Quote:
Originally posted by KSig RC
You don't think Definitive Jux stands slightly outside the realm of "cult of Blackstar"?
The term "nerd-rap" isn't meant as a cut on those guys, either - in fact, most of my personal favorites I would place in that catagory.
I agree with what you're saying about Jay-Z, but he does have some songs in the vein of "Can I live" and the 2nd disc on Blueprint II that carry some actual depth, so I threw him in conditionally - just like "Take it 2 da house" doesn't fly for Nas, neither does "Big Pimpin" and etc.
Nas is definitely the pre-eminent mainstream rapper w/ a message, to my mind - at least, that's still alive.
As for combining levels 2 and 3 - I can see where you're coming from, I just find it useful to delineate what I see as two major realms of "underground". Among those who actively seek it out, Company Flow and Aesop Rock are household names - but for most people, Mos Def carries infinitely more weight than Mr Lif, so that's why I split them up - it's a matter of degrees, though, I definitely agree with that.
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k, first, when did Nas do a song called "Take it 2 da House"? I really hope you are not confusing Nas with Trick Daddy. *horror*
Nas has always been a lyricist, see the entire Illmatic album for reference. Unfortunately he started seeing dollar signs and morphed into Nas Escobar (barf). Then he came back to his senses with Stillmatic and God's Son (both awesome records). Jay Z can NOT touch Nas lyrically, and I have never heard anyone accuse Jay of making conscious music. Reasonable Doubt was a great album, but I still wouldn't put him near real lyricists like the other names thrown around on this thread.