Written by Ellrohir on 02.06.2007 at 15:41

i can stand battle rap performed by Eminem, because he has nice performance and some lyrics to really think about...

yeah one time em was battleing this guy, and he made fun of him for being white, so em said "you just made my facial issue a racial issue." that was great.

ROFL, there are some songs I tend to get carried away with, like:

Walk It Out, Two Step, I'mma Buy You A Drank, and my fav This Is Why I'm Hot.

Rap can have good music and depending on the rapper, a big vocabulary with pretty meaningful words.

An example would be Jurassic 5. They are more hip hop though.

Written by [user id=24690] on 02.07.2007 at 10:53

ROFL, there are some songs I tend to get carried away with, like:

Walk It Out, Two Step, I'mma Buy You A Drank, and my fav This Is Why I'm Hot.

Rap can have good music and depending on the rapper, a big vocabulary with pretty meaningful words.

An example would be Jurassic 5. They are more hip hop though.

Eh, yeah. It seems though that the stuff you listed is mostly club rap. I can't stand that stuff, Ick! It puts me to sleep mainly because of it's lack of any true lyrical value.
But hey, we're both two dudes that like a genre of music which is periodically persecuted here, so I'm happy to see you here. You like any classic stuff? by like Tupac or Dr. Dre or maby some Public enemy?

Written by Arian Totalis on 02.07.2007 at 21:03

Written by [user id=24690] on 02.07.2007 at 10:53

ROFL, there are some songs I tend to get carried away with, like:

Walk It Out, Two Step, I'mma Buy You A Drank, and my fav This Is Why I'm Hot.

Rap can have good music and depending on the rapper, a big vocabulary with pretty meaningful words.

An example would be Jurassic 5. They are more hip hop though.

Eh, yeah. It seems though that the stuff you listed is mostly club rap. I can't stand that stuff, Ick! It puts me to sleep mainly because of it's lack of any true lyrical value.
But hey, we're both two dudes that like a genre of music which is periodically persecuted here, so I'm happy to see you here. You like any classic stuff? by like Tupac or Dr. Dre or maby some Public enemy?

ROFL, I so remember listening to Dre a long time ago. I was a fan before, but meh, kinda lost interest.

Tupac, not much. He was good in some songs (ROFL, the one with Dre, either "California" or "California Love". Can't exactly remember)

I also give him props for the song he did with Bone Thugs (I even have that cd)

This is the only place I can post this, but I used to be into some hip hop, not really rap though. Atmosphere and Sage Francis are really good hip hop stuff, but now that I've committed myself to metal it's really hard to listen to slower music such as hip hop or rap, it's just boring to me now regardless of the lyrical content.

Well i used to be a big Eminem fan and i listen to some of his music till today, the recent albums did not please me that much (at all), but i still like the old songs like Sing for The Moment,lose yourself ,Stan ,Hailie's Song, Go to sleep,Till i collapse.... it's not that that hard to listen to his music while being a metal head because the lyrics are cool, the music is kind of loud, it's not just Rap,it's Rap Hardcore

i think Eminem is something really special on the music scene...so far i didn't heard any simillar rap project...because while the rest of the rap scene suxxx, eminem rocks and i'm really not ashamed of admitting i listen to him and like his songs


and something else but it has something to do with "rap" :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtHnvO2nzRY - slovakian punk rock group's Horký?e Slí?e parody of the "wave of r'n'b" which is currently devastating czech and slovakian music scene (all those songs seems excatly like that one joke track)

I personally don't like Eminem's music, however I recogninze that it must be hard to gain a position for a white guy in the rap scene.

Anyway, I saw a video this morning, a guy named Matisyahu. He's jjew or something like that, and I really liked it. What do you guys think?

Written by Black Winter on 08.07.2007 at 19:04

Well i used to be a big Eminem fan and i listen to some of his music till today, the recent albums did not please me that much (at all), but i still like the old songs like Sing for The Moment,lose yourself ,Stan ,Hailie's Song, Go to sleep,Till i collapse.... it's not that that hard to listen to his music while being a metal head because the lyrics are cool, the music is kind of loud, it's not just Rap,it's Rap Hardcore

Well I don't know if I'd say that there is anything "core" about Eminem, as a matter of fact I know I wouldn't, but I definitly am a huge fan. He was one of the first guys to get me into the rap scene all together. I was listening to him before I really ever admited I liked rap. As far as people who don't consider him true hip hop, I'm sorry to break it to you guys but, he is. He's a rapper, plain and simple, he might have the occasional guitar solo, but that doesn't mean he doesn't rap over beats. He's talented, but if you're gonna call him talented, you have to be ready to admit that there is an entire ocean of Rappers out there who are just as talented. I mean he is without a doubt one of the best lyricists in the game, but he isn't as good as some, and there are plenty more who equal him.
Seriously people, if you like eminem you like rap, you just have to find the right rappers.

