this thread might be a bit controversial, and it might be a bit hard to understand, but try understand it anyway.

Here goes:

I am not a rapophile.

I hate rap. Not because of race, but out of it's conotations mainly (that said of course i can dance to it in clubs etc; ftw)

Despite my current position on rap, I did like it once. Yea, there was a golden age for me; the age of the Cherry hill Gang, MC hammer and the fresh prince of bel air.

now, you might not think that counted as rap, and you might have various opinions about what is and isn't rap, but one thing is more or less sure about this phenomenon: there is a line of evolution, from the 70s through to today, especially since the 90s, that traces the growth of modern, commercial rap music (excluding JAZZ, etc - including R&B, funk etc)

So, all this said, what, to you, was the rap golden age? And what is your all time favorite rap song?

Me?

RAPPER'S DELIGHT - THE SUGAR HILL GANG

REMEMBER! Give your fav. rap song from that period!

Edit: my bad, rap has been around since long before the 90s, just deal...

urprobablyright:
this thread might be a bit controversial, and it might be a bit hard to understand, but try understand it anyway.

Here goes:

So, all this said, what, to you, was the rap golden age? And what is your all time favorite rap song?

REMEMBER! Give your fav. rap song from that period!

Although not my favorite rap album (it's up there) the most important rap album in my opinion was N.W.A. - efiE4ZaggiN.

The progression made by Dr. Dre and Yellowman on the production for this album compared to Straight outta Compton was so vast it seemed like a different group.
This paved the way for modern HipHop and is still a reference for musical production today.

EDIT: The group's second full-length release re-established the group in the face of Ice Cube's continued solo success. The album is considered by many Dr. Dre's finest production work, and heralded the beginning of the "G-Funk era".

All that said. My favorite Rap album is handsdown Gravediggaz - Niggamortis (rereleased as 6 feet deep)
Favorite Track from this album - Here Comes The Gravediggaz

So I guess i'm going for Early to Mid 90s.

Although, Eric B. & Rakim might have something to say to all i've written.

Rapper's Delight is awesome. I know all the words to it.

80's.
Before it became all about money, the dollar sign, and guiding a generation of American culture down the drain.

Arsen:
80's.
Before it became all about money, the dollar sign, and guiding a generation of American culture down the drain.

BAsically what he says, only I'd like to add that it's not all about money, it is also about them bitches and ho's.

Mid 90's

Mobb Deep- Shook Ones Part 2

Yeah baby!

Mid 90's as well.

Del Tha Funky Homosapien - Press Rewind

Hard to choose, so many era's so many good music. :P

I'm just going to go out of my way and nominate 1 album from each era.

Early 90s
N.W.A. - 3FiL4ZaggiN
Mid 90s
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
Late 90s
I can't find one here, Wu Tangs 2nd album was released in 1997, which to me is part of mid 90s.
Present day
Pete Philly & Perquisite - Mystery Repeats
pre-90s
Afrika Bambaataa - Planet Rock: The Album

It shouldn't be the golden age of rap, it should be the gold-spray-painted-iron age of rap.

Rappers with actual gold? Pfft, nonsense, they just take a perfecteedly good bicycle chain and spray paint it gold. "Tis Ma Bling Mte Init!"

None of the above. It's all bad, always has been, always will be. To me, trying to find good music in the rap genre is like sifting through a septic tank to find a good meal. Anyone who CAN find a good meal in there, is the kind of person you won't want to associate with.

Eggo:

Khell_Sennet:
None of the above. It's all bad, always has been, always will be. To me, trying to find good music in the rap genre is like sifting through a septic tank to find a good meal. Anyone who CAN find a good meal in there, is the kind of person you won't want to associate with.

lol bad troll post

Not trolling, just stating a belief I've held for quite a long time. Myself and many other people see no positive quality to rap music, it's abhorrent to listen to, and the types of people who are really into it, shove it down everyone's throat all the time.

I would have to go for early to mid 90's, primarily because Cypress Hill's Black Sunday and GZA's Liquid Swords are the only examples of rap I will listen to. Fave tune, probably Cock the Hammer or Lick a Shot

easily the mid 90's for me, i thnik every1 is forgettin a little rapper called TUPAC SHAKUR, easily the greatest rapper of all time.

favourite album - 2pac -All Eyez On Me
favourite song - only god can judge me

I still haven't heard any rap that I thought was good, so I will go with none of the above.

