What Type of Hip Hop Music Do You Prefer? | @AskDEHH w/ Sophie 

Myke is so good at breaking down his thoughts and forming them into a concise point. That's a gift that no too many people have, it seems.

Sophie making fun of Ken at 14:20 tho lol

Biggie's hit "Juicy" is the ultimate example of a braggadocious/Inspiring song...He executed the message perfectly.

The thing with Big KRIT is that even when he brags, he doesn't talk about a billion dollar house, he just transmit the vibe of riding in his candy car on 20s, with a blunt in his mouth on a summer day, that's the difference to me.

Hip hop that's introspective, intelligent, uplifting, tells stories, braggadocious but in a creative way ie Freddie Gibbs and Madlib. Mafioso rap when it's done right (Jay-Z reasonable doubt, raekwon, Freddie Gibbs, etc), and super lyrical artists.

I understand why so many people are answering that they "don't have a preference". I think that as fans, we all like a little bit of everything so it can be a tough question to answer, but at the end of the day when the chips are down everyone will sway more towards a certain style or sub-genre of rap. Like Feefo said, I tend to like artists that can balance it all (he used KRIT as an example). When an artist is too much "this way" or too much "that way" I can still enjoy some of their music, but the longevity and replay value isn't there for me. I really appreciate versatility in a rapper, so I like when an artist can make me think, share their own personal story, give me some stuff for the car AND make my head nod at the same time. That's why Cilvia Demo and Black Hystori Project are my favorite projects this year. Isaiah and CyHi gave me a bit of everything on their respective projects, and I'm hoping that Big KRIT will do the same since most of his albums & tapes are in that same lane. Great video, DEHH! Keep up the good work!

I love how that Scarface shit just won't go away

haha 14:20 sophie being sneaky

That was a great question. It shows how diverse everyone's taste is in DEHH, and that's the best part about it

Man, Sophie is gorgeous

I agree with Myke 100% on this one.

Here's my thing. Yes I love when rappers give a message or make me think about something relatable but when it comes to listening to music I need it to sound good and it's a plus if there's a message. I can't listen to something relatable if it sounds horrible.

Trap music is a guilty pleasure in my opinion

I think if you love rap music you will appreciate a dope mc whatever the subject matter. You can rap about anything coke, money, politics, love whatever just be dope lyrically and do it well!

"What you want a Bentley? Fur coat? A diamond chain? All you blacks want all the same thing." Surpsied Myke called Kanye out like that when it seems like he's rapping more anti-materialistic shit then ever before. The dude loves fashion and cars, sure. I feel like these are common interests to have though, whether you're lower, middle, upper class whatever. Yeezus tickets are high priced because the dude ain't putting on a concert, it's like a damn theatre show now. He just has a different vision, an expensive one. He's still the biggest ticket seller of 2013 next to one of the last surviving Beatles. Most of the people I saw at the Ye concert with the $500 tickets got them for free from a hook up.

"You Can Do It Too" - Skateboard P

MykeCTown - fucking spot on about Jay & materialistic rappers. Such a slap in the face when an artist you supported goes down that road - particularly Jay & Kanye. Jay has never said that shit is attainable, he just brags. How many people do you know are buying $500 concert tickets and his horrendously expensive shit from Barney's? Fuck that noise.

Substance all day baby!!!

And Kanye constantly says "IF YOUR A FAN OF KANYE WEST YOUR NOT A FAN OF ME YOUR A FAN OF YOURSELF, ALL IM DOING IS GIVING YOU THE SOUNDTRACK TO BE THE BEST YOU POSSIBLE" . And as far as concert tickets go it's a fucking production that goes into making these shows. For them to go out there rap there songs and leave would be bullshyt c'mon now. Imagine having Kanye and Jay come rap on 2 fuckin stools and leave. That what a 65 dollar ticket can get in a revenue like that would get you. Not to mention these artist are making most of their money on tour because nobody is even by records anymore.

i personally like trap influenced beats but with stories. like "mAad City" by Kendrick is a good example or "bounce back" by big sean. other than that i like straight foward street dudes like xzibit and pusha t. but theres definitely such a broad spectrum and theres gems in each lane

Ahhh, it's so good when they're talking about each other's tastes from their experience and knowledge of each other and Sophie's joining in too. I never get that with other reviewers and that's one of the things I love about DEHH.

