Conscious hip hop

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Conscious hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music (usually hardcore hip hop or underground hip hop) that focuses on social issues. It differs from political hip hop in that it is not necessarily overtly political, but still focuses on social issues and conflicts. The main themes of conscious hip hop include religion, aversion to violence and the economy. Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" was the first political and conscious hip hop track, decrying the poverty, violence, and dead-end lives of the black youth of the time.

1 Success
2 Terminology
3 Notable conscious hip hop artists
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Success

The audience for conscious rap is largely underground<ref name="Thompson">Thompson, Amanda (2004-05-06). "Gender in Hip Hop: A Research Study" (PDF). Humboldt State University. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.</ref>. Today's hip hop industry, targeting the 45 million listeners between the ages of 13 and 34. Conscious hip hop artists have not attained the same level of commercial success. <ref>Brown, Roxanne L. "Todd Boyd’s Lessons on the Rise of Hip Hop: Move Civil Rights and Historical Context Out of the Way" (PDF). The Center for Black Diaspora. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.</ref>

[edit] Terminology

Some conscious artists have criticized the name. Mos Def criticizes the label, saying:

The white man keep trying to slip the 'conscious rapper' thing on me...I come from Roosevelt Projects, man. The ghetto. I drank the same sugar water, ate hard candy. And they try to get me because I'm supposed to be more articulate, I'm supposed to be not like the other Negroes, to get me to say something against my brothers. I'm not going out like that, man."<ref> (why wouldnt you? you would only instigate other negroes to go against whites)misnomer:Conscious Hip Hop vs Gangsta Rap?.</ref>

The term "hip-hop heads" – often shortened to "heads" – is used by conscious hip hop fans to refer to those who embrace the culture of hip hop, including rapping, breakdancing, DJing, and graffiti <ref>Haupt, Adam. "Bring da noise: Youth culture and freedom" (PDF). Rhodes Journalism Review. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.</ref>