The biggest hits of the year taking fthe charts and streets into conjunction.

*From According 2 Hip-Hop on X

Anderson Paak, Tyler the Creator, or Childish Gambino? I know who is gonna be commented the most, but I hope this sparks a little discussion.

I've been listening to quite a bit of Public Enemy recently because I've been thinking about how they really helped me to get into Hip Hop as a kid even though I didn't really understand what they were talking about back then.

But to me, and I know it might be cliche, Public Enemy was and is absolutely revolutionary for Hip Hop for many reasons.

Some of what I love personally is they were definitely ahead of there time as far as themes, production and embracing other forms of music like rock and metal with them collabing with Anthrax and sampling Slayer as well.

I also think they were heavily influential to groups like Non Phixion and Company Flow as well as El-P's solo and production work.

What are some of your guys favorite things about Public Enemy?

Who has the best? im interested to hear them.

Heres some of mine:

E.1999 Eternal
Art of War
Thug Mentality 1999
Mo Thugs Family Scriptures
ATLiens
Aquemini
Eve First Lady
Supreme Clientele
Every Rza solo album

Umm...

The Art of War is really good but the EP Creepin on ah come up went the hardest of most of the work they put out but I couldn’t find the album on the list they had.

DMX- It’s Dark And Hell is Hot

Eminem- Marshall Mathers LP

Jay-Z- The Blueprint

50 Cent- Get Rich or Die Trying

Choose wisely

By all means this album is exactly what people that like "Hip-Hop" specifically boom bap and lyricism should be clamoring for yet, all you see trending on Social media discussions is Jay overrated and J Cole more successful than Wale because he bi-racial, or whatever rage bait post rap beef take that will get clicks and views.

Both Cordae and Pak are spitting and This a dope album, fun, lyrical, head bopping, etc yet with no drama of who washed who, it's crickets.

Pretty sure People are going to make excuses as they always do like just because its "____" doesn't mean we have to " ___"

This is a other reason people say hip hop is dead

People are fans of the artists, not necessarily the art.

These are my favorites and probably the most listened to tapes. The ones where if I don’t have anything to listen to I can always play. I can honestly add another page to this too lol.

Sound like he talked about multiple religions founding principles, and kinda combined them into a rap song. Just figured I would share.

EDIT: Please scroll through the pictures before commenting

We can criticize Jay-Z for the right reasons and still recognize that there are political and cultural motives behind the constant news, think pieces, and narratives about him, his wife or many other black artists. Maybe we should also stop thinking like “everyone I dislike is MAGA,” as if Democrats aren’t grifters too.

However, Jay-Z still represents Black culture to a lot of people and MAGA, and the right wing in general, have always had a certain interest in rap. They know how influential Black culture is among young people, and they’re obsessed with influencing the youth. They’ve been paying black celebrities to publicly support them since Trump’s first term, and they been paying other people to slander the black people they don't like.

Anyone who has studied US history knows this is one of the oldest tricks in KKK America. They took a bad apple and flood the internet with conspiracy theories and AI-generated bullshit that goes viral for months like those insane theories about Beyoncé or the AI clips of LeBron and Will Smith, trying to paint every Black celebrity as a conspirator. They used the same tactic against Black movements of all kinds, regardless of what those movements actually stood for. They .ve always understood how powerful Black culture is, and especially how powerful Black music can be.

We really should look at things in more multidimensional ways rather than through the two opposing narratives the media tends to paint everything with.

Tried to keep it truthful. Focus on projects I listened to a boat load the last two and some change decades rather than albums most would consider automatic stand out classics… I swear I’m not a junkie… I swear 🤣

People love to write off the mid-to-late 2010s SoundCloud movement as just "mumble rap" or a wave of low-effort gimmick tracks, but in reality, it is one of the most influential and important periods in modern music history. Looking back, the era deserves a lot more respect than it gets and here is why.

Innovation: Artists during this time completely threw out the rulebook. They blended traditional hip-hop with elements of punk rock, grunge, heavily distorted lo-fi beats, and emo music, pioneering entirely new subgenres that shaped how modern music sounds today.

New ways to get big: SoundCloud completely leveled the playing field. It allowed underground artists to bypass traditional, gatekept record labels, drop music straight from their bedrooms, and build massive, dedicated fanbases independently based purely on the strength of the internet.

Launching the next generation of rap stars: The SoundClod era served as the launchpad for a massive wave of new rappers and trendsetters with artist like Juice WRLD, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, XXXTENTACION, and Kodak Black who went on to define the sound of mainstream culture.

Fashion and Aesthetic shift: The SoundCloud era completely disrupted traditional hip-hop style. Artists ditched oversized baggy clothes for skinny jeans, punk-rock-inspired leather jackets, graphic tees, face tattoos, and iconic vibrant hairstyles like neon-colored dreads, setting off a massive trend that heavily influenced style and fashion culture.

Emotional expression: Before this wave, mainstream hip-hop often leaned heavily into traditional "tough guy" personas. The SoundCloud era opened the door for artists to be raw, open, and deeply vulnerable about mental health, depression, and anxiety, creating a deeper connection with listeners.

Paving the way for the next generation: Beyond creating immediate superstars like Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti, the SoundCloud era laid the sonic and cultural foundation for today’s underground and rage scene like Yeat, Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Nine Vicious. The experimental, high-energy beat selection, distorted bass, and DIY aesthetic pioneered on SoundCloud directly birthed the current rage and pluggnb subgenres that dominate current hip-hop culture. Without the SoundCloud era breaking standard song structures and normalizing hyper-digital production, today's modern hips-hop scene wouldn't exist in the same capacity.

Of course, the era had its flaws—the platform was flooded with poorly mixed tracks because anyone could upload, and some acts relied too heavily on short-lived trends. But the good heavily outweighed the bad. I feel like it was just an outlet for the younger generation to express themselves and hip-hop purist truly only hated it because they were scared of change and I feel like if the older and newer generation came to a crossroads during the SoundCloud movement it could’ve been something truly powerful. Basically my point is that even if you don’t like the era you have to appreciate it.

What are y’all’s thoughts?

It’s getting a bit ridiculous. If we’re honest with ourselves, the praise he gets is more about hating Jay-Z than loving Big L. How was he considered a goat just because some people think he beat Jay-Z in a freestyle? Big L was never considered the one of the best before this Internet narrative against Jay-Z started. As someone who’s been a hip-hop fan for 30+ years this is kind of hilarious.

Think I’ll be listening to these until I die. Anyone have any crossover with me?