Conscious Hip Hop is a true gem that shines in the midst of being buried in braggy mainstream Hip Hop. Conscious Hip Hop can truly bring up a person and instill a drive to combat adversity from the world. More braggy mainstream hip hop does not do that and if anything it just makes a person feel even worse as that Emcee's success is thrown into a person's face making their accomplishments seem insignificant. Now there is a time and place for both but it is disapointing that braggy hip hop is taken a lot more seriously than an actual hip hop form that can truly make the artist and the emcee relate a similar pain and a similar goal in life. Inspirational Emcees such as Kendrick Lamar, Jay Electronica, Nas, and Elzhi are artists who talk about combating the world and proving that we are truly more than a statistic and a label that the world just lazily places upon its citizens. Myke and Ken were right on the money throughout this entire video.

Myke said some of the realest shit ever in this video. Props.

I'm with Myke on the whole "talk about your success" thing and how rappers constantly throw that shit in your face to let you know that you will always be on the bottom of the barrel, while they get to live lavishly. This is why I'm gravitated towards rappers like Mos Def, The Roots, Slug, Nas, and Krs-ONE, because when I listen to them I know I'll be able to dissect a message that empowers me, rather than put me down, which is what I feel these lavish ass rappers try to do, whether it be directly or indirectly.

Watching these DEHH bits and the Behind the scene ones are like saturday morning cartoons to me haha, so many laughs to be had.

I dunno, man. Listening to Kanye always gets me motivated as fuck and I'm 30 years old, still going to college, and barely working above minimum wage. I find him very uplifting

You see it people. Their video for Ab-Soul is this week, but there will still be people in the comments not paying attention.

The way I view it (I get it doesn't make total sense) is that I place myself in the position of the musician. It's kind of like an escape where you can put on some headphones and be the mofo with chains and shits. I just can't listen to music without inserting myself even a bit because even conscious would seem boring if it didn't affect me at all.

Very interesting. I'm riding with c town and kinge.

Myke Ctown completely absolutely is wrong about Kanye. He mustve just forgot and is only going on Yeezus. Ye literally evolved from broke College Dropout to Yeezus. He put how his life is into his music. Kanye made plenty of songs with substance and supported conscious music. He did Jesus walks All Falls Down many songs with subject matter. Then he did 808s and Heartbreaks rejecting the materialism money and fame. Yeezus is just a frustrated asshole Kanye but his catalog is not braggadocious.

for me you can talk about almost anything aslong as you put it in an interesting way, its all about how you get your message across, even if that message is shallow

I like a balance between the two .. too much of either or gets boring .. music is FUN and POWERFUL you need both

Yoooooo, I get vid notifications now!!!Yessss

I agree but I think Kinge got it wrong when he mentioned Watch The Throne. I will admit at first I thought it was only about money and flashiness too. But after listening to it more it's a real balance on that album. Niggas in Paris is evened out by a Murder to Excellence,Otis/Made in America,Gotta have it/New Day. This album wasn't only about money. And Kanye's message in his music has always walked the line of someone who at heart is "conscious" about the things that he is doing and has a bigger message then just money cars and clothes, but he still enjoys the things money can buy. To say he's more on the braggadocios side is wrong because he still has Jesus Walks,Through the Wire, Touch the Sky, Good Life. Shyt the whole 808's album wasn't that.

conscious is my favorite, braggadocious i like too, depending on the song and artist

Although I prefer artists like Common, Mos Def and Kendrick, I have to disagree on the Rick Ross point. Even though ross does rap primarily about his money, designer clothes and women, I think he does it with class and sophistication. A good example, is the song "Amsterdam". His boss-like style doesn't really make me feel inferior, but doesn't exactly inspire me either. It's more of a vibe thing. If you listen to his latest album, Black Market, you'll get that laid back feeling with songs like "money dance". I think he's the complete opposite to meek mill, who just throws his money and jewellery in your face. Just my thoughts though...

damn rob absolutely killed it, came out the cut with it too. totally took the conversation in a different direction

MYKE is 100% right....

