The Hit List: Rap for Those Who Hate Rap

Interpunct proves that even if hardcore rap isn't exactly your thing, this genre has something for everyone! —Sparkitors

When I was 13, my taste in music was pretty simple: I liked anything and everything, as long as it wasn’t rap. I’d been raised on a steady diet of Mozart, Carly Simon, and the Beatles, and my friends were burgeoning goth girls and punk prodigies. I listened to all kinds to music, but insisted that rap was shallow, materialistic, and unappealing. I’d rather be ripped apart by Velociraptors than listen to rap, that was my stance.

But then I discovered the world of underground rap, where rappers don't degrade women in every verse or insist that yo and yeah be used as frequently as possible. Even though I'm no die-hard rap fan, at least now I can roll my eyes in gleeful snobbery when people insist they "hate" rap—I used to say the same, but my opinion has changed. So here are five rap tracks for people who think they hate rap, and here's to hoping that they can learn to appreciate its many diverse and talented artists!

None Shall Pass by Aesop Rock

Best Lyric: No score on a war-torn beach
where the cash cows actually beef.
This was the first song that actually made me stop and say "Wow. This rap stuff can actually be—dare I say it?—deep." There's enough symbolism and obscurity here to keep your English teacher blissfully analyzing for months. I won't pretend to get it all, but what I get is good. And I also love the beat, which was just odd enough to draw me in.

Wolfman Jack by Binary Star

Best Lyric: He travels through the shadows survivin' off instincts/There's a young girl found dead behind the skatin' rink.
Binary Star creates a creepy story around a werewolf—but don’t worry, it doesn’t feature any mopey vampires or weepy, angst-ridden teen romance. This piece is perfect to listen to at night, in bed, with the covers over your head—but if you have an overactive imagination, make sure you have a nightlight for afterwards.

iGeneration by MC Lars

Best Lyric: The Berlin Wall fell and out we came/The post-Cold War kids laid claim to AIM.
LOL, OMG, yo, BRB. Space, colon, dash, closed parenthesis/We sat at our laptops and typed away, and found that we each had something to say.
I was born in the early 90s, a little late for the iGeneration (those born in mid-to-late 80s), but I still identify with this song, in which MC Lars perfectly portrays our transition from a normal society to one completely dependent on technology. I can remember a time when 4th graders didn't have iPhones, and when going on the internet still made that irritating dial-up noise. Note: MC Lars got an English degree from Stanford, and it shows. His other pieces, which include a rap adaptation of Poe's The Raven, are definitely worth a look if you're a nerd like I am.

Mineshaft by Dessa

Best Lyric: The list of the things I used to be is longer than the things I am.
I'm not a die-hard feminist, but there needed to be a woman on this list, and Dessa is the one to fill that spot. She's an amazing artist with an amazing voice. She knows just when she needs to speed up or slow down her rapping to capture the listener, and Mineshaft is a great example of her skills.

Makeshift Patriot by Sage Francis

Best Lyric: There is a new price on freedom,
 so buy into it while supplies last.
This song is very political, so you may disagree with some of the views expressed. But verses like "we don't really know who the culprit is yet, but he looks like this" are so bitingly ironic they make me giggle, and the sobering imagery of destruction is powerful and effective.

So there you go. Hopefully, one of these songs will change your mind about rap, or at least pique your curiosity and encourage you to listen to more!

For those that do listen to rap: what are your favorites? Any suggestions for a self-taught rap fan?

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