Written by Arian Totalis on 09.07.2007 at 08:38

Written by Black Winter on 08.07.2007 at 19:04

Well i used to be a big Eminem fan and i listen to some of his music till today, the recent albums did not please me that much (at all), but i still like the old songs like Sing for The Moment,lose yourself ,Stan ,Hailie's Song, Go to sleep,Till i collapse.... it's not that that hard to listen to his music while being a metal head because the lyrics are cool, the music is kind of loud, it's not just Rap,it's Rap Hardcore

Well I don't know if I'd say that there is anything "core" about Eminem, as a matter of fact I know I wouldn't, but I definitly am a huge fan. He was one of the first guys to get me into the rap scene all together. I was listening to him before I really ever admited I liked rap. As far as people who don't consider him true hip hop, I'm sorry to break it to you guys but, he is. He's a rapper, plain and simple, he might have the occasional guitar solo, but that doesn't mean he doesn't rap over beats. He's talented, but if you're gonna call him talented, you have to be ready to admit that there is an entire ocean of Rappers out there who are just as talented. I mean he is without a doubt one of the best lyricists in the game, but he isn't as good as some, and there are plenty more who equal him.
Seriously people, if you like eminem you like rap, you just have to find the right rappers.

I am sure that he is categorized by Encarta as 'rap hardcore' and.. right rappers ?! rappers are crap man, who are you talking about, tell me about a rap song that countains intros and outros, that talks about homosexuality, killing... all i know dude is that i'm open to any genre any artist and i never been pleased by a rapper.

Written by Black Winter on 09.07.2007 at 09:50

Written by Arian Totalis on 09.07.2007 at 08:38

Written by Black Winter on 08.07.2007 at 19:04

Well i used to be a big Eminem fan and i listen to some of his music till today, the recent albums did not please me that much (at all), but i still like the old songs like Sing for The Moment,lose yourself ,Stan ,Hailie's Song, Go to sleep,Till i collapse.... it's not that that hard to listen to his music while being a metal head because the lyrics are cool, the music is kind of loud, it's not just Rap,it's Rap Hardcore

Well I don't know if I'd say that there is anything "core" about Eminem, as a matter of fact I know I wouldn't, but I definitly am a huge fan. He was one of the first guys to get me into the rap scene all together. I was listening to him before I really ever admited I liked rap. As far as people who don't consider him true hip hop, I'm sorry to break it to you guys but, he is. He's a rapper, plain and simple, he might have the occasional guitar solo, but that doesn't mean he doesn't rap over beats. He's talented, but if you're gonna call him talented, you have to be ready to admit that there is an entire ocean of Rappers out there who are just as talented. I mean he is without a doubt one of the best lyricists in the game, but he isn't as good as some, and there are plenty more who equal him.
Seriously people, if you like eminem you like rap, you just have to find the right rappers.

I am sure that he is categorized by Encarta as 'rap hardcore' and.. right rappers ?! rappers are crap man, who are you talking about, tell me about a rap song that countains intros and outros, that talks about homosexuality, killing... all i know dude is that i'm open to any genre any artist and i never been pleased by a rapper.