I don't care about message honestly, I only care if the MC is lyrical

Beezy will hate your shit if you put any happiness in your album. Beezy is a boom bap head.

In terms of US Rap (I'm German) I grew up with Eminem and 50 Cent/G-Unit. Especially that G-Unit Sound is still one of my favorite Rap styles.

How are you guys not realizing that we are talking about modern day Kanye?! We're not talking about Kanye's previous work. That's not a representation of who he is today. The keyword is "today." Please note the "today." It's important.

I love how they tell B what he loves and what he's listening

I'm lucky I saw kendrick perform a few years back after section 80 dropped before all the hype. Payed 20$ to see him perform a few feet from me in a small venue with less than 100 people there and even got his autograph. I prefer seeing artist in that type of setting it is definitely more intimate.

Really enjoyed this discussion. I, personally, am one of those people that listens to both a decent amount. I think Feefo expressed this idea that there is a time and place for braggadocious and for conscious rap. When Im just sitting at home and in the mood for something that'll really hit me deep I'll listen to some super lyrical stuff, but when I just wanna feel on top of the world or when Im with friends just chilling I'll put on some braggadocious stuff. Keep up the good work, fellas.

kinge looks like a balder, thicker amare stoudemire.

This conversation really got me thinking. Although I prefer songs about emotional, conscious/ political message there are some songs in my collection which I would classify into the materialistic/ braggadocious message. Using Tech N9ne (my favorite rapper) as an example, I figured out why deep down I listen to these. Tech N9ne has songs that I can personally relate to on a deeply emotional and conscious level, thus building a strong relative connection with Tech N9ne. Although Tech has a wide range of music, it does include elements of materialistic/ bragging nature and I like it; as oppose to my normal stance of despising it. Tech stays humble, treats his fans like humans, is always connecting with his fans. As we can relate so closely to Tech when he is low, we want him to succeed and thus we are happy when he brags and shows his success.

I agree with myke 100% But im not gonna lie i need ratchet shit in my life every now and then "FUCK BITCHES IN THE FACE, POPPIN NIGGAS WIT MY NINE"

As a kid my parents listened to almost zero hip hop, I was Born mid 90s, grew up in the 2000s, I listened to hip hop strictly from the radio, all the ratchet club songs I enjoyed but I never consider myself a serious hip hop fan, I did not think to buy albums, go to shows etc.However when I heard Tupac's "Changes" on a radio station back in 2006, It blew my mind, It was the most relate-able, though-provoking song I had ever heard. It made me think to take Rap more seriously, See If they had anything to really say. Since RU-vid became a platform for all artists Underground and Mainstream, I listen to mainstream Rappers album cuts and mix tapes more than actual singles, see mix-tapes by dope underground artists as free albums, and see the transparency and fake drama of the "hip hop scene" with radio stations, magazines, that part of "hip hop" It means nothing to me unless its about who i listen to . . I have zero songs from Drake, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Kanye music since Watch The Throne The fact the Def Jam allowed him to release that as a album and not force it to be mixtape because songs like Black Skinhead, and I am a God shows they knew it would be a success cuz of how high some of you put him on a pedestal like Kanye can't be measured by wack his lyrics were because his "artistic" production. I Make fun of Trinidad James, young thug, migos, chief keef in front of people who like them all the time cause they aint shit without the club airplay and they got obvious below average rap skills. In contrast, at the same time I have some of the relate-able songs from the mix-tapes of meek mill, young jeezy, rich homie so people know I am not one of those people who hate on everyone mainstream, hot in the streets. Relate-able lyrics from rappers, rappers sometimes talking about how crazy or f'd up things are or what they have seen in a venting style, party songs with dope wordplay in the verses, is what I prefer.

Substance vs fun music. There is a time and a place for both.

