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2000 was an incredible year, the last great one before this 2010-13 renaissance, but over all I could not stand the sound and tone of rap.
I appreciate (in retrospect) that Timbo, Manny Fresh, The Neptunes, Swizz, Ye, Just Blaze, Heatmakerz, Bink!, Palow and others moved rap away from solely relying on samples / loops and chops (at times creating great music), but the imitators and followers made rap sound cheap, generic, and soulless. Add to the fact muhfuckas began to barely rap and started the whole I'm not a rapper I'm a hustler shit, the music as Bammer has put it, just became an accessory to projecting a certain life style or identity in our changing world (the rise of technology), and it was corny (bordering on minstrelsy some times.
I love what Stones Throw and Def Jux did through those years; Madvillian and Cold Vein are two of the greatest rap albums of any era IMO. Those two labels kept my ear to rap though my heart had moved to discovering jazz, rock and r&b of the late 50 to mid 70s.
But since 02-06 were my college and heavy leftist organizing years shit like 50, G Unit, Jeezy, TI, Dipset (more the image/persona than the actual music) Wayne, 4DL, etc etc just really fucn sucked. They were the sound of a corrupt culture to me at the time. Luckily age and experience has taught me not to focus on things I don't like or judge what the general population likes/liked to dance to. The ringtone era has to be one of the lowest points though outside of the murders / deaths of Dilla, JMJ and Baatin.
Also thank the holy universe for DOOM. from DOOMsday to Mouse & The Mask, was one of the most impressive and inspiring runs, ever. If I did top emcee shits, DOOM would be top10 because of it
Overall the mainstream classics like King, GRODT, Thug Motivation, Ye's first two LPs, Em's first three just DIDNT hit me. I didn't and don't fuck with them. Personally I feel things turned around near 06-09, but the alternative and lyrical crop like Chester Fench, Pac Div, The CoolKids, Kidz In The Hall, BTH's Blu (shoot me), Shawn Jackson were so generic and lifeless shit still looked grim, and the older rappers like Kast, Doom, Mobb Deep, LB, Talib, and Murs seemed to be losing creative inspiration or were breaking up.
It def wasn't as bad as some like to say it was, but it's nothing to really celebrate as a whole either.
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