>I love the rhymes on RDoubt,
>Vol.2, Vol.3 and The Blueprint
>but I mean, this IS
>okayplayer. Here I like
>to at least pretend we
>reward people based on their
>lyrical content as well as
>their hits.

See, this may be the problem:

What is 'real' to one may be melodrama or 'commercial' to the next.

I find that a lot of music listeners seem to listen to artists that share their views. To me, this is understandable . However, it can be limiting if taken to an extreme.

I am only 24 years old and I don't even pretend that I have it all figured out. *Paraphrase from memory* "A man who knows something knows that he knows nothing at all." - Badu

I enjoy hiphop mostly because I enjoy listening to well-expressed perspectives whether they mesh with mine or not.

Some of my favorites are 2Pac, Common, JayZ, Outkast, and Blackstar. IMO, all of these acts (and several others) are good at laying out their ideas about their lives and surroundings in general.

I seriously
>do love J guys but
>we can't stop challenging the
>things he says, he does
>put money first, degrades women,
>etc...Let's never stop questioning artists,
>asking them to think more
>before they drop homophobic rhymes,
>etc...

I'm with you on this. But, this challenge has to be across the board. To me, it isn't fair or sensible for me to condemn a JayZ or a Common for what he says on record while ignoring what my neighbors or family members are doing around me everyday. I see this all the time, though.

> When I hear "Money
>Ain't A Thang" or "Girls,
>Girls" only half of me
>is satisfied, the musical side,
>but not my mind/soul.
>I'm holdin it down for
>the okayskeptics, but jay- you
>still a pimp.

I'd say that Jay-Z, like 2Pac, is better to listen to and digest in full albums. Being that I don't pay much attention to the radio and I only watch videos occasionally, I tend to be an 'album person'.

Singles matter to me when it is an act that I hope will catch on. (ex: I was pulling Kweli's "The Blast" to take off) When it is JayZ or someone like that, I don't rely on the singles as much as I rely on listening to the full albums before forming an opinion.

Either way, Blackstar (together and separately) and Common have very powerful stand-alone songs. Sometimes, it bothers me that some of their strongest songs will never be heard by those who run from anything that may be .. (begin terror music) .. "conscious" or thought-provoking .. (end terror music after screams of pain and agony).

Jimaveli