Truthfully, commercial rap sucks dick these days. There aren't any truly talented lyricist and the truly talented ones don't get credit....

Guys like Pharoah Monch, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Raekwon, and others really haven't made a big name for themselves as solo artist even though they are lyrically more talented then the highest mark and majority of mainstream rappers.

Eminem is the best lyricist in mainstream rap but he changed his style up. Nas still hasn't reached a level near the level of It Was Written because he's tryna make what the PEOPLE wanna hear instead of rhyming from the heart. Jay-Z has declined in the emceeing category since Volume 2 even though he brought back some true emceein' in the Blueprint.

Then you look into the underground and see talents like Juice, Supernatural, Eyedea, Benefit, Sage Francis, Chino XL, Planet Asia, and others and see they got talent but ain't makin' the do'...

Who's messing up lyricism in rap today? Is it the fans that don't care about skill and just wanna hear bout the money, sex, scandal, murder, etc. etc? Or is it that there isn't enough talent in rap today?

I think it's the retarded fans that think they know hip hop but if you asked them the four elements they'd be speechless...

Get mah drift? Hit me up with a response....

You mean the underground right?

LoL...yeah, mah fault....

Who's messin' up rap in my oppinion:

Master P
Cash Money
Trick Daddy
....you get the idea

record labels are fucking up rap...they give people what they want to hear...so the overall problem is money

yupp

labels execs etc

they exploit the culture until its a clay they can mold into whatever they want

They usually find someone who can rap fairly well and thats hot, and then throws money at em. so they win award shows and get their singles played none stop....

yeah man....Money is the problem...

IF you look anywhere...Money is the root of all evil...the entire reason our world is declining is because of money...MOney is really just paper...US dollars arent worth shit...Its not based on the amount of gold in fort knox anymore...its just based on how much other countires thinks it worth...so if asia was like fuck US yoiur $$ arent worth shit..it wouldnbt be...but everyboy wants money...

Underground emcees rap on real stuff and are overall better lyricists than commercial becuase a giant green dollar billl isnt clouding their vision...behind every bad thing happening there is money involved...'NUFF SAID!

I still think it's the people cause if it weren't for the people, the rappers wouldn't make that kinda garbage...

It's so repetative and redundant for rappers to talk about their jewelery, partying, money, and hoes. They gotta go off a total new topic and change their mind state and rhyme about who's got skills.

Money!?

The problem is the mainstream fan base.
The ones buying these trashy albums are the ones generating
the revenue for these record labels and rappers.
There the ones supporting these wack ass kats.
So of course the record labels are gonna put out what sells,
and rappers are gonna continue rappin about bullshit
just cause it sells.
You telling me Money is fucking up the game.
Nah ppl are. trust me If kats like Chino XL could get
paid the way he's supposed too you would see a whole lot of emcees just like em.

think it sounds about right
my 2 in change

__________________
Audio

<center>G. Buttersworth™</center>


G.I. JOE

Seriously what's fucking up Hip-hop is alot of Dirty South rappers and not enough Hip-hop heads, that's about it...Not saying all Dirty South, but 98%, peace.

BE careful what u say about the south. K-otic might try 2 diss u. Anyway, its definitely the people and the money. I can't say which holds sway more than the other. Rappers put out what the people want 2 hear now 2 get paid. And its been progressive. I'd say it would date back 2 when gangsta was comin up. Most MC's had skillz, but the more people started diggin gangsta, the more talentless MC's got a chance 2 blow thru the gimmick, seeing how so much money was involved. This spawned the studio gangsta. And ever since the absolute minimum u have 2 have as an MC is 2 be able 2 read at 6th grade level (4 the ghostwriters) and spit at least 4 words per sentence (Get ya roll on). And since everybody buys that, they keep gettin paid off it. The standard of MC will probably stay in decline as long as the wackness stays out there. All tha illest MC's inspired other ill MC's. Now everybody's a soldier, a balla, a playa, a thug, a gangsta, or A Flossa, babyyyy. The game's bout 2 flip tho. If Tha Row gets where its wants 2 go, and Nas, Busta, Em, Jay, and everyone else who took it back 2 they roots continues on that path, we'll see our MC's back again.

personally im a fan of underground rap,but i think whats fuckin up rap is labels and materialistic things. i dont buy albums to hear about fuckin champagne and diamonds. none of those motherfuckers(mainstream peeps) wouldnt be tight without the beats they have because there lyrics plain suck.But all of it just leads back to money because most mainstream artist firts mainstream cd was real and sumthin u could listen to, it was about life, struggles, and goals , now its just bullshit

that's so true man just like nas going to murder inc