Did You Know? The first rap record to come out of Baton Rouge was about missing children.

Evolution? I think not.

To be fair, I think the kids they're talking about are dead, not missing.

void

Rap wasn’t always ‘gangsta’. It’s just been completely taken over by the lowest common denominator. There was some political commentary, positive social messages, and other content that people may agree or disagree with, but it wasn’t all about killing motherfrickers, bitches and pussy, etc.

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Rap wasn’t always ‘gangsta’. It’s just been completely taken over by the lowest common denominator.

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NWA’s Express Yourself is a good example of lighthearted rap. And Nappy Roots’ Good Day

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To be fair, I think the kids they're talking about are dead, not missing.

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One of them was missing for several months before being found. Not sure if that "song" was recorded during that period before they were discovered, just remember it being like a mile from where my younger brother was living at that time.

If you listen to Run-DMC, Whodini, Beastie Boys, Slick Rick, etc.. That's what rap music sounded like in the 80s (the birth of hip hop was in the late 1970s).

Gangster rap didn't become mainstream until the early 90s. There was rap music that was explicit Too Short, 2 Live Crew, etc, but it wasn't Gangster rap.

But what I am getting at is that rap started off as a form of telling stories. Today its pretty much about rapping about the same shite, but its about play on words.

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NWA’s Express Yourself is a good example of lighthearted rap. And Nappy Roots’ Good Day

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Pretty much anything by Arrested Development was positive.

void

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But what I am getting at is that rap started off as a form of telling stories. Today its pretty much about rapping about the same shite, but its about play on words.

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It’s a shame. Early rap had roots that ran way, way deep. Hell, even “rap battles” have corollaries in Europe that are hundreds of years old. East coast way overcompensated to differentiate from west coast, and then third coast/south took things in a direction that was fun for a bit, then almost became a parody of itself. Rap used to either be socially powerful or fun; now, it’s very rarely either.