellow Man Ace (Ulpiano Reyes, nee Cypress Hill), "Escape From Havana."

Diggin' the classic "Mentirosa" with Santana samples. Old School.

What a time!

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Diggin' the classic "Mentirosa" with Santana samples. Old School.

Cuz right now you're just a liar, a straight mentirosa, today you tell me something, y manana, otra cosa.

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Diggin' the classic "Mentirosa" with Santana samples. Old School.

Cuz right now you're just a liar, a straight mentirosa, today you tell me something, y manana, otra cosa.

Just found a mint used cd (it's out of print) on Amazon to replace my worn out cassette (that my boys taped for me back in the day).