As there is with all music, there's different types of hip-hop. Some is ugly and disdainful. Some is sad and scary. But some hip-hop is uplifting and actually quite filled with traditional values.
When I'm in the mood for that kinda beat, that's the hip-hop I listen to, and it can actually elevate and inspire, and even solidify godly foundations.
I find a lot of that in Latino hip-hop especially. (Plus I've always had a thing for that Latin brass horn kinda sound that you find in some of this music.) There's ideas about monogamous love, and not misogynistic sexual prowess. About the desire to make your girlfriend a wife, about family, and loyalty, about God and community, about enjoying the blessings of life.
Now not every line in every song like that will be a perfect reflection of all things good and pure, and there's often a lot of rough language, and some, ahem, "drug use" and things like that, but I don't like to throw out the proverbial baby, so I try not to let that dissuade me from gleaning the good things out of life. (Who was it who said about the poem actually being what the reader gets from it?)
So yes, you have to exercise your powers of discretion and conscience, because certainly not all hip-hop is beneficent, or uplifting, and you have to search it out to find it, just like anything in life.
But, that all said, some favourite hip-hop artists with tunes that echo these ideals (or are just a lot of fun to listen to) would be, Lil Rob's Neighborhood Music, Just One Of Your Kisses, Can We Ride (one of the tunes my darling wife and I shared with the the town on our Wedding Drive), Summer Nights, Barely Getting By, and Drinking On My Driveway. (Drinking On My Driveway, fucking love that song! See, there's the ideas of liberty and private property and freedom and kinship and pride of tradition and value of humour, and much more, all wrapped up in a fun and alcohol-blessed motif.)
Lil Menace has a coupla songs I like to put in my playlist too. There's Throw Up Your Hood (I was cruising through the neigbourhoods last summer in my beautiful black Buick with that tune pumping, and as I got about half a block from the turn I was going to take, I noticed a couple of kids playing on the corner yard. The one boy, guess he musta been about 10, was watching my car and dancing to the music as I drove by. Man, that put a good smile on my face, and we just looked at each other as I drove by. Heh, I bet he's gonna appreciate some blessings when he grows up.)
Lil Menace also has the somber and moving Firme Memories, I listened to that and Kid Frost's Smile Now, Die Later (aka Family Thing) alot after my Mom followed my Dad to the grave last summer.
Gotta love Kemo the Blaxican's song La Receta, it'll always bring all the wonderful times of my Wedding year right back to me whenever I hear it.
Dr. Dre's Ain't Nuthin but a "G" Thang really hits the spot sometimes, unlike any other song (whenever we go to the local bar I always have to put it on in the big jukebox there), and of course, The Ghetto Boys have the anthemic Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta. Also, you can't forget the classic from Snoop, Gin 'n Juice, or a Friday after work favourite, Ice Cube's Today Was A Good Day.
In fact, I'm eagerly looking forward to stepping out on the deck tonight yet, (it's still Friday night to me!) and having a few more drinks with some excellent music to inspire and entertain me!
Cheers and blessings to all!
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