AlexdeParis said:

As for my favorite:

A classic of the era, period, regardless of genre.

ManlyMoose said:

This thead seems to be a most nostalgic rap song for the most part lol. It reminds of how much raps evolved, if most of these 80s rappers came out today they would be called amatuers with talent but very little technical skill (Though they are the ones who pioneered the genre to become what it is today)

I'd argue rap has mostly devolved. People may say Run-DMC had very little technical skill; I say they made up for any lack of talent with enthusiasm and fun. As far as technical skill goes, I'd put Chuck, Rakim, KRS, and Slick Rick up against any of these cats from today. If that makes me an old fogey, so be it.

I hate to say it, but I don't even really like rap as it stands today. Its success has been its own undoing. Sad.

AlexdeParis said:

ManlyMoose said:

This thead seems to be a most nostalgic rap song for the most part lol. It reminds of how much raps evolved, if most of these 80s rappers came out today they would be called amatuers with talent but very little technical skill (Though they are the ones who pioneered the genre to become what it is today)

I'd argue rap has mostly devolved. People may say Run-DMC had very little technical skill; I say they made up for any lack of talent with enthusiasm and fun. As far as technical skill goes, I'd put Chuck, Rakim, KRS, and Slick Rick up against any of these cats from today. If that makes me an old fogey, so be it.

I hate to say it, but I don't even really like rap as it stands today. Its success has been its own undoing. Sad.

MM, sorry, but put most of today's MCs on the mic with the best MCs of the 80's, and they'll get embarassed. The gangsta style has lowered the bar for MC's. In fact, I'd take several of the MCs from the 90's over a lot of the cats in the game today. They rhymed with style and intelligence.

ManlyMoose said:

This thead seems to be a most nostalgic rap song for the most part lol. It reminds of how much raps evolved, if most of these 80s rappers came out today they would be called amatuers with talent but very little technical skill (Though they are the ones who pioneered the genre to become what it is today)

[Edited 8/18/11 14:57pm]

I don't like most rap made after 1985 or 86. So the earlier stuff is best to me. It had music behind it (rather than the cheap sounding ringtone style of now) and very little profanity. Many of the early rappers told stories in their rhymes. I don't see an average rapper of today that can make a 9 minute or longer song and keep a listener's interest. Also, much the early hip hop was designed for breakers, poppers, and other dancers. You can't breakdance to the slow stuff now. That's why it only has silly dances that take no skill like the dougie.

namepeace said:

AlexdeParis said:

I'd argue rap has mostly devolved. People may say Run-DMC had very little technical skill; I say they made up for any lack of talent with enthusiasm and fun. As far as technical skill goes, I'd put Chuck, Rakim, KRS, and Slick Rick up against any of these cats from today. If that makes me an old fogey, so be it.

I hate to say it, but I don't even really like rap as it stands today. Its success has been its own undoing. Sad.

MM, sorry, but put most of today's MCs on the mic with the best MCs of the 80's, and they'll get embarassed. The gangsta style has lowered the bar for MC's. In fact, I'd take several of the MCs from the 90's over a lot of the cats in the game today. They rhymed with style and intelligence.

I agree. The rappers in the '80s and '90s would easily beat the rappers today in a freestyle. Hell half today's rappers don't even know what flow or rhyme is, they just wanna act all hard when hip-hop's original message wasn't that at all. Plus they disguise it as "street knowlegde" but the truth is most mainstream rappers are singing about fakeness rather than what they're really going through and that's what is destroying hip-hop right now.

16-years-old and this beat, and Havoc's verse still untouched. Nas at 1:56.