You're pleased by eminem, and he raps. Plenty of rappers have used intros and outro's to thier songs. I mean, even the rap band the roots plays all their own instruments, and thier front man IS a rapper, and a genious lyricist. Funny you should mention homosexuality, eminem seems to use the term "fag" alot. He even says in one of his songs:
"My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge, I'll stab you in the head weather you're a fag or les, Homo-sex, hermaph, a tranz or vez, you ask me if I hate fags the answer's yes. Homophobic? Nah you're just heterophobic, staring at my Jeans watchin' my genitls Bulgin, those are my balls you better let go of em, they belong in my scrotum you'll never get hold of em." from the song "Criminal"
So if you want to shoot down rappers for being homophobic, Eminem is one of the worst culprits of this crime. That doesn't mean I don't like him, his lyrics get deep, but normally just revolve around the subject of problems at home with his mother, daughtet etc. There are other rappers that tend to talk about politics and real problems, and still have just as good if not better lyrical flow to their style. For instance:
Public Enemy
Run DMC
Ice Cube (early)
Mos Def
Talib Kweli
Tupac (kinda)
Nas (kinda)
Black Thought
Common
All these guys are about spreading messeges of awarness and Intellligence, and Tupac, Nas, and Black thought all could lyrically assassinate Eminem, though truth be told I like him better than most of those guys, that's only because he was one of the first rappers I listened to. If we're gonna be honest here, the quality of most of the above mentioned music is ten times better.

I'm sorry dude but if you don't wanna admit Eminem is rap, then you're in denial. Even he calls himself a rapper. He got into the industry through one of the people to Pioneer the genre, Dr. Dre, and he is good friends with virtually every rapper in the industry. He used to go to freestyle competitions in Detroit. There is pretty much no denying, he's a rapper, period. The only reason why he's any different is because he's white.

Written by Arian Totalis on 09.07.2007 at 21:03

Written by Black Winter on 09.07.2007 at 09:50

Written by Arian Totalis on 09.07.2007 at 08:38

Written by Black Winter on 08.07.2007 at 19:04

Well i used to be a big Eminem fan and i listen to some of his music till today, the recent albums did not please me that much (at all), but i still like the old songs like Sing for The Moment,lose yourself ,Stan ,Hailie's Song, Go to sleep,Till i collapse.... it's not that that hard to listen to his music while being a metal head because the lyrics are cool, the music is kind of loud, it's not just Rap,it's Rap Hardcore

Well I don't know if I'd say that there is anything "core" about Eminem, as a matter of fact I know I wouldn't, but I definitly am a huge fan. He was one of the first guys to get me into the rap scene all together. I was listening to him before I really ever admited I liked rap. As far as people who don't consider him true hip hop, I'm sorry to break it to you guys but, he is. He's a rapper, plain and simple, he might have the occasional guitar solo, but that doesn't mean he doesn't rap over beats. He's talented, but if you're gonna call him talented, you have to be ready to admit that there is an entire ocean of Rappers out there who are just as talented. I mean he is without a doubt one of the best lyricists in the game, but he isn't as good as some, and there are plenty more who equal him.
Seriously people, if you like eminem you like rap, you just have to find the right rappers.

I am sure that he is categorized by Encarta as 'rap hardcore' and.. right rappers ?! rappers are crap man, who are you talking about, tell me about a rap song that countains intros and outros, that talks about homosexuality, killing... all i know dude is that i'm open to any genre any artist and i never been pleased by a rapper.

You're pleased by eminem, and he raps. Plenty of rappers have used intros and outro's to thier songs. I mean, even the rap band the roots plays all their own instruments, and thier front man IS a rapper, and a genious lyricist. Funny you should mention homosexuality, eminem seems to use the term "fag" alot. He even says in one of his songs:
"My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge, I'll stab you in the head weather you're a fag or les, Homo-sex, hermaph, a tranz or vez, you ask me if I hate fags the answer's yes. Homophobic? Nah you're just heterophobic, staring at my Jeans watchin' my genitls Bulgin, those are my balls you better let go of em, they belong in my scrotum you'll never get hold of em." from the song "Criminal"
So if you want to shoot down rappers for being homophobic, Eminem is one of the worst culprits of this crime. That doesn't mean I don't like him, his lyrics get deep, but normally just revolve around the subject of problems at home with his mother, daughtet etc. There are other rappers that tend to talk about politics and real problems, and still have just as good if not better lyrical flow to their style. For instance:
Public Enemy
Run DMC
Ice Cube (early)
Mos Def
Talib Kweli
Tupac (kinda)
Nas (kinda)
Black Thought
Common
All these guys are about spreading messeges of awarness and Intellligence, and Tupac, Nas, and Black thought all could lyrically assassinate Eminem, though truth be told I like him better than most of those guys, that's only because he was one of the first rappers I listened to. If we're gonna be honest here, the quality of most of the above mentioned music is ten times better.