From what hip hop I've listened to, I'm really into the bragodocious stuff. It's just really good pump up music and I like the point that it's relatable as well. Also, I'm totes new to hip hop so if anyone wants to recommend a few quality MCs out there, feel free.

Funny how myke talks about jayz Blueprint - Rival crews, get your black suits up Blueprint 3 - We have just seen the dream as predicted by Martin Luther Now you could choose to sit in front of your computer Posing with guns, shooting RU-vid up Or you could come with me to the White House - get your suit up If you don't listen to jay z, why speak on his motive behind his lyrics or songs??

Myke was on point with that whole thing about $200-500 concert tickets. When you really think about it, it boils down to greed. They wanna live among the 1% and keep climbing til they die, even if it means being part of the systematic problems that have been keeping us down from the start. They've abandoned the people.

C-Town saying that about braggadocios rapping being about your skills and not your money was a great explanation.

I like Feefo's point of view more. Sometimes you just want a background sound for something, like, for example, working out. Some conscious raps cannot give you the proper "pump" to do it. Sometimes you want to listen to the lyrics, that's why you pick someone with more substance to the lyrics, like some The Roots or De La Soul, or whatever, and it goes on and on. Different situations for me requires different types of music.

ehh idk you guys have been at this for a while and i feel this video is kind of counter productive. This is a basic question that has basically answered itself over the years from you guys. Don't feel it's worthy of a full discussion

Samples, conscious, and crazy lyrical

Nobody Chose Abstract. like MF DOOM, Abstract Lupe, Madlib, Childish, Some cudi, M.i.A. Etc.

the only thing that turns me off is materialistic rap: money, cars, jewelry, weed, lean rap.

I don't give a fuck what they rap about as long as the song sounds good to be honest

Political rap is fucking nice but I like real introspective shit too. It has to bring a message or deep emotions. I guess that's why my favorite rappers ( Em, Kendrick, KRIT,...) do both.

This is my favorite discussion you guys have had in a while, I really liked it.

Feefo prefer it if it bang in the whip

I have a lot of thoughts on this topic: If there are 2 rappers (1 rapping about braggadocious stuff and the other rapping about a consious message) and they are equal in skill, I would prefer the conscious message rapper....even if the braggadocious rapper is slightly better than the consious rapper, i'd probably still go for the conscious rapper because I understand that his/her intentions are better from my point of view...however, if the braggadocious rapper is quite a bit better than the conscious rapper, then I'd go for the braggadocious one...that's where I agree with Beezy in the sense that I just look for spitters in rap, so in other words, I care mostly about flow, delivery, and lyrics as opposed to straight up content...most of the stuff that I described in this paragraph is just generalizations and it will really just come down to specific rappers on a case-by-case basis. If you'd look at my music player, you'd find more braggadocious songs than conscious songs, but I agree with Myke in the sense that I DEFINITELY prefer bragging about skill and how dope you are on the mic as opposed to materialistic things so that's kinda what I mean by braggadocious stuff on my music player...however, I think why the majority of songs on my player aren't conscious songs is because they are simply harder to find, and it takes twice the effort to understand the message of the conscious song as opposed to the braggadocious song (in fact that's the catch of a conscious song...the time and effort it takes to understand it is part of what makes a conscious song so good, and I'm sure the artist making a conscious song would prefer that the listener not get the message right away and spend more time dissecting it because many times, conscious songs have multiple meanings that can be looked at from many angles which would only further enhance the quality of the song). At the end of the day, time is a precious resource which is why conscious rap probably doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

2000s east coast mixtape rap. If you ain't got no punchlines you can't rap to me.

Great topic and great convo! Nice to see you guys having a good time with this one.

I prefer rappers that give a message. And are just real with themselves and not annoying and stupid

I feel that Jon Connor is a great example of a person telling his story about the struggles and living a better life today presently. Does his newer content contain some braggadocios? Some but very little. He always keeps an inspiring message wit amazing lyricism to back it up.

Immortal Technique is the perfect artist to me because he has raw skill on the mic, he gives great messages, he spits truth and you can bump his shit.

