Socially Conscious Hip-Hop

Are there any other fans of hip-hop with a message in here? When I am talking about socially conscious hip-hop, I am talking about hip-hop that examines the hypocrisies of the world that we live in, and motivate us to rise up and better ourselves.

Some Examples: Immortal Technique, KRS-One, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Binary Star, Aesop Rock, Asheru, Nas, Common, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Gang Starr, The Fugees, Killah Priest, Royce Da 5'9".

A question that has been burning in my mind lately is why has music like this been relegated to the underground? When you turn on rap radio nowadays, the messages are overwhelmingly negative. If you're not listening to Soulja Boy "Superman dat hoe," you're listening to Waka Flocka Flame talk about how he "goes hard in da mothaf**kin' paint!" If you ask me, Soulja Boy's variety of rap is akin to Blackface minstrel shows. It promotes images of the black and urban community that perpetuates stereotypes of ignorance. Is positivity really so unmarketable that this type of garbage has become the norm?

I'm not an American but I love hip-hop and make it too. Among your examples I like almost all of them though I don't follow releases of some of them closely. But yeah, Ama concious hip hop lover...

I understand exactly what you're talking about. I love hip hop, all sorts of hip hop, although I just feel like underground rap is better than mainstream 'hip hop'.

As to your question, it seems to be something that's happening to all the elements of hip hop. First it was graffiti and breaking, now it's rap. Every element of hip hop seems have to go through a public stoning of sorts before it can emerge as a real art. Perhaps its a natural way of ensuring that only the ones that really care about the culture remain? I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much into it.

PS. Shoaib You make hip hop? That's pretty cool. Do you rap?

Also. I've really been getting into a lot of the Rhymesayers label's music lately. Artists like Atmosphere, Blueprint, Eyedea(RIP), Brother Ali etc. really seem to have a great message.

Hip means to know
It's a form of intelligence
To be hip is to be up-date and relevant
Hop is a form of movement
You can't just observe a hop
You got to hop up and do it
Hip and Hop is more than music
Hip is the knowledge
Hop is the movement
Hip and Hop is intelligent movement
Or relevant movement
KRS ONE

This sums up hip hop pretty well, you've just gotta love KRS one

What is the difference between the music of rap and hip-hop?

I'm very surprised no one mentioned tupac in any of this. His words were nothing but positive. In his defense against,women, children and people who struggled in the ghettos. He's dead because he called out gansters and thugs and made them realize they were not cool and not the center of attention