I'm sorry dude but if you don't wanna admit Eminem is rap, then you're in denial. Even he calls himself a rapper. He got into the industry through one of the people to Pioneer the genre, Dr. Dre, and he is good friends with virtually every rapper in the industry. He used to go to freestyle competitions in Detroit. There is pretty much no denying, he's a rapper, period. The only reason why he's any different is because he's white.

ok even if he raps i still like him, do you know why? coz i can't care less about names and genres, it's hypocritical i think being attached to one genre, the most music i listen to is definetly metal(death doom gothic), but i also like eminem, rock, country...and maybe you're right i'm denying but i truly think he's different not because he's white man, but i don't know, i mean you don't have to explain your tastes right?

Written by Black Winter on 09.07.2007 at 21:31

Written by Arian Totalis on 09.07.2007 at 21:03

Written by Black Winter on 09.07.2007 at 09:50

Written by Arian Totalis on 09.07.2007 at 08:38

Written by Black Winter on 08.07.2007 at 19:04

Well i used to be a big Eminem fan and i listen to some of his music till today, the recent albums did not please me that much (at all), but i still like the old songs like Sing for The Moment,lose yourself ,Stan ,Hailie's Song, Go to sleep,Till i collapse.... it's not that that hard to listen to his music while being a metal head because the lyrics are cool, the music is kind of loud, it's not just Rap,it's Rap Hardcore

Well I don't know if I'd say that there is anything "core" about Eminem, as a matter of fact I know I wouldn't, but I definitly am a huge fan. He was one of the first guys to get me into the rap scene all together. I was listening to him before I really ever admited I liked rap. As far as people who don't consider him true hip hop, I'm sorry to break it to you guys but, he is. He's a rapper, plain and simple, he might have the occasional guitar solo, but that doesn't mean he doesn't rap over beats. He's talented, but if you're gonna call him talented, you have to be ready to admit that there is an entire ocean of Rappers out there who are just as talented. I mean he is without a doubt one of the best lyricists in the game, but he isn't as good as some, and there are plenty more who equal him.
Seriously people, if you like eminem you like rap, you just have to find the right rappers.

I am sure that he is categorized by Encarta as 'rap hardcore' and.. right rappers ?! rappers are crap man, who are you talking about, tell me about a rap song that countains intros and outros, that talks about homosexuality, killing... all i know dude is that i'm open to any genre any artist and i never been pleased by a rapper.

You're pleased by eminem, and he raps. Plenty of rappers have used intros and outro's to thier songs. I mean, even the rap band the roots plays all their own instruments, and thier front man IS a rapper, and a genious lyricist. Funny you should mention homosexuality, eminem seems to use the term "fag" alot. He even says in one of his songs:
"My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge, I'll stab you in the head weather you're a fag or les, Homo-sex, hermaph, a tranz or vez, you ask me if I hate fags the answer's yes. Homophobic? Nah you're just heterophobic, staring at my Jeans watchin' my genitls Bulgin, those are my balls you better let go of em, they belong in my scrotum you'll never get hold of em." from the song "Criminal"
So if you want to shoot down rappers for being homophobic, Eminem is one of the worst culprits of this crime. That doesn't mean I don't like him, his lyrics get deep, but normally just revolve around the subject of problems at home with his mother, daughtet etc. There are other rappers that tend to talk about politics and real problems, and still have just as good if not better lyrical flow to their style. For instance:
Public Enemy
Run DMC
Ice Cube (early)
Mos Def
Talib Kweli
Tupac (kinda)
Nas (kinda)
Black Thought
Common
All these guys are about spreading messeges of awarness and Intellligence, and Tupac, Nas, and Black thought all could lyrically assassinate Eminem, though truth be told I like him better than most of those guys, that's only because he was one of the first rappers I listened to. If we're gonna be honest here, the quality of most of the above mentioned music is ten times better.

I'm sorry dude but if you don't wanna admit Eminem is rap, then you're in denial. Even he calls himself a rapper. He got into the industry through one of the people to Pioneer the genre, Dr. Dre, and he is good friends with virtually every rapper in the industry. He used to go to freestyle competitions in Detroit. There is pretty much no denying, he's a rapper, period. The only reason why he's any different is because he's white.

ok even if he raps i still like him, do you know why? coz i can't care less about names and genres, it's hypocritical i think being attached to one genre, the most music i listen to is definetly metal(death doom gothic), but i also like eminem, rock, country...and maybe you're right i'm denying but i truly think he's different not because he's white man, but i don't know, i mean you don't have to explain your tastes right?