16:09 Beezy look like he trying to find the meaning of life.

My top 5 has both P.O.S. and T.I., so I feel all of y'all on this. T.I. makes me wanna hustle and work hard for some success in the future. P.O.S. helps me deal with the shit I'm going through now and reminds me material shit ain't everything. I think it's important to have a balance of both sides in your music.

Oh, the shit got be lyrically potent too. So the content is really an afterthought as long as it's delivered with skill. So 1. Beats 2. Lyrics 3. Content

Both. It's more about how you do it. It's more complicated than that though.

I personally prefer the well rounded emcee. Jay-Z and Eminem are pretty well rounded counting their whole discography. Jay has violent songs like come and get me and threats, conscious ones like Minority Report, and telling you what goes on wen he was in the Crack Game like Can I Live. Eminem has inspiring songs like Lose Yourself, outside the box crazy stuff like I'm Back and political stuff like Mosh and We As Americans. 2pac same thing. Biggie, bragadocious Unbelievable, inspiring Sky's the Limit and sumthing for the ladies on One More Chance. Nas same thing. That's why these guys are regarded as the best. They were all so well rounded and could do more than one style. Today's rappers are so one dimensional. Rick Ross raps the same verse in every song. J Cole raps way too much about banging out chicks. Drake complains about his failed relationships. A$AP raps ignorance. All of these guys have skills and do what they do well, but are really one sided. Even Lil Wayne, prob the most overhyped ever, Dude was an amazing punchline rapper like Lloyd Banks and Fab were before him, but that's it. He really can't do much else. No one wants to hear Wayne talk about politics lol. Kendrick is prob the only new guy who is as versatile as the older legends. But that's really it.

Mike might of kept it too real for some people

Psychedeliccccccc Shabazz Palaces, Flying Lotus, Chance the Rapper, STANKONIAAAA

Loved this. Also a little input to the Jay-Z $500 dollar tickets conversation, J. Cole just recently did a The Warm Up Tour and every ticket was $1 dollar.

Off topic question, but this is for anybody in the comment section who wants to engage in a nice conversation and what not. Who are your top 5 rappers of all time and 5 honorable mentions? My list: 1. Diabolic. 2. Kool G Rap. 3. R.A. The Rugged Man. 4. Melle Mel. 5. Chuck D. Honorable Mentions: 1. Necro. 2. Gore Elohim. 3. Vinnie Paz. 4. Coolio. 5. Esoteric.

Spitting & hard hitting drums. But I do like catchy hooks & radio friendly songs.

I wouldn't say that honesty is the most important factor. I think that rappers only bragging about money is honest in a kind of way. The reason they brag might be because money is the only thing on their mind and they are in hip hop because of the business. And maybe ultimately, lost who they once was. For me, some kind of self reflection and a will (and courage) to dig a bit deeper in your own emotions, or providing a critical view of the society we live in, is important. Of course, this doesn't mean that they can't make "fun" music about partying, feeling good and bragging. But there has to be some kind of balance.

Myke must of not heard of kanyes 1st 5 albums with songs like: rises, we dont care, heard em say, graduation, runaway, all falls down, and many more

to put it simply, my favorite rappers are rappers who are themselves. It hardly matters what they're talking about if they're being themselves, to me.

Myke, listen to "So Ambitious" , "Anything", "No Hook" by Jay. Jay is very very inspirational.

200 bucks for a concert? I've been in KRS concert in Germany, ~50 buck, front row, he even signed a hoody for me while Supernatural was spitting...

I don't care what rappers say as long as the way they say it sounds good and the beats are slamming. Like Boot Camp Clik's first four albums 1993-1996.