Yet another rap thread. 80% of the forum hates rap your just going to get "oh raps shit its not music ect.." or the same thing you get from most people who don't know anything or listen to rap "oh the old stuff was good but everything now is shit"

Khell_Sennet:

Eggo:

Khell_Sennet:
None of the above. It's all bad, always has been, always will be. To me, trying to find good music in the rap genre is like sifting through a septic tank to find a good meal. Anyone who CAN find a good meal in there, is the kind of person you won't want to associate with.

lol bad troll post

Not trolling, just stating a belief I've held for quite a long time. Myself and many other people see no positive quality to rap music, it's abhorrent to listen to, and the types of people who are really into it, shove it down everyone's throat all the time.

And those who hate it take every chance imaginable to express so.

The only rap I like is the Socially Concious stuff that isn't about how hard it is for a pimp/gangsta/ho/whatever and it's peppered across all the eras.

Khell_Sennet:
and the types of people who are really into it, shove it down everyone's throat all the time.

LOLirony.

Anyway I think I'm going to disagree with pretty much everyone and go with mid 2000s, mainly because of Jurrasic 5, Jedi Mind Tricks and Army Of The Pharoahs.

klc0100:
And those who hate it take every chance imaginable to express so.

Eggo:
Strange, the only one doing any throat shoving seems to be the one who keeps coming into hip hop threads and writing inflammatory and close-minded posts like these:

You know, there's a difference between stating a simple opinion and shoving something down another's throat. You have a thread about something, and are all fine when everyone agrees they like the item in question, but as soon as someone says they don't, you cry troll or similar bullshit. You have your opinion, I have mine, that's what a forum is for. If you're going to say any opinion contradictory to yours is inflammatory, closed minded, or whatnot, they why the fuck do you come online? This is a place of discussion, not fanboism. People are entitled to their differed opinions.

As to my saying rappers shove their music down our throats, let me quantify that statement, since it seems to have put a bug up your ass or a glitch in your brain. Rap lovers tend to play their music in their cars or homes much MUCH louder than the rest of society. Their whole purpose in life seems to be centered around how much noise they can make, how much they can piss off everyone around them with their hip hop crap, and how little regard they have for other people.

All my friends and co-workers also agree, when you get a rap fanatic in your place of work, they always insist on changing the station to the rap one, or playing rap CDs. You may not be able to accept this fact, but most rap and most of the really hard metal music is NOT workplace appropriate, doubly so when you work serving the public (ie foodservice). MOST customers and coworkers do not want to hear those particular brands of music, and shouldn't have to.

I liked the early/mid 90s. I would say I like N.W.A but I can't being white. so favourite song from that period would probably be Jin&Juice (the gourds version is the best though)

Okay, any day from the release of the Beastie Boys song "Sabotage" and back was okay.

LOL Fresh Prince!

Give me a break, what the hell did that music have to say? It was manufactured shite, crap production and had no soul. Early 90's Needs to be considered; post Bodycount Ice T and the NWA had somthing to say. Fuck the Police, Compten and were tunes with a message that got over and also had sweet production. Add in J5's steller album Concrete Schoolyard and your beginning to get to talking about good rap. Not jiving at a school disco to MC Hammer lol.

Say what you want about people like Dre, Wu Tang and Cypress Hill boy can those boys lay down a beat. Mid Ninties had big beat killer samples and was the progression from Suger Hill Gang and the Likes.

As for modern rap I'd say Roots Manuva, Immortal Technique to a lesser extent Gravediggaz and Eminem have all got alot to say for themselves. Insights into their worlds and experiances,the world and politics. Its not all guns bitches and thugs G.

My vote goes with mid 90's for the win!

Naw. If I was trolling, I'd have posted something more like this...

or this...

Aha! I've got two that are good,

"White And Nerdy"

"Amish Paradise"

elgringobandito:
80'S!! Why?
RUN D M Motherfucking C

Hell yes. I love Run D.M.C. "It's Like That" is my favourite song by them.

There's no "Rap never had a golden era, you are a silly goose" option.

Rap? More like CRap!

Dubiousduke:
Okay, any day from the release of the Beastie Boys song "Sabotage" and back was okay.

Sabotage is my #2 song, and i think the Beastie boys are the best rap group - and they're white!

Khell_Sennet:
None of the above. It's all bad, always has been, always will be. To me, trying to find good music in the rap genre is like sifting through a septic tank to find a good meal. Anyone who CAN find a good meal in there, is the kind of person you won't want to associate with.

I pretty much share your opinion that people who live by modern rap are not the kinda people who i might want to 'hang' with.

But I still admit that rap Was good once; like everyone else said, 'before it became about the dollar' ... some of the rhymes you find nowadays don't even work - people try to get away with rhyming 'money' with 'champaigne' and crap like that.

no one can listen/watch the theme tune to fresh prince of bel air without memorizing the lyrics for life. (big generalization i know; prolly wrong, but the point stands)

Qayin:
There's no "Rap never had a golden era, you are a silly goose" option.

noted!

Could you make the "never had a golden era" option not make us sound retarded?