Sure you don't have to explain your tastes. All I'm saying is that I used to think just like you, and it took me a while to open my mind enough to listen to more than just him.

Cypress Hill, Rage Against The Machine, Limp Bizkit... they are enough to make us remember the lyrics genre,the others it is all about words, a music of words...

imo that´s precisely what it made rap powerful at the beggining. you check those lyrics and not only they're long, but the say a lot, whatever the subject was

Honestly the only 'rap' i like is Rage Against The Machine, But id not like to think upon them as rap.

I plain just do not like the sound. I hate it. Especially now when i flick to the music channels, all i see is some 'gangsta' fag rapping abuot all his 'girls,hood,cars,money' or what ever the fuck they come up with.

Generally i can't stand it.

I never liked music with pollitical lyrics (there is very few exeptions, but I listen to those bands because of the music not the lyrics) and also I cant stant music that you need no tallent whatsoever to play it. IMO, rap is focused in one guy making rhymes with a DJ playing a beat on the back ground. Also I dont give a fuck about how hard your life was when you were younger, and how many times you got shot, or howmany hoes you have slept with last night, or how much you hate pollitics. I just dont care about that, and hate those lyrics themes which are comonly found in rap.

Written by Daniel on 08.08.2007 at 10:36

Honestly the only 'rap' i like is Rage Against The Machine, But id not like to think upon them as rap.

I plain just do not like the sound. I hate it. Especially now when i flick to the music channels, all i see is some 'gangsta' fag rapping abuot all his 'girls,hood,cars,money' or what ever the fuck they come up with.

Generally i can't stand it.

I want to second this. However, I respect the fact that some people like and enjoy rap. Personally, I don't. For me, it has nothing to offer, but still, it's annoying to see people from opposite mindsets to battle it out.

I just fail to see the "greatness" in rap music. Someone enlighten me to it, perpahps I will change my mind a bit.

Read Arian's posts...they are very concise and I agree with what he says. Club rap is shit....50 cent, J-Z, Lil Jon...I just listen to the old school stuff like Nas's illmatic, Method man's Judgement day, and Tupac's Strictly For my Niggaz are great examples....grainy production, hard hitting/dirty/violent lyrics, actual instruments involved in production...the MUSIC has character Imo and thats whats important.

Written by Sunioj on 10.08.2007 at 12:52

Read Arian's posts...they are very concise and I agree with what he says. Club rap is shit....50 cent, J-Z, Lil Jon...I just listen to the old school stuff like Nas's illmatic, Method man's Judgement day, and Tupac's Strictly For my Niggaz are great examples....grainy production, hard hitting/dirty/violent lyrics, actual instruments involved in production...the MUSIC has character Imo and thats whats important.

Yeah, but I've learned it doesn't matter how many precise arguments I make, how legitimate I may be, people are still just going to stubbornly close their minds to my beloved hip hop. But at the very least this thread can be a place of refugfe for fans like you and I.....

Speaking of which, this is the pimpest shit ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEPF2CNYkfk

Does anyone know Immortal Technique? I found out about him just a few weeks ago and I must say I'm impressed. Check him out, believe me u won't regret it. Actually, I'm gonna make a thread about him. Then u can read about Immortal Technique some more.

last night i watched a bunch ov old school rap videos.....Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, N.W.A. hahah, man and Snoop had a fade! It was gold.

Written by [user id=160] on 18.08.2007 at 18:21

last night i watched a bunch ov old school rap videos.....Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, N.W.A. hahah, man and Snoop had a fade! It was gold.

Hehe yeah sounds like you were into some oldschool west coast stuff, life from the death row era.

The Anthrax featuring Public Enemy was a very innovative act, as well as the Aerosmith - Run DMC one. I found them very remarkable, although I'm not a fan of the genre, but I respect the oldschool and the underground scene. The only thing I dislike are 50 Cent - type 'gangsta' artists whose lyrics contain nothing more than perversity and superciliousness.

Ok Mr Totalis, here's my view on rap:

Today's rap - It sucks. Why, because it's all about bitches, Hummer H2's and 24" inch rims. Geez, some of the artists are terrible - Jay Z for example, is THE worst rapper ever. He has no rhythm, when he raps it's as though he speaks. I swear, i'm a honkey-ass white boy and i'd have more rythm than him if i rapped.