13:12 might be the best Myke/Feefo interaction I've ever seen

I need another "Inside Look." Those made me laugh my ass off

Feefo made a great point with krit. One of my favorite artists is Chamillionaire and if you've heard any of his work you know he gives you such a variety of topics and does it all well. Then you have guys who are just lyrical miracle , or just trap, or just swag rap and if you notice most rappers with huge fan base are the ones that can offer that variety and be almost all those things. Balance is what feefo always says and you may have some more then othErs but enjoy it all. When I wanna hear gun talk, I throw in mobb deep. Bars, I throw on Czarface. Southern jams I do krit or Chamillionaire. Conscious, throw in Common or Brother Ali, introspection Pharoe Monch or Childish Gambino. Go stoner I throw on Mac Miller. Something for all occasions

Feefo- slap in the wip

Do you think Sophie ought to get a new intro ? Yes.

I like political rap more than braggadocio. I'm like Myke that way. I couldn't care less about material possessions and I don't want artists rubbing their successes in my face. There's a way to rhyme about success without verbally abusing the listener.

Rob has point about jay z. Why do you think he called his album, the blue print? Or made records like a hard knock life or even, can I get? When he's snapping talking about I'm better, he's talking about the rappers who are showing lack of respect. He's showing off his lyrical ability and bragging for intimidation.

When they were talking about rappers that talk down to their audience, prime example....Dom Kennedy. But basically Watch the Throne was a huge middle finger to the industry and people in general.

Yeezus had some great production though. I feel the whole album is ironic. I enjoy it throughout.

“I came from cooking in the damn kitchen tryna make this money.” -Feefo

See, when I heard Gorgeous by Kanye West, he did rap about his riches and all the fine things he has in life. However he also DID give out a few inspiring messages together with his collaboration Raekwon, at the ended of some verses like: "I treat the cash the way the government treats AIDS I won’t be satisfied til all my n****s get it, get it?" Or "Keep it real or keep it moving, keep grinding Keep shining, to every young man, this is a plan Learn from others like your brothers Rae and Kanye."

The stuff with great production, I'm also drawn to more sample driven Hip Hop. As for rapping subject matter, I don't care, D.M.C said it best "you can rap about coke and guns or candy canes and rainbows, hell me and Run was rapping about shoes, shoes! in the end all that matters is your skill" and in some cases the rappers will be average at best and still drop a sick album like Straight Out the Jungle or Diplomatic Immunity with the right producer behind it.

I'm sorry but if you charged $40 dollars for Jay or Jay / B, for lower level seats, they would sell out instantly and no one would get the chance to go. Myke and Sophie like to exaggerate the price of these tickets. The three times I've gone to see Jay, Jay / Ye and in a few weeks Jay / B, it's 150 (after tax) for lower level seats, 3 rows from GA. That isn't bad AT ALL to see some of the biggest performers of all time. Why argue about it at all if you even say you don't like Jay's style or Kanye's style anymore? And when has anyone with their level of fame / wealth just decided to do everything for free for the fans? Be realistic. Jay is a businessman, not a charity.

That's why more people should appreciate people like J Cole because he does shows for just $1 and he constantly says that he don't have money like that even though he is rich.

This is a very ambiguous question and for the most part I agree with Beezy. First and foremost, I care way more about music over message (e.g. groove/knock, flow, evolution). Perfect example: Freedie Gibb's "Harold's" on Cocaine Pinata. Dude is just talking about a chicken joint and this song goes so hard. But, with that said, messages can ruin a song for me, whether they are positive or negative. For me, if you're gonna try to spread some knowledge, it's gotta be a little tongue and cheek. I'd rather have a song evoke an emotion in me from a narrative or what have you (e.g. Kendrick's Art of Peer Pressure) than listen to Immortal Technique bark some conspiracy theory shit. Now, on the other hand, while it can be dope for a rapper to do some "I got mine because I put in some work" type of shit, it's gotta be inspiring. Myke, I like how you used the phrase "The Elite." Hip hop was started to fight oppression man. Poor blacks and whites couldn't get into or relate to the wealthy disco scene and this oppression was the genesis hip hop, punk and new wave music. So, when you have dudes like Meek Mill or Rick Ross or Jay Z or Ye making music for the elite (even though it's not your stereotypical white elite) then I think you are really diverging from what rap is suppose to be. But, more importantly, the records that are being put out now from all of those dudes I just mentioned have very uninspiring flows and grooves that don't push the music forward at all.