Yesterday's rap - THAT was good. Like, the sountrack to the movies"Murder was the Case", "Menace to Society", you know? Dr.Dre and all those guys from about '92 till '96-'97. That was good. It's like they had a message, not this masive piece of bling around their necks whick they constantly brought up.

My fav. rap songs:

LL Cool J - Dear Malika
Warren G - Prince Igor, both taken from the "rap meets Clasical" album.
2Pac & Dr Dre - California Love.
Ini Kamoze - The Hotstepper.

Written by Remus on 26.08.2007 at 16:48

Ok Mr Totalis, here's my view on rap:

Today's rap - It sucks. Why, because it's all about bitches, Hummer H2's and 24" inch rims. Geez, some of the artists are terrible - Jay Z for example, is THE worst rapper ever. He has no rhythm, when he raps it's as though he speaks. I swear, i'm a honkey-ass white boy and i'd have more rythm than him if i rapped.

Yesterday's rap - THAT was good. Like, the sountrack to the movies"Murder was the Case", "Menace to Society", you know? Dr.Dre and all those guys from about '92 till '96-'97. That was good. It's like they had a message, not this masive piece of bling around their necks whick they constantly brought up.

My fav. rap songs:

LL Cool J - Dear Malika
Warren G - Prince Igor, both taken from the "rap meets Clasical" album.
2Pac & Dr Dre - California Love.
Ini Kamoze - The Hotstepper.

Yeah lots of modern rap sucks, and is too centered around materialism. However, that doesn't bother me nearly as much as the fact that lots of modern rappers....don't rap. They just say a chorus over and over again, this is a phenominon we call "Club Rap" which was just made for people to dance to. It holds no heart, no messege, no lyrical content save for a chorus. It annoys me.

To be honest, I like the most materialistic, sexists, degrading rap out there, as long as it flows together well. I like Jay-Z, because he has structured songs, alright beats, and imo his rap style is unique. But he doesn't touch alot of guys out there. And yeah, it normally is better if they are about more than just materialism and sexism.

Take for example Talib Kweli or Mos Def. They both are really deep and touch on political issues and social subjects that people need to talk about. The are what's called "Concious MC's." and they are normally the types to conciously sway away from materialism, comercialism, and ignorance. There are also alot of Gangsta rappers that get alot deeper with their stuff than just killin' and drug dealin'. Like Nas, The Game, Most members of Wu Tang, Tupac, Biggie, Ice Cube, they all had somethin more to say other than "I went up in tha club N shot this nigga, then I went home and smoked like six pounds of reafa." although they are still prone to say things like that.

Anyway yeah, 90's rap from east and west coasts are the best.

these past days i've listening rap a lot of the time. wu-tang clan and afroman, not many songs, but i still like it and have fun listening to it... just thought i'd post this, hehe

wow........Old school / '90's rap has really grown on me! I LIKE IT!!

Leaders Of The New School, Coolio, W.C. And The Maad Circle, Kriss Kross, N.W.A. , Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, M.C. Ren, Kurupt, Shyne.

There's no question that, yes, musically it is incredibly talentless.......But i like it for the entertainment value and the abrasive lyrics that just jump out at you! In the old days, it came from the heart! But nowadays it's all about material things and it's so polished. Rap sold itself out to mainstream record labels!

yep, and that's a big problem rappers from the wu have with the mainstream rap industry.

Written by therest on 18.08.2007 at 11:39

Does anyone know Immortal Technique? I found out about him just a few weeks ago and I must say I'm impressed. Check him out, believe me u won't regret it. Actually, I'm gonna make a thread about him. Then u can read about Immortal Technique some more.

Immortal Technique is hands-down my favorite rapper. I don't always agree with everything he says, but nobody can say it better. His sample selection also is excellent (I've got no strings on me!).

I think that it's extremely naive to believe that there isn't genius in every genre of music. Now, that isn't to say that you should like all types of music, because I sure as hell don't, but give rap a little more respect than to judge it based on the MTV Hot 97 bullshit. I've said it about 214341513 times before, but I stand by it - judging rap based on 50 Cent is the same thing as judging metal based on Korn.

I've recently been addicted to House of Pain. They're catchy as hell and the Irish theme is fucking awesome, even if only for the novelty.